Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 176

Assignment Example The archeologists further discovered how the city came into being; through a lava-tube cave. These caves and other physical features, according to the archaeologists, symbolized the gods and ancestors of Mesoamerica (Archive.archaeology.org n.p). Other than their religious significance, the features were also used as a focal point for settlement and other activities. The city expanded at a fast pace during the second century until the A.D 600. The city was later torched down around A.D 750 by invaders (Archive.today n.p). The archaeologists, from their findings, concluded that the city’s residents were multiethnic and worshipped a goddess. The discovery of the burial site was the breakthrough of 1999, which was after the discovery of various mass graves from 1982 to 1989. The 2003 excavation at the Teotihuacan led to the discovery of three burial sites believed to belong to elite individuals. In these burial sites, Maya artifacts were present. These Maya artifacts further linked the Mexican capital to the southeast Maya region (Archive.archaeology.org n.p). The remains of these elite individuals were found in cross-legged position and various Maya-style artifacts such as shells, obsidian and other ceremonial items. The discovery of Mayan artifacts confirmed the interaction between the Mayan and Teotihuacan communities. The use of Mayan artifacts by royalty suggests that the two communities influenced each other greatly. This discovery is vital in giving historians insight about the ruling of the city of Teotihuacan. The discoveries on the ancient city of Teotihuacan shed light on this ancient civilization. The presence of mass graves meant that the Teotihuacan community participated in sacrificial rituals (Asu.edu 2014). These sacrificial rituals were very vital to this community as they celebrated state power at the pyramid of the moon. The vastness and orderliness in design

Otherness and Alienation in Joyce Essay Example for Free

Otherness and Alienation in Joyce Essay The striking feature of James Joyce’s hero in A Portrait of an Artist as a young Man and Dubliners is that of a detached observer of his fellow-beings and environment: home, religion and country. From a normal boy of Dublin he gradually emerges to be an artist of high sensibility who shuns the influences of social and religious order. The esthetic power of re-creating the world makes Stephen reject the order of the Jesuits. In the stories as well as the novel, the hero chooses the role of an artist in exile. The lack of social value framework makes the artist feel he has no function to play; he must practice his part in silence and in exile. Joyce raises the question of proper aesthetic attitude and develops art from egocentric lyrical to dramatic approach. He has portrayed human activities with complete aloofness, using dramatic method. His fictions have epiphany rather than the conventional suspense, well-contrived plot and action. James Joyce shows the growth of a highly sensitive artistic mind in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in an atmosphere dominated by conservative religion. His hero as a detached observer is very similar to Albert Camus’ protagonist in The Outsider, except for the fact that Stephen begins with religious faith and ends with his esthetics which is definitely a positive feature. From a normal boy of Dublin he gradually emerges to be an artist of high sensibility who shuns the influences of social and religious order. The esthetic power of re-creating the world makes Stephen reject the order of the Jesuits. In the stories as well as the novel, the hero chooses the role of an artist in exile. The lack of social value framework makes the artist feel he has no function to play; he must practice his part in silence and in exile. Joyce raises the question of proper esthetic attitude and develops art from egocentric lyrical to dramatic approach. He has portrayed human activities with complete aloofness, using dramatic method. His fictions have epiphany rather than the conventional suspense, well-contrived plot and action. Having been dissatisfied with the religious doctrines as inadequate, he goes on develop his esthetics which is, according to David Daiches : To look at the world with the eye of the artist who combines the naked sensibility and the pure aesthetic eye and be satisfied with the artist’s god-like power to re-create the world with words. It is this discovery that prompts Stephen’s rejection to join the order of the Jesuits. (Daiches. 199) The drab surroundings of Dublin and his sharp intelligence and excessive sensibility turn every experience into a conflict in Stephen’s soul – the religious versus the pagan, the struggle of the flesh versus the spirit. Joyce said, ‘I call the series Dubliners to betray the soul of that hemiplegia or paralysis which many consider a city. ’ (Beja. 16) The boy narrator of â€Å"Araby† finds the Dublin environment pretty dull (described in the first paragraph) and he tries to forget it by falling in love with his friend Mangan’s sister. He manages to suppress his obsession with the girl, but fails miserably to buy her a gift from the fair because of the insensibilities of the salespersons. At the end he is left with an excruciating depression which culminates in an epiphany: ‘Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger. ’(Dubliners. 33) It is the realization of the aloof artist who is disillusioned with the ways of the world. The insensitive behavior of the salespersons makes him disenchanted about the world. Another hero in â€Å"An Encounter† shows his isolation when he confesses that he has no sweethearts while Mahony and his friends have plenty. ‘I answered that I had none. He did not believe me and said he was sure I must have one. I was silent. ’ (Dubliners. 23) Stephen’s experience at the Jesuit school is a perpetual conflict with the environment as is evident:

Comparing The House of Mirth and Daisy Miller :: Henry James, Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton’s â€Å"The House of Mirth† mainly describes the need of a woman to be married to a wealthy man and how she attempts to find the most appropriate suitor. â€Å"The House of Mirth† also observes the tedious physical and mental decline of a young woman who, because of her own weakness and indecisiveness, falls from social distinction into poverty and griminess. The story presents a cruel measure of reality and ends quite sadly. Instead of marrying and living happily, Lily weakens slowly and commits suicide, possibly unintentionally, as a way of evading a lower-class humanity in which her upper-class needs cannot survive. Lily's life is the exact opposite of dignity or beauty; she had many chances to live the kind of life she dreamed of, but lost it all. Similarly, Henry James’ â€Å"Daisy Miller,† is a rich, young, American girl from New York, traveling around Europe with her mother and younger brother. Daisy is a complex combination of traits. She is feisty, independent, and well intentioned, yet she is also petty, ignorant, and unsophisticated. Daisy is also an irritating flirt. She has no public elegance or informal gifts, such as appeal, humor, and a talent for banter. Also she is primarily interested only in influencing men and making herself the hub of interest. Throughout the story, Winterbourne, the love interest of Daisy, is fixated over the issue of whether Daisy is naive, but her behavior by no means reveals whether she is or isn’t. Winterbourne accepts that Daisy is crude but wonders whether she is innocent. Frequently, Daisy seems less than innocent since Winterbourne did catch her with another man late at night at the Coliseum, which results in her death from malaria. Overall, it is the way in whic h Daisy embodies all the different forms of innocence that results in her demise. While the telling of the story is quite similar, â€Å"The House of Mirth† is different in the sense that all that character’s form of thinking is revealed to the reader. Henry James primarily portrays the story of Winterbourne and the affect that Daisy has on him. He does describe Daisy in great detail yet he fails to give any indication of why she acts the way she does. One can only ponder over ideas of how she thinks and her reasoning behind what she does in certain events. It is obvious that Daisy is ignorant to her inappropriate behavior but it is unclear if this is an act or if she is really unaware that she is acting incorrectly.

Does technology ensure progress? Essay

In this essay I will argue that technology does not ensure progress. The first main concept that needs to be clarified is ‘technology’. This paper acknowledges the concept ‘technology’ as being the application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives. The other key concept ‘progress’ in this essay is defined as a steady improvement, as a society or civilization. I am arguing that the concept of technology does not ensure the concept of progress because there are certain technologies that have hurt society in various ways. Furthermore, not all technologies ensure progress. Scientists have created various technologies for various reasons. It is evident that not all of these technologies are for the steady improvement of a society or civilization, but rather for personal gain. If a certain technology was invented to give a farmer a greater yield of crop, but this particular technology leads to the death of an ecosystem, then it is not progress in the sense it brings steady improvement to a society or civilization because it destroys the delicate balance of life and its biodiversity. The loss of biodiversity will hurt civilization in the long run because the foundations of life depend on it. Some people may think that certain technologies are the correct path for humanity, but certain technologies can manifest into things that people do not expect and hurt society by doing so. For instance, if scientists could predict that aliens would take over the earth if they invented a spaceship that could reach them, even though the scientists had not planned on finding earth invaders; surely they would have thought otherwise. This is an extreme example that has obviously not happened, but the birth of atomic energy is an example of technology that’s intended purpose of giving houses and industries power manifested itself into a bomb for the military. Some may argue that the atomic bomb ensured progress for the American’s and allied forces, yet surely the Japanese society where the bomb was dropped during the Second World War did not find progress with this technology because it killed many innocent people and destroyed infrastructure. Certain technologies are seriously destroying the natural world. This  ultimately does not lead to the improvement of a civilization, but rather is causing it harm. If technology keeps generating harmful gases and toxic chemicals which poisons the earth, then it is of no good to civilization because humans need to earth to survive. Some readers might object to me answering that â€Å"technology does not ensure progress†. Perhaps they believe if it wasn’t for technology humans may never have succeeded in being a dominant figure on earth and we would never have evolved enough to even ask the question in the first place. There are animals that are stronger, bigger, and faster then humans and external elements that can kill humans at ease, so by humans using technology to build defensive mechanisms or shelter for warmth it has ensured human survival in a world that can be unforgiving by natural things. If my concept of technology remained the same (the application of science, especially industrial or commercial), but the concept of progress changed to (development or growth) then one could answer ‘yes’ to the question; â€Å"does technology ensure progress†. This is evident in the manufacturing sector of our society where technology has enabled humans to build factories and warehouses to ensure development and growth of economics. The same could be said by keeping the concept of technology constant, but changing the definition of progress to (movement, as towards a goal). Scientist’s movement to create technology can be motivated by achieving goals. For instance, a certain product has to be on the market by a specific due date, otherwise the project will be terminated, so by scientists using technology and ensuring they get the job done they have moved forward and reached a goal. It is apparent that there are particular technologies that can help humans build a better society by keeping us warm and ensuring food to survive. However, certain technologies have manifested through the evolution of man that have unquestionably uninsured the progress of humans because it has brought harm to civilization through destruction and death. Perhaps scientists and the general public need to think long and hard about inventing certain technologies. This is all the more difficult because nobody can predict the future and certain technologies might seem like a  great idea at the time, but turn out to be a serious danger to all life on earth. This paper by no means is an indicator of which technologies are good for the betterment of society, but hopefully it will open the dialog between people to ask the question; which technology is ensuring progress?

