Thursday, October 31, 2019

Leonardo da Vinci - the Phenomenon of the Universal Self-Taught Genius Essay

Leonardo da Vinci - the Phenomenon of the Universal Self-Taught Genius - Essay Example One of the quintessential aspects of Leonardo da Vinci’s artistic and scientific acumen was his aspiration to learn from nature, to imitate it and then to move ahead to conquer it. Indeed, Leonardo da Vinci was an exceptional personality who left his indelible mark on the ages to come.Leonardo da Vinci could indeed be called a Renaissance man in the true sense of the word. Right from an early age, Leonardo had access to the scholarly texts owned by his family and friends (Clark 3). He was indeed mesmerized by the natural beauty of his homeland Tuscany that motivated and inspired him (Clark 3). He was also influenced by the painting traditions prevalent in his times. At the young age of 15, Leonardo was apprenticed to the renowned artist of Florence, Andrea del Verrocchio (Clark 5). Leonardo started exhibiting his natural aptitude for art at a very early stage of his apprenticeship at Verrocchio’s workshop (Clark 5). In the quest for better climes, Leonardo entered the s ervice of the Duke of Milan in 1482. It was during his 17-year stay in Milan that Leonardo achieved the heights of artistic and scientific achievement (Clark 37). At Milan Leonardo not only spent his time painting and sculpting but also designed machines, buildings, and weapons for the Duke (Clark 38). Sometime in 1490, Leonardo developed the habit of noting his observations in meticulously illustrated notebooks filled with varied themes like painting, architecture, mechanics and human anatomy (Clark 56). Once he left Milan, Leonardo spent the next 16 years traveling throughout Italy and working for varied masters (Clark 28). In the period 1513 to 1516, he served the Pope at Rome (Clark 163).

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Cvs Annual Report Essay Example for Free

Cvs Annual Report Essay Executive Summary/Company History/Products and Services CVS/Pharmacy has shown a consistent growth for the last three years. Three years ago CVS/Pharmacy has merged with Longs Pharmacy and Caremark to form the largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States. CVS/Pharmacy- CVS/Pharmacy began operations in 1963, and added the pharmacy department in 1967. In 2007, CVS merged with Caremark Rx, Inc. Finally, in 2008, CVS bought the Longs Drug Store chain. CVS has over 7000 stores(Cvs.com, 2010). At the end of 9 months of 2010, the company has lost 9. 25% against 2009 net income. However, the company has increased their assets and liabilities by .1% against 2009 figures(Cvs.com, 2010). As the company stands now in trends, Net revenues for this 7,100-store drugstore retailer were $23.9 billion for Q3 2010, down 3.1% from $24.6 billion in the prior years period. Poor performance by the companys Pharmacy Services segment—its revenues dropped 8.5%, to $11.9 billion—was a major contributor to the companys woes. CVS Retail Pharmacy segment revenues actually increased 4.1%, with total same-store sales climbing 2.5%(Trendwatch, 2010). CVS/Pharmacy is in the process of transitioning their leadership at CEO. Tom Ryan will be stepping down at the end of the year as CEO, and Larry Merlo will be promoted to CEO. Tom Ryan has been the CEO of CVS/Pharmacy Inc. since 1994, and it has been the consistency at the top that has lead to the expansion of CVS/Pharmacy as being largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States. Now that Toms tenure is coming to a close, a new dawn is  occurring for the corporation with Larry Merlo taking the helm. Competitor Analysis In the retail pharmacy industry, there are only three pure pharmacy firms: CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. Pure pharmacy firms are pharmacy retailers whose business is built around the pharmacy. Wal-Mart, Kroger, and local grocery stores have pharmacies as an extension of their business plan, but it is not the focus of their company. CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens have been battling over the top position for years, and Rite-Aid has been ranked at a steady third in the market place. Walgreens- Walgreens is CVS/Pharmacys chief competitor. Founded in 1901, Walgreens is considerably older. Unlike CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens began with the pharmacy department. With 6000 stores, Walgreens is smaller than CVS. In 2010, Walgreens has increased sales against last year by 6.4%, and net earnings by 4.2%(Walgreens.com, 2010). Moreover, they have posted 36 straight years of sales gains, and 35 straight years of dividend payments(Walgreens.com, 2010). Finally, Walgreens has posted net earnings for 5 consecutive years. Despite Walgreens smaller size, it has a bigger market share at 31.2% compared to CVS/Pharmacys 25%(Wikinvest.com, 2010). The last 10 years has been the first decade that a Walgreens family member was not at the helm of the Walgreens Pharmacy chain. Charles Walgreens retired from the CEO position in 1998, but stayed on a member of the board of directors. Mr. Walgreens will officially retire for the company this year. Gregory D. Wasson is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Wasson has worked with Walgreens for 31 years. In conclusion, Walgreens CVS/Pharmacy are the giants in retail pharmacy. Their strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures have brought them to a virtual dead heat. The purpose of this research is analyze the financial strength of both to determine which is in the best financial health. Common Size Statements We will first compare CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens through common size financial statements. Commons size financial statements allow for comparisons to be made between companies of different sizes and volumes in order to see the true performance. CVS/Pharmacy has over 7000 stores, and Walgreens Pharmacy only has 6000 stores. The difference in size will have an  impact on expense, revenue, and income. Every company plans to get the most out of every dollar spent. Consequently, we will be comparing the their financial performance from 2007-2009. From the beginning, Walgreens has yielded a better gross profit by an average of 8% over CVS/Pharmacy. Gross profit is the amount left over after cost of goods sold is taken from revenue. Although, both have been steady with their percentage gross profit, CVS/Pharmacy 21% Walgreens 28%, Walgreens has gained more. However, Walgreens celebration is short lived because the balance statement is more than gross profit. In fact the 8% edge in gross profit they gave back in operating expenses. Walgreens operating expenses took, on average, 22.5% away from their total revenue. CVS/Pharmacy operating expenses took only 14.5% away from their total revenue. Moreover, other indicators of return on investment to the company are higher for CVS/Pharmacy than Walgreens. CVS/Pharmacy has had a higher operating income than Walgreens since 2007. For the last two years CVS/Pharmacy has posted higher income before taxes than Walgreens. Finally, the biggest trend difference between the two firms is that CVS/Pharmacys net income has increased three years in a row, while Walgreens net income has steadily decreased three years in a row. As a company, CVS/Pharmacy received a 20% gross profit margin. The next biggest payment went to operating expenses at 14.12%. After the expenses, income before taxes and operating profit account for 13% and net income accounts for nearly 4%. In 2009 alone, Walgreens gross profit and operating expenses nearly cancel each other out. There is only a 4% variance between gross profit and operating expenses for Walgreens. Operating profit and