Google Analytics

Urchin on Demand, a web statistics analysis program developed by urchin Software Corporation, was used as a basis for developing Google Analytics when Google acquired Urchin Software Corporation in April 2005. This program provides powerful tracking tools for anyone with a web presence. The Customized Reporting tool can help analysts save time by allowing them to organize and present information based on specific metrics and variables Instead of slating through large amounts of data to mind specific Information. These variables allow you to collect unique data that Is most important to your business.These reports can be constructed in ways to make it easy to understand. Also included in this tool are custom alerts that will alert an individual on significant changes in data patterns or when customized thresholds are reached. The Advertising Return on Investment tool track financial goals by tracking sales and revenue and measuring them against the advertising costs. This tool is used in conjunction with two other products – Towards and Decades. Towards is a â€Å"cost-per- click† and site-targeted advertising program for banner, text, and media ads.This model of advertising Is used to direct traffic to specific websites, where the advertiser would pay the publisher of the advertisement each time the ad is clicked by a visitor. Decades Is a salary advertising program, mainly used by website publishers of all sizes to create and place targeted Google advertisements that are often relevant to the website being visited. Decades also lets the website owner provide Google search o site users, while allowing them to earn money by displaying Google Ads on the search results pages.The Sharing and Communication tool will allow you schedule or send unplanned personalized report emails that contain information that you want to share. Administrative controls are integrated to manage how sensitive data is dispensed and which reports and announcements are availa ble to users on your account. Google Analytics provides a tool that will allow an individual to visualize data being analyzed in a schematic form by way of motion charts, graphs, score cards, and there graphical methods In order to identify trends, patterns, and other comparisons.Funnels provide a way of visualizing how efficient the pages on an individual's website can â€Å"funnel† or direct visitors to the business owner's goal. It will Identify which pages result In higher drop-off rates of visitors. The pages Identified for higher drop-off rates can be analyzed to identify the cause of the drop-off in website traffic an metal to more inclemently slut ten needs AT tenet potential customers. Cross Channel and Multimedia Tracking methods allow you to track mobile websites, bile applications, web-enabled mobile devices, flash, social networking, and web 2. Applications. The internal site search function helps you identify with customer's needs in order to speed up the time t o conversion. Google Analytics will provide a business owner with the confidence to make sound business decisions about their web-based business that can be measured by hard data. This data can be used to ensure that an owner can make the proper adjustments to their business as website traffic is analyzed and the needs of their customers are identified in order to examine profits and minimize advertising costs. Google Analytics Urchin on Demand, a web statistics analysis program developed by urchin Software Corporation, was used as a basis for developing Google Analytics when Google acquired Urchin Software Corporation in April 2005. This program provides powerful tracking tools for anyone with a web presence. The Customized Reporting tool can help analysts save time by allowing them to organize and present information based on specific metrics and variables Instead of slating through large amounts of data to mind specific Information. These variables allow you to collect unique data that Is most important to your business.These reports can be constructed in ways to make it easy to understand. Also included in this tool are custom alerts that will alert an individual on significant changes in data patterns or when customized thresholds are reached. The Advertising Return on Investment tool track financial goals by tracking sales and revenue and measuring them against the advertising costs. This tool is used in conjunction with two other products – Towards and Decades. Towards is a â€Å"cost-per- click† and site-targeted advertising program for banner, text, and media ads.This model of advertising Is used to direct traffic to specific websites, where the advertiser would pay the publisher of the advertisement each time the ad is clicked by a visitor. Decades Is a salary advertising program, mainly used by website publishers of all sizes to create and place targeted Google advertisements that are often relevant to the website being visited. Decades also lets the website owner provide Google search o site users, while allowing them to earn money by displaying Google Ads on the search results pages.The Sharing and Communication tool will allow you schedule or send unplanned personalized report emails that contain information that you want to share. Administrative controls are integrated to manage how sensitive data is dispensed and which reports and announcements are availa ble to users on your account. Google Analytics provides a tool that will allow an individual to visualize data being analyzed in a schematic form by way of motion charts, graphs, score cards, and there graphical methods In order to identify trends, patterns, and other comparisons.Funnels provide a way of visualizing how efficient the pages on an individual's website can â€Å"funnel† or direct visitors to the business owner's goal. It will Identify which pages result In higher drop-off rates of visitors. The pages Identified for higher drop-off rates can be analyzed to identify the cause of the drop-off in website traffic an metal to more inclemently slut ten needs AT tenet potential customers. Cross Channel and Multimedia Tracking methods allow you to track mobile websites, bile applications, web-enabled mobile devices, flash, social networking, and web 2. Applications. The internal site search function helps you identify with customer's needs in order to speed up the time t o conversion. Google Analytics will provide a business owner with the confidence to make sound business decisions about their web-based business that can be measured by hard data. This data can be used to ensure that an owner can make the proper adjustments to their business as website traffic is analyzed and the needs of their customers are identified in order to examine profits and minimize advertising costs.

Hurricane Katrinas Impact

Hurricane Katrinas Impact Free Online Research Papers On August 29, 2005, one of the strongest hurricanes to impact the coast of the United States made landfall hitting southern Florida as a category 1. By August 29th, Hurricane Katrina reached the Gulf Coast smashing and destroying the city of New Orleans as a category 4. Many living in the city fled prior to the storm, but many believed the reminiscences of the storm wouldn’t be as bad as they thought and they stayed. As a result of New Orleans being below sea level, levees were placed around the city to keep the streets and homes from flooding. When the intensity of winds and mass flooding came from the storm, these levees broke, flooding nearly 80% of New Orleans leaving people homeless, jobless, and even some lifeless ( Caruso). Hurricane Katrina left a devastating impact on the city of New Orleans. On August 27th, prior to Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, New Orleans’ Mayor Ray Nagin expressed his deep concern for the city and asked the people living there to evacuate voluntarily. Many began boarding up their homes and preparing to evacuate the city, but many people remained believing they could survive the hurricane’s temper. By mid-afternoon on the 27th, Mayor Nagin made the evacuation mandatory. For those who didn’t have money or waited too long to leave, a â€Å"refuge of last resort† was designed at the Louisiana Superdome. â€Å"When Hurricane Katrina came ashore on the 29th, approximately one million people had fled the city† (Wikipedia). When Katrina made landfall, the storm dumped treacherous amounts of rain causing the levees around the city to break. The water behind these levees flooded the city leaving some places under 20 feet of water. As the storm pressed on, the flood waters continued to rise causing the streets to look more like rivers, and swept victims and their cars off into the depths. The worst hit area involved the levees at the Industrial Canal. The Lower Ninth, a huge residential area, was completely swamped leaving survivors homeless and claiming many lives of those who couldn’t make it out in time (Wikipedia). Some of the life claiming and changing devastations from the hurricane were not only from flooding, but also dehydration from a lack of good water, infection, and even depression. Depression stemmed from loss of loved ones, loss of homes, and possessions that displaced over one million residents of the gulf states, mostly Louisiana. New Orleans, which was eighty percent under water, lost close to 180 thousand houses from the severity of the flooding (Climate). Many had their temporary displacement, in the safe haven better known as the New Orleans Super Dome, extended by having to move from their home town (Wikipedia). Although some people were fortunate to still have their home somewhat intact, they lacked the source of power and water to enhance the time to remodel it in a timely manner. New Orleans was in a state of disaster. Everybody once living in the city was either deceased, abandoned from their home, or evacuated not knowing if they could ever call New Orleans their à ¢â‚¬Å"home† ever again. On August 29th, 2005, many people living in New Orleans lost everything to one of the greatest disasters to ever hit America, Hurricane Katrina. The near two thousand lives that were lost, the million plus that were displaced, and delayed federal aid for the people of New Orleans left this proud colorful culture in shambles. The devastation rendering a prominent U.S. city seem like a war torn third world country unrecognizable as suitable living and working space for its citizens; this may well be the worst natural disaster in the young history of the United States. Caruso, Kevin. â€Å"Hurricane Katrina 2005.† Suicide.org. 21 Jan. 2008 hurricanekatrina.com/hurricane-katrina-2005.html. â€Å"Climate of 2005 Summary of Hurricane Katrina.† National Climatic Data Center. 29 Dec. 2005. 21 Jan. 2008 ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/katrina.html. â€Å"Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.† Wikipedia. Apr. 2007. Wikipedia Encyclopedia. 21 Jan. 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_Hurricane_Katrina_on_New_Orleans. Research Papers on Hurricane Katrina’s ImpactHip-Hop is ArtCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite Religion19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceQuebec and CanadaCapital PunishmentEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2

How to Personalize Your Revision Checklist

How to Personalize Your Revision Checklist How to Personalize Your Revision Checklist How to Personalize Your Revision Checklist By Guest Author This is a guest post by Laura Hamby. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. Everyone has their methods. I’ve read revision checklists all over the Internet, but still that didn’t stop me from coming up with my very own checklist. Why? Why not? Who knows better than I how I write? And while I will confess to incorporating items from the checklists of other authors, especially those who write in the genre I do (because I’m a big fan of learning from others), I also know the areas I need to pay attention to on the second/third, et cetera, go-round on my manuscript. The idea is not to revise your voice right out of your work. It is possible to do that if you’re not careful. You also don’t want to revise yourself so you wind up sounding like the person whose checklist you’ve borrowed for your own use. So, what did I consider when putting my personalized checklist together? I’m glad you asked. 1. Things my critique partner pings me on regularly. In the beginning, I had a crit partner who would whack my knuckles with her cyber ruler about head hopping. Stay in ONE point of view? It took me a while to figure it out, but eventually I caught on and now when I head hop, I KNOW what I’m doing. These things are subject to change as you grow as a writer. 2. Things I personally think I can and should do better. Several years ago, I gave myself a mission to use better, stronger verbs whenever and wherever I could. I took baby steps in the beginning, I’d write, then go back and check for passive, lackluster verbs. After a while, I moved on to refusing to use a wimpy verb in the rough draft, even if it meant I stared at the screen until I came up with something better. I like to think now that I’ve about got this licked- the verbs with verve come more easily than the verveless verbs now. As with number one, the items on this portion of your checklist will change, which is exactly what you want, as it shows that you’re growing as a writer. 3. Feedback I’ve received from editors. Hey, I figure if I’m lucky enough to get a rejection complete with what worked and what didn’t work for the editor, that’s as positive a rejection as you can get. And boy, how stupid would I be to discount what the editor has to say? 4. Those pesky generic things that should be on every revision checklist. You know, fun things like spelling, grammar, punctuation, looking for words that are words but are the wrong words. Example: â€Å"The hen is mightier than the sword.† These are what I like to call ‘Fun Typos’ because they often are worth at least a weak giggle, if not a full belly laugh when you find them. 5. Compositional/conventional aspects. Plot, flow, pacing, all threads tied off in a pretty bow, and so forth. 6. Have I stayed true to my voice? We all have a unique voice, but sometimes, it’s possible for it become lost when we try to be too clever or when we fight our way through a scene as if it were a paper bag we had to escape from using nothing but a dull toothpick. This is the part that is truly personal, above and beyond the conventions, like using periods to indicate the end of a statement, that we must observe. What questions can you ask yourself on your checklist that will resonate with how you write and what you write in regard to remaining true to your voice? Feel free to add or subtract from this list, and hey, if you come up with something to consider for creating your own personal revision checklist, let me know. I’m a big believer in being teachable and learning as much as I can about the craft of writing. Laura Hamby writes romantic comedy, has been e-published and enjoys her quest for self-directed continuation learning in writing . Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of†List of Greek Words in the English LanguageEbook, eBook, ebook or e-book?

Alphadon - Facts and Figures

Alphadon - Facts and Figures Name: Alphadon (Greek for first tooth); pronounced AL-fah-don Habitat: Woodlands of North America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (70 million years ago) Size and Weight: About one foot long and 12 ounces Diet: Insects, fruit and small animals Distinguishing Characteristics: Long, prehensile tail; long hind legs About Alphadon As is the case with many of the early mammals of the Mesozoic Era, Alphadon is known primarily by its teeth, which peg it as one of the earliest marsupials (the non-placental mammals represented today by Australian kangaroos and koala bears). Appearance-wise, Alphadon probably resembled a small opossum, and despite its tiny size (only about three-quarters of a pound soaking wet) it was still one of the largest mammals of late Cretaceous North America. Befitting its small stature, paleontologists believe that Alphadon spent most of its time high up in trees, well out of the way of the stomping tyrannosaurs and titanosaurs of its ecosystem. At this point, you may be wondering how a prehistoric marsupial ended up in North America, of all places. Well, the fact is that even   modern marsupials arent restricted to Australia; opossums, to which Alphadon was related, are indigenous to both North and South America, although they had to reinvade the north about three million years ago, when the Central American Isthmus rose up and connected the two continents. (During the Cenozoic Era, after the demise of the dinosaurs, huge marsupials were thick on the ground in South America; before their extinction, a few stragglers managed to find their way via Antarctica to Australia, the only place today where you can find plus-sized pouched mammals.)

Organization Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Organization Development - Essay Example Referring to the overall impact that individuals, groups and structures have on the behavior of the organizations, Organization behavior is what will eventually determine the direction that any organization takes in terms of ‘development’. There are various schools of thought that revolve around the terminology of OD, but a single comprehensive definition by for Organization Development can only be achieved if we incorporate the behavior, people and processes of an organization through one expression. OD can be defined as â€Å"The manner in which a company would grow over a certain period of time, as influenced by the individual and group culture within the body of the organization, and the interactions between different members. This growth pattern has to be adopted at all levels and it shows the extent to which an Organization can readily adapt to change and simultaneously, gain maximum advantage to meet its objectives†. Through this definition we can understand the end objective of OD as well as the tools and resources which will impact the process. More analysis of the expression tell the reader what will be the benefits for an organization which can make the most effective use of OD in a the most efficient manner. Companies with a robust OD framework in place will be better equipped to manage change and turn external opportunities into advantages for growth. The definitions and the field of OD have been discussed by experts with the help of suitable techniques and theories from applied behavioral sciences and related field. However, the definitions given initially have evolved and changed with the times to meet the requirements of changing nature of organizations. Once considered to be static, structured entities, organizations are now seen as being dynamic, flexible and able to rapidly adapt to changing environments. The explanations given for OD reflect

Manegenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Manegenment - Essay Example ect as well reasons why project managers focus on those activities that lie within a critical path rather than those on the slack time when crashing a project. Research indicates that for many years, project networks has been developed using the PERT diagram despite being based on stochastic process which may lead to inaccurate outcomes (Pinto & Jeffrey, pp 312-314). However, with the development of Gantt charts, numerous advantages have been derived over the application of PERT diagram in project scheduling. This is because Gantt diagram not only provide a link between the activities and project schedule time, but also provides an opportunity to now how the activities will be undertaken as well as the actual date when the project will begin till and the time it will be accomplished (Pinto & Jeffrey, pp 312).However, despite the short comings of PERT diagram, the diagram provides project managers with a tool for planning on how the tasks will be accomplished (Pinto & Jeffrey, pp 312-314). Crashing project may involve compressing the activities duration in order to reduce the amount of time that could have been taken to complete the project (Pinto & Jeffrey, pp 220-311). Therefore, a project might be crashed under the following circumstances: when the project is lagging behind the scheduled time, secondly due to market demand whereby, it may be required to accomplish a project earlier before the scheduled date (Pinto & Jeffrey, pp 220-311). Project managers focus on crashing activities within a critical path because it is one of the longest paths within a network (Pinto & effrey pp-232-302). Additionally, crashing those activities within the slack path may reduce time but may subject a project to an additional cost that could have been avoided if crashing was strictly undertaken within the critical path (Pinto & Jeffrey pp-232-302). Therefore, it is advisable to utilize critical path when crashing a project in order to compress the amount of time and reduce

Autobiography Fictionalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Autobiography Fictionalized - Essay Example I was a good obedient girl, thus I took my Barbie doll and a box filled with patchy handmade doll clothes I made from time to time during flushes of childish creativity and went to my room. Dad still wasn’t at home. Mom kept ironing bedlinen and his office shirts. â€Å"Honey, have you brushed your teeth?† I heard while I was diligently putting all my coloring books, pencils and dolls together (I was seven, but I was already clever and sedulous enough). I was naively thinking that father was always at home at the time I went to do my toilet in the evening. Scrubbing my teeth with one of those funny toothbrushes with hippo-shaped caps, I saw mom sitting at the table and crying over her cellphone. I’d never seen a tear shed by her – she’d always been so adult and strong and wise to me. My childish logic didn’t tell me anything better than to come over and hug her as a sign of comfort: We couldn’t sleep well that night. I was hugging my mother, while she lay with her back to me and held the phone in her hand. The phone was ringing continuously, but she wouldn’t answer, except for once, when she picked up the call and yelled haltingly: I was a little bit scared and puzzled, my childish mind didn’t want to admit that it was my father, though it was him. He must’ve hurt mommy or did something wrong, I thought. I hoped that there wasn’t my fault in their quarrel. The next morning, mom didn’t want to talk to me – or to anyone – at all. She cooked my usual Sunday pancakes, dressed them amply with blueberry jam and informed me that we were going for â€Å"a very long† walk in the park. Well, it was strange, for we always spent Sundays together with her and father either making some barbeque or going on one-day trips to some picturesque places. Well, dad never participated in our entertainment too actively: he’d rather walk around silently, smiling from time to