income before taxes accounts for only 10% of the revenue, while Walgreens net income accounts for barely over 3%. On the key financial statements, Walgreens performance has been diminishing over the last three years, and CVS/Pharmacys performance has risen. The reason behind the growing strength of CVS/Pharmacy has been the general, consistent financial growth. This will be illustrated by the financial ratios. Liquidity is the firms ability to meet its current obligations(Marshall, McManus, Vielle, 2010). Working capital is the excess of a firms current assets over its current liabilities(2010). In this case, Walgreens has higher working capital than CVS/Pharmacy. On other tests of liquidity,  Walgreens out performs CVS/Pharmacy. Walgreens has a higher current ratio, acid test ratio, and they turn over their assets 8 more times a year than CVS/Pharmacy. Although Walgreens has yielded their lowest net income in three years, they have a high comparable liquidity. Moreover, the higher net income for CVS/Pharmacy has not translated into higher liquidity. However, the increased in income has translated into a higher inventory turnover for CVS/Pharmacy. Conclusion The findings of this paper are illustrating the transition in the marketplace between CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens. For the last 20 years, these retail pharmacy firms have battled for supremacy in the industry. Over the last decade, CVS/Pharmacy has had one Chief Executive Officer, Tom Ryan. However, since Tom Ryan took over in 1999, Walgreens has had 3 CEO changes. The result of inconsistency in their leadership has translated to a lower return on investment. Walgreens has higher liquidity, but they have shown three years of decreasing net income. As a result, they are getting weaker as an organization. However, CVS/Pharmacy has shown consistent growth over the last three years. Their increasing strength has been represented by their purchases of Longs Pharmacy and Caremark. It is my conclusion that this trend will continue

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Construction of a Research Questionnaire

Construction of a Research Questionnaire Construction of appropriate questionnaire items Section 2, Question 3 Describe what is involved in testing and validating a research questionnaire. (The answer to question 3 should be no fewer than 6 pages, including references) The following criteria will be used in assessing question 3: Construction of appropriate questionnaire items Sophistication of understanding of crucial design issues Plan for use of appropriate sampling method and sample Plan to address validity and reliability in a manner appropriate to methodology In order to construct an appropriate research questionnaire, it is imperative to first have a clear understanding of the scope of the research project. It would be most beneficial to solidify these research goals in written form, and then focus the direction of the study to address the research questions. After developing the research questions, the researcher would further read the related literature regarding the research topic, specifically searching for ideas and theories based on the analysis of the construct(s) to be measured. Constructs are essentially mathematical descriptions or theories of how our test behavior is either likely to change following or during certain situations (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2007, p. 311). It is important to know what the literature says about these construct(s) and the most accurate, concise ways to measure them. Constructs are psychological in nature and are not tangible, concrete variables because they cannot be observed directly (Gay Airasian, 2003 ). Hopkins (1998) explains that psychological constructs are unobservable, postulated variables that have evolved either informally or from psychological theory (p. 99). Hopkins also maintains that when developing the items to measure the construct(s), it is imperative to ask multiple items per construct to ensure they are being adequately measured. Another important aspect in developing items for a questionnaire is to find an appropriate scale for all the items to be measured (Gay Airasian, 2003). Again, this requires researching survey instruments similar to the one being developed for the current study and also determining what the literature says about how to best measure these constructs. The next step in designing the research questionnaire is to validate it-to ensure it is measuring what it is intended to measure. In this case, the researcher would first establish construct validity evidence, which is ensuring that the research questionnaire is measuring the ideas and theories related to the research project. An instrument has construct validity evidence if its relationship to other information corresponds well with some theory (Kubiszyn Borich, 2007, p. 309). Another reason to go through the validation process is to minimize factors that can weaken the validity of a research instrument, including unclear test directions, confusing and/or ambiguous test items, and vocabulary and sentence structures too difficult for test takers (Gay Airasian, 2003). After developing a rough draft of the questionnaire, including the items that measure the construct(s) for this study, the researcher should then gather a small focus group that is representative of the population to be studied (Johnson, 2007). The purpose of this focus group is to discuss the research topic, to gain additional perspectives about the study, and to consider new ideas about how to improve the research questionnaire so it is measuring the constructs accurately. This focus group provides the researcher with insight on what questions to revise and what questions should be added or deleted, if any. The focus group can also provide important information as to what type of language and vocabulary is appropriate for the group to be studied and how to best approach them (Krueger Casey, 2009). All of this groups feedback would be recorded and used to make changes, edits, and revisions to the research questionnaire. Another step in the validation process is to let a panel of experts (fellow researchers, professors, those who have expertise in the field of study) read and review the survey instrument, checking it for grammatical errors, wording issues, unclear items (loaded questions, biased questions), and offer their feedback. Also, their input regarding the validity of the items is vital. As with the other focus group, any feedback should be recorded and used to make changes, edits, and revisions to the research questionnaire (Johnson, 2007). The next step entails referring to the feedback received from the focus group and panel of experts. Any issues detected by the groups must be addressed so the research questionnaire can serve its purpose (Johnson, 2007). Next, the researcher should revise the questions and research questionnaire, considering all the input obtained and make any other changes that would improve the instrument. Any feedback obtained regarding the wording of items must be carefully considered, because the participants in the study must understand exactly what the questions are asking so they can respond accurately and honestly. It is also imperative to consider the feedback regarding the directions and wording of the research questionnaire. The directions of the questionnaire should be clear and concise, leaving nothing to personal interpretation (Suskie, 1996). The goal is that all participants should be able to read the directions and know precisely how to respond and complete the questionnaire. To bet ter ensure honesty of responses, it is imperative to state in the directions that answers are anonymous (if applicable), and