When I got my drivers licences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

When I got my drivers licences - Essay Example I sought the input of friends and relatives, people I could trust, who had been there before me. The advice was good – well, at least it made sense to me. â€Å"Be sure that the car you take the test in is clean and smells good,† my best friend offered, â€Å"Or it’ll really tick the tester off and they’ll knit-pick you to death until you fail the behind the wheel.† He swore that exact scenario happened to someone he personally knew. â€Å"Make sure that you take a vehicle that has good air conditioning,† (I was taking my test in July), â€Å"because if it’s hot and you don’t have air, forget about it. The tester is going to want to get through it really quick and you can bet you’ll have to go back and take the behind the wheel again,† was the advice of my older sister. This too made sense to me. The day arrived when I was finally ready to take my behind-the-wheel exam. I had convinced my dad to let me use his caddy, instead of mom’s Vovlo. At first my dad was reluctant to let me use the caddy, but by the time I promised to cut the grass, clean the garage, and take out the garbage on time for the rest of my life at home, he gave in and agreed to let me use it. It would be later that night when I would fully realize that I had committed to so much work around the house that I might never have time to drive even if I did pass my test. My mother drove me to the DMV and we parked in a space where I wouldn’t have any trouble backing out of it once the tester was in the car with me. My mother whispered as we were walked up to the building, â€Å"Now remember, for parallel parking, just aim for the curb and as soon as it looks like your back wheels are touching the curb, straighten it out and you’re home free.† Okay, I thought, that sounds good too; but why was she whispering. Was there a law about getting advice from your mother on test day? I hadn’t read anything about that in the manual. Once inside the building

Internet Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Internet Law - Essay Example Before embarking upon the topic under study, it would be advisable to precisely define intellectual property. The term intellectual property simply refers to the assets that are the outcome of the intellect or ideas of an individual or a group of individuals, which solely belongs to the author or the individual on the one hand, and the organisation to whom its rights have been sold or delegated by the individual creating the intellectual property, and these types of intellectual property can either be tangible or intangible. The term Intellectual Property (IP) reflects the idea that its subject matter is the product of the mind or the intellect.'These could be in the form of Patents; Trademarks; Geographical Indications; Industrial Designs; Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits; Plant Variety Protection and Copyright.'1 Intellectual property act 1994 has determined two major types of intellectual property, which include i) Copyright and ii) Industrial property. Copyright consists of sections of art and literature including prose work, poems, lyrics, drama, novel, narrative, thesis, presentation, articles, essays, broachers, film, paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, musical tones and songs, printing material, publications, architectural and audio-visual works. Rafique defines copyright in these words: "Copyright is given to the first producer of a book irrespective of the fact whether that book is wise or foolish, accurate or inaccurate, or of literary merits or no merit whatever". 2 Modern technology has given a go to the introduction and implementation of new laws in order to settle the problems and issues appeared on the basis of information technology. The use or misuse of such property without the prior permission of the creator of the intellectual property is strictly prohibited under the intellectual property act. Intellectual Property Act aims to protect the rights of the owners and creators of the property and assets. The World intellectual Property Organization defines intellectual property in these words: "Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce." 3 Almost all the organisations whether large of small, national or multinational, and industrial or artistic develop logos, draw designs and introduce some specific names that serve as the identity mark of the company. Intellectual property is the identity mark of an individual, a company, an organisation or an industry, over which the creator contains complete and unconditional rights. The same is applied in respect of domain names and other rights created in the aftermath of technological advancements and hi-tech revolution. The statute of law provides protection to such property in favour of the originator, and claim over this type of property without referencing to the devisor is against the statute of law and liable to be punishment. Copyright Act, Trademark Ordinance and Patents Ordinance provide protection to

Text and Image in Landscape Painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Text and Image in Landscape Painting - Essay Example The essay "Text and Image in Landscape Painting" discovers the nature of painting and analyzes text and image in landscape painting. This silk panel is filled with intricate detail, while it retains the impressionistic character of Chinese silk paintings. The brush techniques used allow the deposit of varying amounts of ink from different parts of the brush. The technique took many years of practice to perfect, especially in consideration of the medium and the canvas: ink from solid sticks and silk. The brushes were very soft and it was difficult to learn to control them. One can imagine that many many practice paintings were done before the various techniques were mastered. Chinese silk painting is not an art one can master overnight. It is easy to believe that the artists of the day, including Guo Xi, did extensive travel in order to investigate all the various landscapes around, and then, having once chosen one to paint, spent hours, or even days, contemplating the scene they were going to paint. It is obvious at close inspection that there are many layers to this painting, and knowing the characteristics of the block ink, it had to be done slowly, a little at a time. We can imagine that the artist applied layer after layer of almost transparent ink before daring to add any details with a drier brush. Guo Xi’s document begins with an appreciation of what such paintings can do for busy men, especially rulers and others with heavy responsibility. He also talks about the responsibility of the artist.

Internet Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Internet Law - Essay Example Before embarking upon the topic under study, it would be advisable to precisely define intellectual property. The term intellectual property simply refers to the assets that are the outcome of the intellect or ideas of an individual or a group of individuals, which solely belongs to the author or the individual on the one hand, and the organisation to whom its rights have been sold or delegated by the individual creating the intellectual property, and these types of intellectual property can either be tangible or intangible. The term Intellectual Property (IP) reflects the idea that its subject matter is the product of the mind or the intellect.'These could be in the form of Patents; Trademarks; Geographical Indications; Industrial Designs; Layout-Designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits; Plant Variety Protection and Copyright.'1 Intellectual property act 1994 has determined two major types of intellectual property, which include i) Copyright and ii) Industrial property. Copyright consists of sections of art and literature including prose work, poems, lyrics, drama, novel, narrative, thesis, presentation, articles, essays, broachers, film, paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, musical tones and songs, printing material, publications, architectural and audio-visual works. Rafique defines copyright in these words: "Copyright is given to the first producer of a book irrespective of the fact whether that book is wise or foolish, accurate or inaccurate, or of literary merits or no merit whatever". 2 Modern technology has given a go to the introduction and implementation of new laws in order to settle the problems and issues appeared on the basis of information technology. The use or misuse of such property without the prior permission of the creator of the intellectual property is strictly prohibited under the intellectual property act. Intellectual Property Act aims to protect the rights of the owners and creators of the property and assets. The World intellectual Property Organization defines intellectual property in these words: "Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce." 3 Almost all the organisations whether large of small, national or multinational, and industrial or artistic develop logos, draw designs and introduce some specific names that serve as the identity mark of the company. Intellectual property is the identity mark of an individual, a company, an organisation or an industry, over which the creator contains complete and unconditional rights. The same is applied in respect of domain names and other rights created in the aftermath of technological advancements and hi-tech revolution. The statute of law provides protection to such property in favour of the originator, and claim over this type of property without referencing to the devisor is against the statute of law and liable to be punishment. Copyright Act, Trademark Ordinance and Patents Ordinance provide protection to

Sigmund Freud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Sigmund Freud - Essay Example (Cherry, 2014) Freud’s theory states that all intuitive energy is produced by the libido. Freud proposed that our mental states were affected by two contending strengths: cathexis and anticathexis. Cathexis was portrayed as a financing of mental energy in an individual, thought or object. Through anticathexis ego prevents the id from performing actions that are not socially acceptable. In addition to this Freud believed that human behaviour was motivated by two gut feelings: life and death. Life is connected to basic needs such as survival and etc. Death instinct is related to self destructive behaviour. In the basic structure of personality the mind is organized in two ways, consciousness and unconsciousness. The conscious mind includes all those things that we are aware of. The unconscious mind consists of things like wishes, desires, memories and etc; our mind is not aware of these however they continue to have an influence on our mind. He compared the human mind to an iceberg. The tip that is visible represents the consciousness and the rest represents the unconsciousness. Freud also divides the mind into three different modules; the id, ego and superego. The stages of development state that as children grow they go through some psychosexual stages. At each stage the libido focuses on a different body part. If however there is a problem in one of the stages, the process of development might get stuck. There can be obsession with something that might be related to that stage. (Cherry, 2014) Sigmund Freud, in addition to his excellent and sweeping theories of the human mind, he left his imprint on various people who turned out to be some of psychology’s greatest researchers. Some of the well known names are Anna Freud, Alfred Adler, Carl Jung and Erik Erikson. (Cherry, 2014). However he was confronted by Otto Rank,

Investing in Low Income Housing Tax Credits Essay Example for Free

Investing in Low Income Housing Tax Credits Essay Overview of the LIHTC The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provides incentives for corporations and individuals to invest in the acquisition, development and rehabilitation of affordable housing. The program offers federal tax credits to private equity investors that work with profit or non-profit developers in constructing or renovating rental properties for low-income tenants, those who earn 60 percent or less of the median family income for their county. As of 2010, the program has sparked the construction of over 1.7 million housing units throughout the country. The IRS allocates federal tax credits to Housing Credit Agencies (HCAs) in each state based on its population. HCAs award credits to housing developers based on their Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP), a rigorous and competitive application used to determine which developers will receive the credits. Once credits are acquired, equity investors purchase an interest in the business entity generating the tax credits, namely a limited partnership or limited liability company. The equity generated from the investor’s purchase is used to fund the property development. The tax credits are redeemed annually by investors over a ten-year period following the date that the property becomes operational, or â€Å"placed in service.† The number of tax credits, and subsequently the amount of equity raised, is calculated by computing the eligible basis, or the dollar amount of all depreciable costs of the project (which excludes the cost of land acquisition and operating reserves) minus ineligible sources of funding like grants or federal subsidies. The eligible basis is then multiplied by the percentage of eligible tax credit units in the project (at least 20 percent and up to 100 percent of all units in the building) to calculate the â€Å"qualified basis.† The investor may later claim either 9 percent or 4 percent of the qualified basis amount in tax credits per year, depending on whether the project is a new construction or rehabilitation of an existing structure.. As of March 2012, the average price for a credit is around $.94. Price fluctuates depending on the geography of the deal, the size of the project, the perceived risk of failure, and whether the project is a new construction or rehabilitation. In order to redeem the credits, the property must rent either 20 percent or more of the units to tenants whose incomes are at or below 50 percent or less of the area median gross income, or 40 percent or more of the units to tenants whose incomes are at or below 60 percent or less of the area median gross income. The property must fulfill these and other operational requirements for a 15-year compliance period. Failure to meet these requirements during the compliance period results in an IRS recapture of tax credits plus interest and penalties. Many states offer their own affordable housing tax credits to provide further incentives by increasing potential returns. Projects in certain areas (Difficult Development Areas) receive a 30 percent increase in qualified basis as well. Options for Investment in LIHTC LIHTC transactions are structured such that the developer manages the day-to-day operation of the property while the investor takes a passive role in management and collects virtually all the tax credits. The parties create a limited partnership or limited liability company where the investor is typically a 99.99% limited partner or non-managing member and the developer is a 0.01% general partner or managing member. This method shields investors from liability beyond their capital contributions and allows the developer to maintain control over management affairs. There are two methods of investing in LIHTCs. The first is a direct investment or private placement, where the investor purchases the rights to future tax credits from a single developer in return for an equity contribution. The developer and investor form a limited partnership where the investor retains a 99.99% ownership interest and claims use of 99.99% of the tax credits and other benefits. Large banks and blue-chip corporations are the typical direct investors, mainly because they possess vast amounts of financial and administrative resources. Private placements are adequate namely for single entities that manage their own investment affairs and desire complete transparency throughout the project. These investors generate more net equity since they save costs otherwise incurred by hiring syndicated funds to choose and underwrite the affordable housing development project. Another avenue through which to invest in tax credits is with a syndicator, a financial intermediary that raises funding from many investors, usually on an annual basis, and makes equity capital contributions to multiple affordable housing projects. Indirect Investment through syndicated funds provides a means by which individual investors, small community banks, and small corporations without the resources of large banks can invest in LIHTCs. A syndicator will attract investors and form a limited partnership agreement where the syndicator typically holds a .01% interest as general partner and various investors will comprise the other 99.99% ownership interest as limited partners. This limited partnership syndicate fund will then become the 99.99% limited partner in several LIHTC projects to allow tax credits to pass through to investors. The syndicator investigates the market for affordable housing development and chooses a number of projects in which to invest. The syndicator then directs private equity capital from the limited partners of the syndicate fund to multiple affordable housing developments and returns tax credits back to each investor in proportion to their capital contribution. A few syndicate funds have missions that are aligned with non-profit developers. A syndicator’s experience with affordable housing development is invaluable to investors as it minimizes risk and increases investor confidence. The syndicator does all due diligence and underwriting for the project, so investors can take a passive role. Syndicate funds are ideal for investors that cannot afford to hire relationship managers, compliance specialists, and underwriters to oversee development. A Worthwhile Investment Alternative A tax credit provides a dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax liability, unlike deductions that simply reduce the amount of taxable income for a particular taxable year. Even though investors contribute capital based on the amount paid per tax credit, other tax benefits are transferred to the investor in the form of passive losses and deductions available to any holder of rental real estate property. These include property depreciation deductions, interest expenses, business and maintenance costs, and others. Savings from tax-deductible expenses may not have the financial impact of a tax credit, but it provides a quantifiable saving to the investor that helps add measurable value to tax credits beyond the amount of proportional tax liability they reduce. A qualifying tax credit investment results in a decrease of tax liability. The economic return on the investment, therefore, is not subject to state or federal taxation, unlike dividends or interest income from stocks or bonds. A dollar amount of taxable income is thus inherently less valuable than an identical amount of tax credits. Certain passive loss restrictions and the Alternative Minimum Tax render tax credits less useful for the large majority of individual investors. Nonetheless, LIHTC projects were giving investors returns as high as 25%-30% during the early stages of the program. After growing competition increased pricing in the market for tax credits, yields have consistently shown 4%+ annual returns in recent years. LIHTC projects provide excellent returns for the risk involved, considering other investment alternatives available. While the stock market has historically given investors long-term returns of approximately 10% per year on average, there are sharp fluctuations from year to year. The stock market is also considered a more risky investment in comparison to U.S. treasury bonds or other corporate notes. The yields on these safer bonds are much less than that of the stock market. Investments in tax credits provide an interesting combination of risk mitigation potential and impressive earning yields. Unfortunately, the average investor has no control over the valuation of a certain corporate security, much less the performance of a mutual or index fund. However, private placement investors and syndicate fund managers can and do provide for stringent oversight requirements through contractual obligations imposed on the developer, which in turn helps mitigate risk of project failure. A rise in the valuation of a corporate security usually requires an indicator of increased earnings in the future, whether it is the introduction of a more efficient manufacturing technique, the release or upgrade of a new or existing product, or a similar corporate action. Any increase in the value of a security may be short-lived. An investor only realizes gain after a sale; that gain is taxed. LIHTC projects, on the other hand, do not require entire securities markets to move in order to obtain a profit. Aside from rigorous paperwork and professional fees, the tax credits will eventually fall in the hands of the investors so long as the developer does not fail to meet the various compliance requirements for the specified period. With continuous oversight, investors and fund managers can establish timelines for performance that may readily identify any setbacks or obstacles to completion. This may afford time to expedite construction or development and perhaps cure any potential defects in the plan. On the downside, securities markets provide instant liquidity; LIHTC projects require at least 11 years to harvest all profits. Timelines provide further protection when equity contributions are made in response to the developer meeting certain milestones that render project completion more likely. By disbursing equity in stages, investors exert more control over the project’s development and may elect to alter the course of the project. For instance, the investor may attempt to remove the developer if confidence is undermined. The 15-year compliance period provides an identifiable date of exit, after which all profits (in the form of tax credit use) have been harvested. If investors