if they mistakenly write any identifying marks on the questionnaire, those marks will be immediately erased. If that type of scenario is not possible in the design of the study, the researcher should still communicate the confidentiality of the information obtained in this study and how their personal answers and other information will not be shared with anyone. Whatever the case or research design, the idea is to have participants answer the questions honestly so the most accurate results are obtained. Assuring anonymity and/or confidentiality to participants is another way to help ensure that valid data are collected. The next phase entails pilot-testing the research questionnaire on a sample of people similar to the population on which the survey will ultimately be administered. This group should be comprised of approximately 20 people (Johnson, 2007), and the instrument should be administered under similar conditions as it will be during the actual study. The purpose of this pilot-test is two-fold; the first reason is to once again check the validity of the instrument by obtaining feedback from this group, and the second reason is to do a reliability analysis. Reliability is basically the degree to which a test consistently measure whatever it is measuring (Gay Airasian, 2003, p. 141). A reliability analysis is essential when developing a research questionnaire because a research instrument lacking reliability cannot measure any variable better than chance alone (Hopkins, 1998). Hopkins goes on to say that reliability is an essential prerequisite to validity because a research instrument must c onsistently yield reliable scores to have any confidence in validity. After administering the research questionnaire to this small group, a reliability analysis of the results must be done. The reliability analysis to be used is Cronbachs alpha (Hopkins, 1998), which allows an overall reliability coefficient to be calculated, as well as coefficients for each of the sub-constructs (if any). The overall instrument, as well as the sub-constructs, should yield alpha statistics greater than .70 (Johnson, 2007). This analysis would decide if the researcher needs to revise the items or proceed with administering the instrument to the target population. The researcher should also use the feedback obtained from this group to ensure that the questions are clear and present no ambiguity. Any other feedback obtained should be used to address any problems with the research questionnaire. Should there be any problems with particular items, then necessary changes would be made to ensure the item i s measuring what it is supposed to be measuring. However, should there be issues with an entire construct(s) that is yielding reliability and/or validity problems, then the instrument would have to be revised, reviewed again by the panel of experts, and retested on another small group. After the instrument goes through this process and has been corrected and refined with acceptable validity and reliability, it is time to begin planning to administer it to the target population. After the research questionnaire has established validity and reliability, the next step is to begin planning how to administer it to the participants of the study. To begin this process, it is imperative to define who the target population of the study is. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to gather data from everyone in a population due to feasibility and costs. Therefore, sampling must be used to collect data. According to Gay and Airasian (2003), Sampling is the process of selecting a number of participants for a study in such a way that they represent the larger group from which they were selected (p. 101). This larger group that the authors refer to is the population, and the population is the group to which the results will ideally generalize. However, out of any population, the researcher will have to determine those who are accessible or available. In most studies, the chosen population for study is usually a realistic choice and not always the target one (Gay Airasian, 2003). After choosing the population to be studied, it is important to define that population so the reader will know how to apply the findings to that population. The next step in the research study is to select a sample, and the quality of this sample will ultimately determine the integrity and generalizability of the results. Ultimately, the researcher should desire a sample that is representative of the defined population to be studied. Ideally, the researcher wants to minimize sampling error by using random sampling techniques. Random sampling techniques include simple random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, and systematic sampling (Gay Airasian, 2003). According to the authors, these sampling techniques operate just as they are named: simple random sampling is using a means to randomly select an adequate sample of participants from a population; stratified random sampling allows a researcher to sample subgroups in such a way that they are proportional in the same way they exist in the population; and cluster sampling randomly selects groups from a larger population (Gay Airasian, 2003). Systematic sampling is a form of s imple random sampling, where the researcher simply selects every tenth person, for example. These four random sampling techniques, or variations thereof, are the most widely used random sampling procedures. While random sampling allows for the best chance to obtained unbiased samples, sometimes it is not always possible. Therefore, the researcher resorts to nonrandom sampling techniques. These techniques include convenience sampling, purposive sampling, and quota sampling (Gay Airasian, 2003). Convenience sampling is simply sampling whoever happens to be available, while purposive sampling is where the researcher selects a sample based on knowledge of the group to be sampled (Gay Airasian, 2003). Lastly, quota sampling is a technique used in large-scale surveys when a population of interest is too large to define. With quota sampling, the researcher usually will have a specific number of participants to target with specific demographics (Gay Airasian, 2003). The sampling method ultimately chosen will depend upon the population determined to be studied. In an ideal scenario, random sampling would be employed, which improves the strength and generalizability of the results. However, should random sampling not be possible, the researcher would mostly likely resort to convenience sampling. Although not as powerful as random sampling, convenience sampling is used quite a bit and can be useful in educational research (Johnson, 2007). Of course, whatever sampling means is employed, it is imperative to have an adequate sample size. As a general rule, the larger the population size, the smaller the percentage of the population required to get a representative sample (Gay Airasian, 2003). The researcher would determine the size of the population being studied (if possible) and then determine an adequate sample size (Krejcie Morgan, 1970, p. 608). Ultimately, it is desirable to obtain as many participants as possible and not merely to achieve a m inimum (Gay Airasian, 2003). Lastly, after an adequate sample size for the study has been determined, the researcher should proceed with the administration of the research questionnaire until the desired sample size is obtained. The research questionnaire should be administered in similar conditions, and potential participants should know and understand that they are not obligated in any way to participate and that they will not be penalized for not participating (Suskie, 1996). Also, participants should know how to contact the research should they have questions about the research project, including the ultimate dissemination of the data and the results of the study. The researcher should exhaust all efforts to ensure participants understand what is being asked so they can make a clear judgment regarding their consent to participate in the study. Should any of the potential participants be under the age of 18, the researcher would need to obtain parental permission in order for th em to participate. Lastly, it is imperative that the researcher obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the instrument is field-tested and administered to the participants. People who participate in the study should understand that the research project has been approved through the universitys IRB process. References Gay, L. R., Airasian, P. (2003). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and Applications (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Hopkins, K. D. (1998). Educational and psychological measurement and evaluation (8th ed.). Boston: Allyn Bacon. Johnson, J. T. (2007). Instrument development and validation [Class handout]. Department of Educational Leadership Research, The University of Southern Mississippi. Krejcie, R. V., Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607-610.k Krueger, R. A., Casey, M. A. (2009). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, SA: Sage Publications, Inc. Kubiszyn, T., Borich, B. (2007). Educational testing and measurement: Classroom application and practice (8th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Suskie, L. A. (1996). Questionnaire survey research: What works (2nd ed.). Tallahassee, FL: Association for Institutional Research.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Biblical Flood Myth of Genesis and the Flood Myth of the Epic of Gilgam

The Flood of the Bible and the Flood of Gilgamesh      Ã‚  Ã‚   The story of Noah’s Ark, as told in the old testament, tells how God punished the world because it had become corrupt. God accomplished this by flooding the world, and annihilating all the creatures upon it, except for Noah and his family and a pair of each type of creature on the earth. Each decade, more insight is gained into the origin of the flood story. Based on the information available at the present time, one could argue that the story of Noah’s Ark was based on the Epic of Gilgamesh. The story of Noah’s Ark was first written as part of the old testament by the Jewish people. However, it is predated by far by the story of the Epic of Gilgamesh, a story that originated in the same area that holds many striking similarities to the tale of Noah’s Ark. Though the story was modified to accommodate new characters, many properties of the story are similar, from small details like the creatures used as scouts to the religious purpose of the flood itself. For example, both the flood stories start with the characters re...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Childhood Obesity Annotated Bib

English 100/009 Annotated bibliography- Child Obesity in America Taras, H. , Potts-Datema, W. (2005) Obesity and student performance at school. Journal of School Health, 75, 291-295. Retrieved October 4, 2005 from EBSCO (8) This Journal talks about obesity among school-aged children and academic outcomes. The authors reviewed published studies investigating obesity, school performance, and rates of student absenteeism. The book is recent (2005) so I feel that the information provided will still be the similar to today.I feel this is relevant to my research as it proves that obesity can cause problems in other important aspects of life. It also provides very satisfying facts that will back my research very well. Okie, Susan. Fed Up! : Winning the War against Childhood Obesity. Washington, D. C: Joseph Henry Press, 2005. Print. This book examines some of the factors contributing to childhood obesity, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, suburban sprawl, and TV, and provides advice on h ow parents can make positive changes. It primarily focuses on these issues within America.It covers a wide variety of topics with the main topic of obesity, which I think I will find beneficial to my research as all these factors contribute. Dalton, Sharron. Our Overweight Children: What Parents, Schools, and Communities Can Do to Control the Fatness Epidemic. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. Print. This book looks at what's behind the statistics and diagnoses, and considers what can be done about the major health crisis threatening American children. Dalton begins with the basics: what obesity is, what causes it, and why it matters.Integrating information from scientific and popular sources, she reviews current diet and exercise recommendations for healthy living, comparing these recommendations with everyday realities experienced by American families. I feel this book will be good for all general understanding as it starts basic and then gets more in depth. I believ e this will contribute well to my research as it covers a wide basis and focus on main points that could be causing this epidemic i. e parents. Smith, J C. Understanding Childhood Obesity.Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. Internet resource. Dr. J Clinton Smith tries to cover nearly every field of obesity research. The book deals with methods of control, the body’s physical and chemical makeup, prevention strategies, new treatments and behavior modifications and future research. Again, this will be very beneficial to my research but even more so as it focuses a lot on the psychological side of obesity, where as the others and focusing more on the food itself and the contributing factors. Hills, Andrew P, Neil A.King, and Nuala M. Byrne. Children, Obesity and Exercise: Prevention, Treatment, and Management of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity. London: Routledge, 2007. Print. This book covers 3 major topics of obesity: the prevention, treatment and the management . Even though this not specifically for American children, I feel that it will still be beneficial as obesity is a global epidemic. I believe this will be a good aspect for my research as it covers how obesity in children can be prevented and I feel this is what America needs to know.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

History of Gaelic Football Essay

Gaelic Football has been a vital part of the Irish culture for many generations. It is a sport that brings together people in such a way that soccer does in Brazil, baseball in the U.S. and hockey in Canada. The history of Gaelic Football is very rich and passionate and even today is still an excellent display of national pride. The origins of the modern sport of Gaelic Football derive from the Irish sport of Hurling. Hurling has been a sport that has been played for over 4000 years ever since the first feast of Lunagsha in the Tailteann games (Orjan, 2006). The first known date for a Gaelic Football game was in 1670 in County Meath Ireland and the teams were 6-a-side (Orjan, 2006). They used many of the same rules of Hurling but used a larger, softer ball and no hurls. Every four steps, instead of bouncing the ball off their hurley, they would either bounce the ball or drop it to their foot and kick it back up again. The sport can be best described as a mixture of soccer and rugby. Games started to be played between counties in the early 18th century (Biege, 2007). The sport, in a completely different form, was played as far back as the 14th century and it was a very violent game. The game was played with many balls made of horsehide and involved hundreds of players and was over a great distance (Orjan 2006). The sport involved many stops for wrestling and fist