decide to exit the venture, a secondary market has emerged where an investor may be able to sell the credits to third parties. Legislation passed in 2008 allows limited partners to sell their ownership interests in affordable housing properties without facing recapture so long as the properties continue to operate as affordable housing. This allows a shortened holding period of up to 11 years as long as the property meets the 15-year compliance requirements. These advantages are largely unavailable to stock market investors and make tax credits a safe, viable and profitable investment alternative. These benefits apply uniformly to any tax credit investor. Large Banks, Larger Benefits Large banks and financial institutions are provided with a number of benefits that are generally inapplicable to individual and corporate investors, which in turn make credits more valuable and increases their market price. Banks subject to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) are required to engage in certain activities that improve community development. Direct investments and loans made to LIHTC projects, or syndicated funds that invest therein, are considered qualified activities under the CRA. Banks receive positive CRA consideration not only for these loans and investments to community projects, but also when equity is transferred to LIHTC projects that serve broader statewide or regional areas that include a particular bank’s assessment area. An unsatisfactory CRA rating can cause banks to be denied or delayed in undertaking certain business activities like mergers, acquisitions, or the expansion of services. Thus, banks have strong incentives to invest in affordable housing development. LIHTCs are often a top choice for banks, who are obliged to make community development contributions, because not all CRA qualified activities provide similar returns. Financial institutions also benefit from establishing banking relationships with real estate developers. This allows banks to expand their revenues by providing new services to the project like pre-development loans, construction loans, mortgage financing, and credit lines. Bridge loans are especially enticing, where banks loan large amounts of capital to syndicated funds or other Private Placement investors without the cash reserves to make the up-front equity contributions required by developers before any tax credits can be redeemed. Moreover, banks have the financial capacity to create long-lasting resources to assist in affordable housing investment. The underwriting and due diligence for a LIHTC project requires a number of services and incurs various costs. While syndicated funds spread these costs over a number of investors, banks are in a position to pay for these costs themselves. By establishing separate departments to oversee tax credit financing, banks make a one-time investment in an oversight apparatus that will operate over an indefinite number of LIHTC projects. These in-house professionals will increase in value as their experience expands and efficiency improves. Any bank with the capacity to conduct private placement investing in LIHTCs probably does so. Syndicated Funds: Investment Mechanisms for the Unsophisticated Tax Credit Investor A multi-investor syndicated fund provides a number of additional benefits to potential tax credit investors. It is helpful to analogize syndicated funds to mutual funds for the purpose of identifying their advantages. Just like mutual funds, where fund managers collect funding from many investors and create a diversified portfolio that is professionally managed, syndicated funds act in a similar fashion. Syndicated funds invest in multiple affordable housing developments, often in various geographic regions and with different housing developers. This allows investors to spread risk amongst different LIHTC projects so that if one project fails, their entire equity commitment is not lost. Investing with multiple investors allocates risk of loss more evenly and makes LIHTC investments a safe investment alternative. Furthermore, reputable syndicated funds are professionally managed by experienced, sophisticated tax credit professionals that probably have more knowledge about tax credit investing than any prospective investor. Few institutions and entities have enough capital reserves to fund an entire project single-handedly; syndicated funds combine investor contributions, allowing small entities like community banks and mid-size companies to have the flexibility of choosing how much capital to contribute to tax credit investment. The end result is an excellent mechanism through which unconventional tax credit investors can participate in the competitive market for tax credits. Even though funds collect a percentage fee, diversified portfolios will likely contain projects in DDAs to provide marginal increases in tax benefits. Corporations and Tax Credits: A Good[will] Investment. LIHTC are beneficial to corporations because annual tax credits have a positive impact on earnings per share, since credits reduce tax liability without diluting earnings. Tax credits are usually a profitable investment because most companies sustain consistent tax liability for years on end. Tax credit investment declined during the 2008 market downturn, but has steadily increased with general economic improvement. Companies like Google, Verizon, Liberty Mutual, and others have invested in affordable housing developments across the country. An additional and measurable economic benefit to corporations is the increased value of a trademark or goodwill associated with a company that invests in community development. This type of investment may also attract positive publicity and media coverage, which in turn may increase corporate securities valuation. Large corporations are also in a coveted position to undertake direct investment and avoid paying fees to syndicated funds. Safe, but Not That Safe. While LIHTC investments may be safer than comparable investment with similar yields, the risks must be identified for informed decision-making. Potential tax credit recapture and loss is the greatest risk—the project must maintain specific requirements over a period of 15 years and strict deadlines must be met. The investor must assume the risk of any impediment to completion of construction, no matter how farfetched, and recapture liability remains with the initial investor even if the credits are sold on the secondary market. Risk of failure extends for a prolonged period of 15 years where strict operational requirements must be met. Due to the speculation involved in predicting construction costs, securing subsequent financing, and meeting compliance deadlines in light of potentially unforeseen adverse events, a project must be very precisely calculated to increase the chance of success. Entities and individuals that invest in syndicated funds are in a better position to identify risks due to stringent government-imposed requirements for prospectuses and offering memoranda to be distributed to all potential investors. Inexperienced syndicators might overlook a key responsibility that can cause the project to fail. Repurchase obligations arguably provide a false sense of security to investors because most developers have small balance sheets and cannot afford to match the investor’s contributions. The risks involved in LIHTC investment can be mitigated with proper planning, continuous oversight, and an experienced syndicator. Banks with in-house asset management units can oversee property maintenance. Although investors cede lien priority to the primary mortgage holder, foreclosure rates are relatively low and occupancy rates relatively high. Tax credit projects are viable investment alternatives. [ 1 ]. Catherine Such, Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Community Investments (Mar. 2002), http://www.frbsf.org/community/investments/lihtc.html. [ 2 ]. Michael J. Novogradac, Investing in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, OCC Community Developments. (Mar. 2010), http://www.occ.gov/static/community-affairs/community-developments-investments/spring06/ investinginlowincome.htm. [ 3 ]. Id., See Understanding Low Income Housing Tax Credits: How to Secure Equity Investments and Evaluate Syndication Options. Corporation for Supportive Housing (Mar. 2006), http://documents.csh.org/documents/ ResourceCenter/DevOpsToolkit/UnderstandingLIHTCspdf.pdf. [ 4 ]. Sherrie L. Rhine, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: Affordable Housing Investment Opportunities for Banks. Community Affairs Development (Feb. 2008), Found in Real Estate Law Clinic Course Reader, at p. 75. [ 5 ]. Lance Bocarsly, Real Estate Law Clinic Lecture. (Thursday September 6, 2012, 4:30pm.) [ 6 ]. Understanding Low Income Housing Tax Credits: How to Secure Equity Investments and Evaluate Syndication Options, supra, Corporation for Supportive Housing (Mar. 2006.) [ 7 ]. In actuality, the percentage of qualified basis that determines the amount of tax credits is not exactly 9 or 4 percent. The rate for the 4 percent credit floats in accordance with the Applicable Federal Rate and may fluctuate above or below 4 percent. The 9 percent credit will float beginning in 2013, although current legislation has been proposed to extend the 9 percent credit floor. House of Representatives Bill 3661 is making its way through Congress. See Mark Anderson, Tax Credit at Risk for Low Income Housing. Finance and Commerce (April 26, 2012, 4:35 pm). Available at http://finance-commerce.com/2012/04/tax-credit-at-risk-for-low-income-housing/. [ 8 ]. Low-Income Housing Tax Credit: Facts Figures, Novogradac Affordable Housing Resource Center. http://www.novoco.com/low_income_housing/facts_figures/index.php. [ 9 ]. Tim Iglesias and Rochelle E. Lento, The Legal Guide to Affordable Housing Development. Found in Real Estate Law Clinic Course Reader, at p. 28. [ 10 ]. Rhine, supra, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: Affordable Housing Investment Opportunities for Banks.† Found in Real Estate Law Clinic Course Reader, at p. 87. [ 11 ]. Understanding Low Income Housing Tax Credits: How to Secure Equity Investments and Evaluate Syndication Options, supra, at p. 4. [ 12 ]. Id. [ 13 ]. Id. [ 14 ]. Novogradac, supra, Investing in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. [ 15 ]. James L. Logue III, How LIHTC Funds Can Help Banks Invest in Affordable Housing. OCC: Community Developments (Spring 2006). http://www.occ.gov/static/community-affairs/community-developments-investments/ spring06/howlihtcfunds.htm. [ 16 ]. Id.

Criticism of a Social Group

Criticism of a Social Group The intergroup sensitivity effect occurs when people perceive criticism of a social group they belong to. Group members evaluation of the criticism depends largely on the source of the message. According to social identity theory outgroup members are typically evaluated less positively than ingroup members because people are motivated to perceive their group (and themselves) as more favorable than a reference group. Applying this ingroup preference to intergroup criticisms; outgroup critics are evaluated less positively than ingroup critics, and their comments arouse greater sensitivity than do the same comments made by an ingroup member. Since ingroup members receive more positive appraisal, their criticisms are perceived as more constructive, provoke less sensitivity, and are agreed with more. Research by Hornsey and Imani (2003) supported the intergroup sensitivity effect by revealing that ingroup critics were met with less defensiveness than were outgroup critics, regardless of t he amount of experience they had with the ingroup. The black sheep effect is another phenomenon related to social identity. When ingroup member deviate from the defining norms of the group they threaten the image of the group. One goal of group membership is positive distinctiveness; to be distinct from a reference group in a more positive way. When ingroup members deviate from norms that define the group they threaten the positive distinctiveness of the group. These individuals are then negatively evaluated. The black sheep effect refers to more negative evaluations of ingroup deviants compared to outgroup members, deviant or otherwise. Outgroup deviants cannot threaten the positive distinctiveness of the group like an ingroup member can. Groups may have a tendency to agree on more extreme positions than those held by individuals through a process called group polarization. Often this occurs following group discussion. Two theories may account for this phenomenon, social comparison theory (SCT) and persuasive arguments theory (PAT). According to SCT, people are motivated to evaluate and present themselves positively, in order to do this an individual must be continually processing information about how other people present themselves and adjust their self-presentations accordingly. People also want to be perceived to be better than average so they present themselves in a more favorable light. When all members of a group engage in this comparing process the result is a shift in a direction of perceived greater value. To do this people engage in removal of pluralistic ignorance, where they present their views as compromises between the ideal and the desire to not be too deviant from the group. People then tend to shift towards the ideal position, leading to group polarization. The bandwagon effect, or one-upmanship, also occurs because people want to be different and distinct from other people in their group in a more favorable direction. This happens when people infer the norm of the group, then shift their respo nse to a more ideal position. The persuasive arguments theory (PAT) suggests that an individuals choice or position on an issue is a function of the number and persuasiveness of pro and con arguments that that person recalls from memory when formulating their position. Discussion causes polarization because it provides persuasive arguments to the individual. These arguments tend to be evaluated on their validity and novelty. A meta-analysis by Isenberg (1986) suggested that, while there is evidence for both SCT and PAT as mediators of group polarization, PAT tends to have a stronger effect. While both may occur simultaneously, there is evidence that they are two conceptually independent processes. One of the primary ways that individuals maintain independence from norms associated with social groups is through social support. Allen (1975) proposed that social support serves to provide an assessment of physical and social reality. Under situations of conformity (experimentally manipulated by consensus on an incorrect answer) social support encourages individuals to express responses inconsistent with those of the group. Social support counteracts negative social factors related to dissent by reducing anxiety related to potential rejection, and reducing the perception that the group will make negative dispositional attributions about the dissenter. On a cognitive basis, social support helps nonconformity by simply breaking the expectation of group consensus, by cognitively restructuring the meaning of a given stimulus, and by reassuring the dissenting person that they have not lost touch with reality. Nonconformity aided by social support is enhanced by previous social contact w ith the supporter, and occur whether the supporter is an ingroup or outgroup member (as long as the conformity issue is not related to the salient social identity. The effectiveness of minority influence relies on a number of factors. According to Moscovici Faucheux (1972) one of the main factors is consistency of the message. People are motivated to seek consistency in their social world and it is easier to persuade individuals of the legitimacy of ones view on issues when the message is consistent, particularly when the answer is unknown (e.g. how to fix  the economy). Moscovici also suggests that rigid minorities tend to have a less direct influence than more flexible minorities, which may imply that Palin needs to portray her views as more moderate. Alvaro and Crano (1997) suggest that indirect minority influence may be effective at changing attitudes. In an effort to effect popular opinion about highly contested and core political issues (e.g. abortion rights) she ought to target an associated, less contentious issue (e.g. sex education in public schools). In order for her to have any success at indirect influence however, she needs to present herself as an ingroup member. She might focus on her identity as a woman, a mother, cite a long familial American heritage or any other potential cross-cutting categories. She will have more success if she portrays herself as more similar to the majority of Americans. Old fashioned prejudice may be characterized as overt prejudice where discrimination is obvious and public. Modern prejudice can be conceptualized as aversive racism (Gaertner Dovidio, 1986) which is characterized by ambivalence between feelings and beliefs associated with a egalitarian value system and unacknowledged negative feelings and beliefs about African Americans. For most Americans an egalitarian value system is important to the self-concept, demanding a nonprejudiced self-image. This is the result of sympathy for victims of past injustices leading to support of public policies that promote racial equality. However, negative attitudes toward African Americans are still pervasive. These feelings and beliefs may be derived from a historical and contemporary culturally racist contexts (creating uneasiness or discomfort). They may be biases derived from cognitive mechanisms that contribute to the development of stereotypes. They may also develop from any combination of historic al stereotypes, institutional racism, need for self-esteem, or economic competition. As opposed to the direct link between old fashioned racism and acts of prejudice, aversive racism has more complex antecedents for expression of prejudice. When there is weak, ambiguous or conflicting normative structure defining appropriate interaction or if a prejudiced response can be rationalized or justified through attribution to some factor other than race, actsof prejudice are more likely to occur. When there is clearly appropriate normative structure and a prejudiced response cannot be rationalized acts of prejudice are less likely to occur. Deindividuation effects have classically been described as anti-normative behavior stemming from decreased self-awareness and decreased self-evaluation, occurring when the presence and identity of a group supersede individual identity. Specific antecedents of deindividuation effects were proposed by Zimbardo (1969), which included anonymity, sensory overload, novel situations, loss of individual responsibility and substance abuse. Zimbardo proposed that deindividuation effects manifested as behaviors that were violations of norms and largely characterized as antisocial. Diener (1980) further elaborated on the effect as decreased self-awareness by an individual, making them responsive to external stimulus over internal monitoring and planning. It is important to note that these classical conceptions of deindividuation effects largely as an individual process, rather than a group process. A more contemporary model that challenges classical conceptualizations of deindividuation is the social identity perspective on deindividuation effects (SIDE; Reicher et al., 1995). The SIDE model proposes that deindividuation effects fall into one of two categories; (a) cognitive effects and (b) strategic effects, depending on whether the self or other group members are anonymous. Cognitive effects are believed to occur in relation to others being anonymous or identifiable. When group members are anonymous the individual has a tendency to perceive indicators of group membership, making social identity and group norms salient, however when other group members are identifiable, individual identity becomes salient, decreasing the power of group norms. In contrast, strategic effects occur when the self is either anonymous or identifiable to the group. They are named as such because rather than being involved in perception of social identity, they are involved in displaying social identi ty. Studies suggested that when an individual was anonymous they expressed more punishable than unpunishable ingroup norms, when they were identifiable, they expressed more unpunishable than punishable ingroup norms. When identity is available to an ingroup, individuals express group norms in an effort to enhance social identity, but when identity is available to an outgroup, individuals are less expressive of group norms, possibly for fear of retribution. The SIDE model suggests that crowd behaviors related to anonymity rarely result from deindividuated states, rather that behaviors were context dependant and consistent with group norms.

The Child in Flannery O’Connor’s A Temple of the Holy Ghost Essay

The Child in Flannery O’Connor’s A Temple of the Holy Ghost â€Å"None of their ways were lost on the child† (236). This passage introduces the main character only named the â€Å"child† in Flannery O’Connor’s short story â€Å"A Temple of the Holy Ghost† and indeed she is influenced not only by the two girls that this line refers to, but by everything she hears and sees. She is very direct and speaks without thinking, for example when she asks her mother to invite Mr. â€Å"Cheat,† an admirer of Miss Kirby’s, the schoolteacher who is lodging with her family. Her directness can be read as â€Å"ugliness† as she herself calls it. The line â€Å"None of their ways were lost on the child† (236) mentions for the first time the very important characteristic of the child that turns out to be central to the story, that really nothing, especially things that are said, are lost on the child, they are much more repeated and reappear throughout the story in different contexts. The story shows a girl caught between Catholicism and secular things, as she mixes everything in her very own picture of the world. The first thing that has an impact on the â€Å"child† is when the girls tell how Sister Perpetua told them to stop â€Å"ungentlemanly boys† by saying â€Å"Stop sir! I am the Temple of the Holy Ghost!† (238). She sees how the phrase influences Miss Kirby and she herself feels â€Å"as if somebody as given her a present† (238). This phrase reappears as a motif later in the story and already in this original context the religious is confronted with the secular. She constantly thinks about being a â€Å"good person,† she would even like to have been a saint, â€Å"because that included everything you could know† (243) but she thinks that she has too many faults such as being a liar, ... ... smell and she finally realizes she is â€Å"in the presence of God† (247). These effects make her calm down and start to pray and confess her â€Å"sins† although â€Å"mechanically†: â€Å"Hep me not to be so mean†¦Hep me not to give her so much sass. Hep me not to talk like I do.† When the priest finally raises the monstrance â€Å"with the Host shining ivory-colored in the center of it† she is in turn reminded of the freak at the fair and what he said and the religious world and the world of the fair are mixed together in her mind. The last image of the story is the child seeing the setting sun from the car on their way back home from the convent and she imagines it to be a Host that is â€Å"drenched in blood.† One last time the interrelation of church and fair become visible as she imagines this scene right after Alonzo mentions that the fair has been shut down on request of preachers.