fighting. The Irish some what of the same ideals as the romans that Trd Temertzoglou and Paul Challen quoted: â€Å"a sound minde in a sound body† (Exercise science, 2003, pg. 295,  ¶ 6) as they considered the game just as much an important social event as it was a sporting event and the would hold a large celebration after each match (Orjan, 2006). This sport was only well documented in County Kerry and was called Caid (Coughlan, 2001). In the modern sport of Gaelic Football, up until about 150 years ago, violence was a large part of the game (Couhlan, 2001). Even as the game became more and more structured and teams consisted of the same number of players and the game was played on a marked field with referees, violence was still widely accepted and fights were not interrupted. The sport has always had very strong social ties that surround the sport. Most teams even have a regular pub where all the players and many club supporters go after every game, whether they win or loose. Most clubs are more then just a sports team, most host many social events and act as a club for people from each County or city. The sport has the pureness of an amateur sports league but is watched and supported by the nearly the entire country and it is much like Australian rules football. Today, there is more then 2,500 clubs worldwide and an estimated 182,000 players. The sport in recent years has been able to thrive with a new emphasis on promoting the sport. However, in the early 14th century until 1527, there was a ban on all Gaelic games to reinforce the political power of the British. Again in the 1840’s it was a serious threat that the sport might be lost as the potato famine came and people did not have the energy to play the sport and many people were leaving the country. In recovery after the potato famine, the sport began to flourish. People in Ireland began to play the sport even more to show independence from England and now there were many Irish immigrants in North America and the sport began to spread. Gaelic Football as a sport has developed and changed greatly through out its history from a brutally violent game to an amazingly fast paced and skillful sport. The modern game is played on a pitch that is 130m – 145m in length and 80m – 90m wide for 70 minute at senior level football and is broken down into two 35-minute halves (History of Gaelic Football,  ¶ 7). The goal posts are 6.5m apart and a minimum of 7m tall with a crossbar at 2.5m and the goal is situated in the center of the goal line at either end of the field (History of Gaelic Football,  ¶ 7). Players are given numbers 1-15 and their number is in accordance with their position. There are 3 full backs, 3 half backs, 2 midfielders, 3 half forwards, 3 full forwards and a goalie on each team and the game is played man-on-man style so you start the game next to the player you are marking and stay with them throughout the game. There are two ways to score points in Gaelic Football. The first is to kick the ball past the goalie, which gets you 3 points, and the second way is to strike the ball either with your fist or your foot, and kick the ball over the crossbar and between the posts for 1 point. The type of ball used in Gaelic football is about the size of a soccer ball and slightly heavier. The ball can be carried in your hands for 4 steps and then you have to either get rid of the ball by striking it with your hand or kicking it or, to continue running with the ball, you can hop or solo the ball. A hop is bouncing the ball, and can only be used once in a row and the alternative is to solo the ball which is where you drop the ball to your foot and kick it back up to your self and this action can be repeated unlimited amounts of times in a row. There is a large physical presence as well in Gaelic Football. It has toned down the brutality of the sport since its original, but hard contact made shoulder to shoulder when challenging for the ball is still a legal part of the game (Orejan, 2006). The sport of Gaelic Football has changed so much in many ways, but in others, it has remained very much the same. The game has developed into a fantastic sport that requires a lot of coordination and skill. And at the same time, the culture and social aspects of the sport are so much the same. The lack of professional athletes in the sport really brings a different aspect to the sport. Everyone plays for pride and respect from the County or city they grew up in and do there best to represent their people. References Biege, B. (2007). Gaelic Football – Gaelic Games – Sporting Events in Ireland. Ireland Travel – Traveling to and in Ireland – Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland Vacations. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from http://goireland.about.com/od/specialinterestholidays/qt/gg_football.htm Coughlan, C. (2001). History of Gaelic Football. About Gaelic Football. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from homepage.eircom.net/~lahardanemchales/about.html History of Gaelic Football. Boston GAA. Retrieved December 10, 2012, from http://www.bostongaa.org/gaelic-games/history-of-gaelic-football.html Orejan, J. (2006). The History of Gaelic Football and the Gaelic Athletic Association. The Sport Management and Related Topics Journal, 2(2), 45-50. Retrieved December 6, 2012, from http://www.thesmartjournal.com/GAA.pdf Temertzoglou, T., & Challen, P. (2003). History of Physical Education and Sport. Exercise Science An Introduction to Health and Physical Education, 1, 295

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Take Notes in Law School

How to Take Notes in Law School No matter how much material you think you can retain just by memory, note taking will be one of the most important skills to develop and perfect as you make your way through law school. Good notes will help you keep up during class discussions and will also become crucial when its time to outline and study for final exams. How to Take Notes in Law School: 5 Dos DO choose a method of note taking and stick with it. There are now lots of options for law school note taking from software programs to the good old paper and pen method. Try some out early on in the semester, but decide quickly which one suits your learning style best and then keep going with it. The link section below has some reviews of note taking software if you need a starting point.DO consider preparing your own notes before class. Whether you do the classic case brief or something more free-flowing and whether youre using computer software or handwritten notes, use a different color or entirely different pages to separate class notes from your personal notes. As the semester wears on, you should see the two increasingly converging; if not, youre probably not picking up important concepts and what your professors want  you to focus on, so get thee to office hours!DO write down important concepts, rules of law, and lines of reasoning. These things may be difficult to pinpoint at first, but youll get better at this as your law school years go on. DO take note of recurring themes in your professors lectures. Does he bring public policy into every discussion? Does he painstakingly parse words of statutes? When you find these themes, pay special attention and take particularly copious notes as to how the professors reasoning is flowing; this way you know what questions to prepare for both for lectures and exams.DO review your notes after class to make sure you understand what youve recorded. If something is unclear either conceptually or factually, now is the time to clear it up either with your classmates in a study group or with the professor. Dont Do This When Taking Law School Notes DONT write down everything the professor says verbatim. This holds especially true if youre using a laptop. It can be tempting to transcribe lectures if you have the typing ability, but youll be losing valuable time in which you should be engaging with the material and group discussion. This, after all, is where learning takes place in law school, not simply from memorizing and regurgitating rules and laws. DONT write down what your fellow law students say. Yes, theyre smart and some may even be right, but unless your professor puts her explicit seal of approval on a students contribution to the discussion, its most likely not worth a spot in your notes. You will not be tested on your fellow law students opinions, so theres no sense in recording them for posterity.DONT waste time writing down facts of the case. All the facts you need to discuss a case will be in your casebook. If particular facts are important, highlight, underline, or circle them in your textbook with a note in the margins to remind you why theyre important. DONT be afraid to go back through several days of notes at the same time to try to make connections and fill in gaps. This review process will help you at the time with class discussions and later when youre outlining and studying for exams.DONT forego taking notes because you can get the notes of a classmate. Everyone processes information differently, so you are always going to be the best person to record notes for your future study sessions. Its great to compare notes, but your own notes should always be your primary source for studying. This is why commercial outlines and those prepared by previous law students arent always the most helpful either. Throughout the semester, your professor gives you a map of what the exam will be like throughout the course; it is your job to record it and study it.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Free Essays on Hills Like White Elephants, Metaphorically

Having read Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† several times, it seems to be a story that doesn’t make much sense. The two main characters, the American man and his female companion referred to as â€Å"girl†, are having a conversation that supports this theory. Their conversation turns into a short, familiar argument, but one that isn’t clear, even having read it several times. In the introduction preceding the short story, it states that â€Å"Hemingway has a concise way of developing a plot through dialogue and once explained how he achieved an intense compression by comparing his method to the principle of the iceberg: There is seven-eights of it under water for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesn’t show. If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in the story† (pg. 233). What this tells the reader is that Hemingway explained many things through the use of metaphors, leaving only the unknown. The question the reader must then ask is what is the metaphor in â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† and what does it represent? While waiting for a train at a junction somewhere in Spain, the dialogue between the American man and the girl over a few drinks seems simplistic at first but the sarcasm on behalf of the girl surfaces the tensions that exist between the two characters. Her sarcasm and their argument begin when she says, â€Å"Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe† (pg. 234). Instead of looking at the man accompanying her, the girl consistently admires the hills, almost as if she is envious of them. The man changes the tone of their conversation when he says â€Å"It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig, it’s not really an operation at all† (pg. 235). The girl had no response. Instead she had feelings of guilt... Free Essays on Hills Like White Elephants, Metaphorically Free Essays on Hills Like White Elephants, Metaphorically Having read Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† several times, it seems to be a story that doesn’t make much sense. The two main characters, the American man and his female companion referred to as â€Å"girl†, are having a conversation that supports this theory. Their conversation turns into a short, familiar argument, but one that isn’t clear, even having read it several times. In the introduction preceding the short story, it states that â€Å"Hemingway has a concise way of developing a plot through dialogue and once explained how he achieved an intense compression by comparing his method to the principle of the iceberg: There is seven-eights of it under water for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesn’t show. If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in the story† (pg. 233). What this tells the reader is that Hemingway explained many things through the use of metaphors, leaving only the unknown. The question the reader must then ask is what is the metaphor in â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† and what does it represent? While waiting for a train at a junction somewhere in Spain, the dialogue between the American man and the girl over a few drinks seems simplistic at first but the sarcasm on behalf of the girl surfaces the tensions that exist between the two characters. Her sarcasm and their argument begin when she says, â€Å"Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe† (pg. 234). Instead of looking at the man accompanying her, the girl consistently admires the hills, almost as if she is envious of them. The man changes the tone of their conversation when he says â€Å"It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig, it’s not really an operation at all† (pg. 235). The girl had no response. Instead she had feelings of guilt...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Building Acts and Contracts

* Site photos: * Discussion: – The room must be provided with natural lighting and ventilation with the area of window must be more than 10% of the floor area and the openings must not less than 5% of the floor area. – For this room, the floor area = 2. 62m x 3. 52m = 9. 22 m2 The window area = 1. 78m x 1. 195m = 2. 13 m2 Natural lighting = (2. 13 m2 / 9. 22m2) x 100% = 23. 1 % 23. 1 % 10% (comply with UBBL) Natural ventilation = 23. 1% 5% (comply with UBBL) Hence this room in Taman Bunga Raya is complying with Uniform Building By Law. Clause 39(3) * † Every room used for purpose of conducting classes in a school shall be provided with natural lighting and natural ventilation by means of one or more windows having a total area of not less than 20% of clear floor area of such rooms and shall have openings capable of allowing a free uninterrupted passage of air of not less than 10% of such floor area. † * Date: November 26, 2012 * Location: TARC Block M305 * Site photos: * Discussion: The classroom must be provided with natural lighting and ventilation with the area of window must be more than 20% of the floor area and the openings must not less than 10% of the floor area. * For this classroom, the floor area = 9. 08m x 7. 465m = 67. 78m2 The window area = 1. 785m x 1. 45m = 2. 59m2 6 windows = 6 x 2. 59m2 = 15. 54m2 Natural lighting = (15. 54m2/ 67. 78m2) x 100% = 22. 93% 22. 93% 20% (comply with UBBL) Natural ventilation = 22. 93% 10% (comply with UBBL) * So this classroom is complying with UBBL. Clause 39(4) â€Å"Every water- closet, latrine, urinal or bathroom shall be provided with natural lighting and natural ventilation by means of one or more openings having a total area of not less than 0. 2 square meters per water-closet, urinal latrine or bathroom and such openings shall be capable of allowing a free uninterrupted passage of air. † * Date: November 26, 2012 * Location: Toilet at residential house of Taman Bunga Ray a. * Site photos: * Discussion: * There are one water-closet and one bathroom inside. * 2 x 0. 