Behaviour Awareness Essay

Self concept is created by two main concepts, self image and self esteem. How you see yourself, your personality and how others see you are all part of a persons self concept. The more positive a person views themselves, the greater the chance of that individual reaching their full potential and being able to maintain a positive attitude. Self image being how you see yourself and your appearance. It does not have to necessarily reflect that of reality, someone suffering from anorexia for example who is visibly thin may, â€Å"have a self image in which the person believes they are fat. (1) The development within children and their self concept is quite significant. Young children will only possess a limited self concept of few descriptions which are usually physical. Older Children develops to a series of â€Å"factual categories†, these being things such as, hair colour, eye colour and height. In the adolescence period the self concept begins to expand further. Incorporating many likes and dislikes along with beliefs and may include details regarding others. Once self concept is in an adult stage it includes personalities and details of the quality of their life. If a person sees themselves as being a success it is likely that their self esteem will be high. With a positive self belief and a positive self image comes a positive self concept. According to Seligmon’s cycle of failure, if a child was attempting a certain activity and failed they could develop a negative concept of their abilities perhaps reinforced by others. With the negative builds a low self esteem leading the child not to try at the activity which in turn would lead to them failing once again. The cycle could also work in a positive way, If an individual performed an certain action and was rewarded for it they would repeat that action. For children to be able to develop need to have a role, a sense of worthiness. This could be as simple as tidying their bedroom or toys away. To have a positive self esteem children should also be praised and rewarded for good behaviour, and on the same principle have criticism and discipline for any bad actions. The case study of Emily illustrates aspects of her development and self concept, it is stated that, â€Å"she was an unsettled a baby and spent the first three months of her life crying. At this stage in a child’s development the baby would have little concern over self image or self esteem and is therefore crying for comfort, safety, love, in pain or just hungry. Due to the unhappiness of Emily it is unlikely that she was receiving the sufficient care or attention she needed. As Emily grows older her role is diminished even more, being blamed for the collapse of the family and the walking out of her father. The lack of belonging will damage Emily’s ability to find her identity, causing her a low self esteem. This only encouraged as she grows older, being neglected and left in her playpen. With the lack of interaction Emily is unable to make any form of attachments and develop any social skills. She is constantly being compared to her brothers in a unfair fashion yet again breaking down her self esteem and therefore her self concept. The sense of rejection from the family is renewed later on when the father collects her brothers to go and play football. With the reasoning, â€Å"she is a girl and girls do not play football! Not only presenting a sexist attitude, Emily is once again denied any form of acceptance. This denial of acceptance could influence her gender concept and develop the thought that she, and women in general are the weaker sex when compared to the male race. When Emily starts school, she does not mix with the other children. She instead isolates herself, a lack of confidence and social skills instantly signal a low self confidence and self image. This is most likely to be a result to her previous life experiences, she has not been encouraged to interact with others and therefore not know how to. As the case study explains in regard to Emily‘s social interactions, â€Å"Her brothers have little time for her† and that her mother, â€Å"was too depressed to care for her. † A lack of interactions may have given her a low self concept, the feeling that she was not worthy of positive attention. This lack of communication would have had a profound impact on Emily’s own attitude hence the lack of interacting with others once she begins school. If not improved Emily’s isolation could lead on to more serious problems such as depression in Adolescents and later life. Her perspective on socialising will impact her in a very negative way once she moves into her teenage years, it is during this period that relationships shift and close attachments are formed with friends. However, if she is unable to mix with others, unable to fit in the pressure could become too much. She could fall victim to bullies without the protection of friends or display what is often described as, â€Å"off the rails† behaviour. Drinking, smoking taking drugs and self harming to numb her disappointment with herself as she compares herself to others created a low self image and therefore low self concept. Teenage depression is a major issue often dismissed as â€Å"emotional teenage behaviour†, in actual fact it is said that, â€Å"one in seven children† develop depression with, â€Å"More than 70 percent† of these not being diagnosed and treated (2) An individuals self concept has both primary and secondary influences. Primary influences can be those of most significance to a person. Examples such as, friends and family who have a profound impact due to the closeness of the relationship. A person’s upbringing, how an individual is treated whilst growing up. The perspective on life and the morals of an individual all depend upon the atmosphere they have learned from. If a child for example had little attention or care from the parents, they may be badly behaved to get that attention even if it is in a negative form. Life experiences all depend on the depth of the example, if it was as simple as starting school it may not have such a dramatic impact when compared to a more serious situation like being moved due to a case of domestic violence. In the case of Emily her primary influences all possess negative elements, her family appear to disregard her displaying little love and affection towards her. The upbringing that she receives seems very â€Å"hands off†, her mother is suffering from a form of depression so therefore does not grant Emily much positive attention. Her brothers are fed lies from their mother who tells them that Emily, â€Å"is the reason why their father left. † and as for her absent father figure, he comes by and takes her brothers out leaving her behind. Secondary influences include, the influence of the media, certain situations such as arguments and role models. In regard to the case study of Emily, only negative influences are represented. With exception of the teacher who is the only one who appears to show any concern for her. From being a baby, Emily has had no close relationships. Her father left, and for this her mother and brothers both set the blame onto her. The upbringing she has received is simply that of neglect and disappointment. With all this rejection Emily must have an extremely low self esteem and sees herself as a failure. She has many life experiences, being blamed for them has affected her confidence and may be partly responsible for her self isolation. As for role models, Emily must be in envy of her brothers and the praise they receive so she may see them as her ideal self. The situation that Emily must be in is awful, she is aware that her family feel as though she is to blame and punish her for the break up of the family however, Emily has little concept on why others are treating her this way and so believes it must be her actual self developing her low self concept. As humans we all make comparisons. Comparing looks, styles, personalities ect. Children are less intrigued by style and dress size, instead many tend to focus on possessions. A friend having a certain new toy however, parents sometimes curse they children after they question the appearance of someone with a visible disability. It is just the curious nature of a child as they develop. Michael Argyle stated that self concept was made up of four factors, one of these being the comparisons we make. One website states, â€Å"If the people we compare ourselves with (our reference group) appear to be more successful, happier, richer, better looking than ourselves we tend to develop a negative self image BUT if they are less successful than us our image will be positive. † (1) This statement is relatable to most individuals as based on others we create our self image, am I as pretty as them? Am I more successful? These are questions that many ask daily and based on their personal answers the self image may change as a result. Comparisons can be negative but at the same time positive. By comparing yourself to someone in a negative way will only damage your self confidence and therefore, self concept. Emily is regularly compared to her brothers by her mother and also by her father in the form of neglect. This resulting in comparing herself to her brothers, her possible â€Å"ideal self†. It is because of this that any comparisons she makes will be negative towards herself. Once she begins attending school, it would be expected that she also makes comparisons between her parents and everybody else’s. Presumably enhancing the lack of love she receives from her mother and distant father. Many people have role models, someone they can look up and aspire to. They may also compare themselves to this person, their ideal self. As a child heroes tend to be a fictional character rather than an actual person although some may favour their parents or close family. By having a superhero as a role model, children want to act in the same way as them. Claiming that sense of power and authority they appear to possess. The mind of a child should be full of imagination and the ability to make believe. With this the self esteem and self image of a child can be fulfilled. As people grow older and develop more the hero’s they once looked up to seem outdated and childish. Role models at this stage tend to develop into real inspiration people. Someone who’s actions have had an impact and influenced an individual. . A persons self concept can have a very dramatic effect upon relationships. Some of the negative effects of having a bad self concept may include, lack of confidence, little interaction, isolating yourself, a low self esteem and a low self confidence. All of these reactions having a deep impact on the way we form and present friendships and relationships. If someone has a low self concept for one reason or another, they could become distant and withdrawn. This affecting others who are close to the person. If this was to occur with children they would not have the knowledge to understand that there might be a problem and dismiss it and maybe find new friends, rejecting the withdrawn one. As people grow older and become wiser it would become more apparent that there was a problem. Hopefully in this situation any friends would address to problem and support their friend. Depending on past experiences it may be difficult for some people to make or maintain friendships or relationships. A lack of trust or social skills would make it hard for an individual to express themselves and be themselves. In the case of Emily when she starts school, she makes no effort to make friends or socialise. From past experience she has had no real friends to be able to base future friendships on. The only actual relationships ships she has encountered are those of her mother and brother, which is filled with hatred and guilt. Bearing this in mind, in future Emily will always be conscious that she might cause the relationship to fail, and therefore never just be herself. On the other hand, due to her experience of abuse, neglect and negative attention it is possible that these qualities are those of what she will encounter in future relationships as to her this may be viewed as the norm. Michael Argyle was a theorist. He said that self concept is developed and affected by four main things. These being, the comparisons we make, our reactions to others, the roles that we play and the identification with role models. Comparisons we make: we are constantly comparing ourselves to others, this occurs most during the adolescence stage when individuals are attempting to find who they are and look at others for inspiration. Comparing almost everything in either a negative or positive way. The reactions towards others: how people interact, confidence or lack of social skills. If a person is happy and has a high self concept it would be more likely they would interact more. The roles that we play: does a person have any value or a role in life? It is important for an individual to have a role in life, to make them feel worthy like they have a purpose. Our identification with role models: means someone that an individual can aspire to and follow giving them some reason in life, an ideal self. Erik Erickson was a German theorist who set about a theory which suggests humans experience eight stages. At each of these we are faced with a crisis, a life experience. They are presented as opposites for example, trust Vs mistrust. It is said that we learn both positive and negative parts from each stage, which we never fully resolve. Instead take them and live by them in the next stage. For a healthy development throughout life the positive experiences must outweigh the negatives. His theory can be viewed as a lifelong description of ego. Either loosing or gaining the strength of ego as a result of each stages developmental experiences. All of this creating and shaping a persons personality, who they are. The development of his theory being influenced by both biology and genetics. The sequencing of events due to genetics and when each stage occurs as a result of biology. The theory which consists of both social and mental development, was also influenced by interactions with the environment.

Professionally written paper

There Is n expectation that the tasks associated with this assignment will reflect a professionally written paper. TOPIC: Many companies in the western world have been using ERP systems for a considerable amount of time and could be considered established and mature users of these systems. It has been suggested that because companies have adopted ERP systems, it would be difficult for them to achieve a competitive advantage through differentiation due to the following aspects: Similar standardized business processes Similar technology, such as SAP, supporting these processes.Discuss how companies can achieve competitive differentiation using their ERP system for the above scenario. Use case studies to support your arguments. Your essay must include: Assignment Cover Page: use the cover sheet provided. Paper's title page: Include the Assignment Title, Student Name & Number, Date & Unit name/code. Introduction: Introduces the topic. States clearly purpose of the paper and a brief descr iption of the paper's structure. Body: Discuss, compare and/or contrast different perspectives, present arguments purporting the purpose of the paper. Conclusion: Summaries the salient points you have made in the body of the paper.References/Bibliography Must be consistent in Harvard style. The footer must include your name, student ID, and page number. A header should include a short version of the title. Submission Your paper must be submitted via the Turning link in Web. Your submission to Turning should only include your paper. Do not include the reference list or title page. Name your file the following way.