2 = 0. 4 * Area of window = 0. 625m x 0. 635m = 0. 40m2 Since the opening has a total area of 0. 40m2 which is equal, hence it complies with the UBBL. B) Clause 42. 1 * The area of first habitable room in a residential building shall be not less than 11 square meters, * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photos: * Discussion: -the area of room shall be not less than 11 square meters For this room, the area is = 10m x 13m =130m2 130m2 11m2 (comply with UBBL) -Hence this room area is comply with Uniform Building By Law * The area of second habitable room in a residential building shall be not less than 9. square meters, * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photo : * Discussion : -The area of room must be more than 9. 3 square meters; -Area of this room is 3. 5m2x 4m2 =14m2 14m2 9. 3m2 (Comply with UBBL) -Hence the second r oom area is comply with Uniform Building By Law * All the other rooms shall be not less than 6. 5 square meters in area * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photo : * Discussion : -The room area must be more than 6. 5 square meters -Area of the room is 2. 75m2 x 3. m2 = 8. 525m2 8. 525m2 6. 5m2 (Comply with UBBL) -The area of room is more than 6. 5m2 so it is comply with Uniform Building By Law Clause 42. 2 The width of every habitable room in a residential building shall be not less than 2 meters * The width of every room in a residential building must be more than 2 meters * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photo : * Discussion : -Refer to the photo above the width of room is 2. 75m -2. 75m 2m (Comply with UBBL) -Hence this room is comply with Uniform Building By Law Clause 42. 3 The area and width of a kitchen in a residential building shall be not less than 4. 5 square meters and 1. 5 meters respectively * Area of a kitchen must be more than 4. 5 square meters and width must be more than 1. 5 meters * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photo : * Discussion : -The area of a kitchen is 7. 28m2 and width of kitchen is 2. 8m2 -Area 7. 28m2 4. 5m2 (Comply with UBBL) -Width 2. 8m2 1. 5m2 (Comply with UBBL) -Hence the area and width of kitchen is comply with Uniform Building By Law C) Clause 43 (a), (b), (c), (d) Clause 43 (a) * â€Å"†¦in the case of latrines or water-closets with pedestal-type close fittings, not less than 1. 5 metres by 0. 75 metre. † * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Hostel Block J * Site photo: * Discussion: * Dimension of water closet : 1. 53m by 0. 85m * 1. 53m 1. 5m and 0. 85m 0. 75m, hence it complies with UBBL. Clause 43(b) * â€Å"†¦ in the case of water-closets with fittings other than pedestal-type close fittings, not less than 1. 25 metres by 0. 75 metre. † * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Hostel Block J * Site photo: * Discussion: Dimension of water-closet: 1. 53m by 0. 85m * 1. 53m 1. 25m and 0. 85m 0. 75m, it complies with UBBL. Clause 43(c) * â€Å"†¦in the case of bathrooms, not less than 1. 5 square metres with a width of not less than 0. 75 metre. † * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Hostel Block J * Site photo: * Discussion: * Area of bathroom = 1. 37m x 0. 86m = 1. 18m2 1. 18m2 1. 5m2 (n ot comply with UBBL) Width = 0. 86m 0. 75m (comply with UBBL) * Although the width of the bathroom in TARC Hostel is 0. 86m which comply with UBBL, but the area of the bathroom is too small which is 1. 8m2 and it did not meet the minimum requirement stated in UBBL which is 1. 5m2. Hence, this bathroom is not complying with UBBL. * Recommendation – we can increase the area of the bathroom by increasing the length of the bathroom to at least 1. 75m. Clause 43(d) * â€Å"†¦in the case the bathrooms with close fittings, not less than 2 square metres with a width of not less than 0. 75 metre. † * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: Bathroom in residential house at Taman Bunga Raya. * Site photo: * Discussion * Area of the bathroom = 1. 5m x 1. 5m =2. 25m2 2. 25m2 2m2 (comply with UBBL) Width = 1. 5m 0. 75m (comply with UBBL) * Since the area of the bathroom is bigger than 2m2 and the width is more than 0. 75m, they all met the minimum dimensions required by UBBL. Hence, the bathroom with closet fittings in Taman Bunga Raya complies with UBBL. D) Clause 106 (1) 106(1)-In any staircase, the rise of any staircase shall be not more than 180mm and the tread shall not less than 255mm and the dimensions of the rise and the tread of the staircase so chosen shall be uniform and consistent throughout. * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Bangunan Tan Siew Sin * Site photo: Discussion: * Dimension of staircases: 312mm x 133mm * 180mm 133mm and 312mm 255, it complies with UBBL. E) Clause 107(1), (2), (3) and (4) 107(1)-Except for staircase of less than 4 risers, all staircases shall be provided with at least one handrail. * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Block A * Site photo: * Discussion: 4 risers /= 4 risers, so no need handrail and it complies with UBBL. 107(2)-Staircases exceeding 2225mm in width shall be provided with intermediate handrail for each 2225mm of required width spaced approximately. * Date: November 28, 2012 Location: TARC Bangunan Tan Siew Sin * Site photo: * Discussion: * Dimension of staircases: 5420mm * 5420mm 2225mm, it complies with UBBL. Clause 107(3)-In building other than residential buildings, a handrail shall be provided on each side of the staircase when the width of the staircase is 1100 mm or more. In these clause state that all the buildings except residential building, if the width of the staircase is equal or more than 1100mm, which is 1. 1m, handrail should be provided on each side of the staircase. * Date : 28th November 2012 * Venue : Staircase beside DK A, TAR College Site Photo: * Discussion : Width of staircase = 2. 53m, 2530mm – 2530mm 1100mm (stated in UBBL) so this staircase needed handrail on both sides. – This staircase is installed with both sides handrail, hence this stairc ase is comply with UBBL. Clause 107(4)-All handrails shall project not more than 100mmfrom the face of the finished wall†¦(†¦) This is the first part of Clause 107. (4) in UBBL, which means that if there is a handrail attached to the wall, the handrail should be projected out from the wall with a length of not more than 100 mm * Date : 28th November 2012 Venue : TAR College Cyber Centre * Site Photo : * Discussion : Total length projected out = 9. 3cm, 93mm – 93mm100mm (stated in UBBL) -Since this handrail projected out with 93mm, so this handrail comply with UBBL. Clause 107 (4)-(†¦)†¦ shall be located not less than 825mm and not more than 900 mm measured from the nosing of the treads.. (†¦) This is the middle part of Clause 107. (4) in UBBL, it means that the height of the handrail measured from the nosing of the treads should be in the range of 825mmto 900mm. * Date : 28th November 2012 * Venue : TAR College Cyber Centre Site Photo : * Discussion : Height of handrail = 84cm, 840mm -900mm 840mm 825mm (stated in UBBL) -Since the height of handrail is in the range of 825mm to 900mm, so it is comply with the UBBL. Clause 107 (4)-(†¦)†¦provided that handrails to landings shall not be less than 900mm from the level of the landing. This is the last part of Clause 107. (4) in UBBL. From this sentence show that the handrail at landing area should have the height of not less than 900mm measured from the landing. * Date : 28 November 2012 * Venue : TAR College Cyber Centre * Site Photo : Discussion : Height of handrail= 86. 5cm,865mm -865mm900mm (stated in UBBL) -Since the height is less than 900mm, so it is not comply with UBBL. * Recommendation: The handrail should be installed in a higher and measured before install. F) Explain the UBBL : part IV temporary works in connection with building operations Clauses 48(Commencement of building operation) (1) When there is any building works that started, the person that responsibl e for the construction work shall put a board with names, addresses and telephone numbers of the contractors and also person in charge. 2) Construction work only can start when there is a protective hoarding to separate building and public by approval and requirements of local authorities. (3) According to by-law 19, person who in charge shall obtain a temporary permit when protective hoarding is required. The protective hoarding is required to construct as shown in the approved protective hoarding plan. The constructed protective hoarding shall also be maintained in good condition during construction work to the satisfaction of local authority. Clause 49 (Responsibility of person granted temporary permits) There is some responsibility for the person who granted for temporary permit: a) Always keep the roadside drain unobstructed and clear to the satisfaction of local authority. b) Reinstatement on completion and adjustments to existing cables, pipes and other services on construction site according to requirements of relevant authorities. c) The end of the hoardings shall be painted in white color with a mark by red warning lights for safety during night time. d) Any accident and damages due to hoardings and railing to the property or persons. ) Always make sure that hydrant points or any other existing utility service installation must be unobstructed by hoardings or other materials. f) Always allow easy access over the roadside drain, to and from the adjoining verandah-ways by applying suitable openings with handrails at the end of the hoarding. g) Responsible to maintain the hoarding to the satisfaction of local authorit y. h) Always try not to damage and take good care on any existing services main with avoid overloading the ground or by any temporary construction. ) Upon the completion of works, it is a must to remove the hoarding together with all materials and debris on site. j) Always leave the site and drains clean and tidy and recover any damages to roads, drains, footways and also verandah-ways. Clause 50 (Cancellation of temporary permit) Local authority always has the right to determine the temporary permit due to breach of any above-mentioned conditions or any other reasonable reasons. Upon notification on determination of temporary permit, within one week time, the applicant shall remove all the hoardings, railings and other materials connected to public road. Clause51 (Vehicular access to site) There are some specified hours or peak hour that construction vehicular are restricted to access if necessary for avoiding obstruction of traffic nearby. Clause 52 (Rising mains to be installed progressively) According to by-law 232, rising mains shall be installed when the building designed exceed 18. 3 metres in height to the top most full floor. For the ease of fire fighting and precaution with providing fire fighting facilities during various stage of construction. References Uniform Building By-Laws. Building Acts and Contracts * Site photos: * Discussion: – The room must be provided with natural lighting and ventilation with the area of window must be more than 10% of the floor area and the openings must not less than 5% of the floor area. – For this room, the floor area = 2. 62m x 3. 52m = 9. 22 m2 The window area = 1. 78m x 1. 195m = 2. 13 m2 Natural lighting = (2. 13 m2 / 9. 22m2) x 100% = 23. 1 % 23. 1 % 10% (comply with UBBL) Natural ventilation = 23. 1% 5% (comply with UBBL) Hence this room in Taman Bunga Raya is complying with Uniform Building By Law. Clause 39(3) * † Every room used for purpose of conducting classes in a school shall be provided with natural lighting and natural ventilation by means of one or more windows having a total area of not less than 20% of clear floor area of such rooms and shall have openings capable of allowing a free uninterrupted passage of air of not less than 10% of such floor area. † * Date: November 26, 2012 * Location: TARC Block M305 * Site photos: * Discussion: The classroom must be provided with natural lighting and ventilation with the area of window must be more than 20% of the floor area and the openings must not less than 10% of the floor area. * For this classroom, the floor area = 9. 08m x 7. 465m = 67. 78m2 The window area = 1. 785m x 1. 45m = 2. 59m2 6 windows = 6 x 2. 59m2 = 15. 54m2 Natural lighting = (15. 54m2/ 67. 78m2) x 100% = 22. 93% 22. 93% 20% (comply with UBBL) Natural ventilation = 22. 93% 10% (comply with UBBL) * So this classroom is complying with UBBL. Clause 39(4) â€Å"Every water- closet, latrine, urinal or bathroom shall be provided with natural lighting and natural ventilation by means of one or more openings having a total area of not less than 0. 2 square meters per water-closet, urinal latrine or bathroom and such openings shall be capable of allowing a free uninterrupted passage of air. † * Date: November 26, 2012 * Location: Toilet at residential house of Taman Bunga Ray a. * Site photos: * Discussion: * There are one water-closet and one bathroom inside. * 2 x 0. 2 = 0. 4 * Area of window = 0. 625m x 0. 635m = 0. 40m2 Since the opening has a total area of 0. 40m2 which is equal, hence it complies with the UBBL. B) Clause 42. 1 * The area of first habitable room in a residential building shall be not less than 11 square meters, * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photos: * Discussion: -the area of room shall be not less than 11 square meters For this room, the area is = 10m x 13m =130m2 130m2 11m2 (comply with UBBL) -Hence this room area is comply with Uniform Building By Law * The area of second habitable room in a residential building shall be not less than 9. square meters, * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photo : * Discussion : -The area of room must be more than 9. 3 square meters; -Area of this room is 3. 5m2x 4m2 =14m2 14m2 9. 3m2 (Comply with UBBL) -Hence the second r oom area is comply with Uniform Building By Law * All the other rooms shall be not less than 6. 5 square meters in area * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photo : * Discussion : -The room area must be more than 6. 5 square meters -Area of the room is 2. 75m2 x 3. m2 = 8. 525m2 8. 525m2 6. 5m2 (Comply with UBBL) -The area of room is more than 6. 5m2 so it is comply with Uniform Building By Law Clause 42. 2 The width of every habitable room in a residential building shall be not less than 2 meters * The width of every room in a residential building must be more than 2 meters * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photo : * Discussion : -Refer to the photo above the width of room is 2. 75m -2. 75m 2m (Comply with UBBL) -Hence this room is comply with Uniform Building By Law Clause 42. 3 The area and width of a kitchen in a residential building shall be not less than 4. 5 square meters and 1. 5 meters respectively * Area of a kitchen must be more than 4. 5 square meters and width must be more than 1. 5 meters * Date : 30/11/12 * Location : Residential house at Kepong Baru * Site photo : * Discussion : -The area of a kitchen is 7. 28m2 and width of kitchen is 2. 8m2 -Area 7. 28m2 4. 5m2 (Comply with UBBL) -Width 2. 8m2 1. 5m2 (Comply with UBBL) -Hence the area and width of kitchen is comply with Uniform Building By Law C) Clause 43 (a), (b), (c), (d) Clause 43 (a) * â€Å"†¦in the case of latrines or water-closets with pedestal-type close fittings, not less than 1. 5 metres by 0. 75 metre. † * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Hostel Block J * Site photo: * Discussion: * Dimension of water closet : 1. 53m by 0. 85m * 1. 53m 1. 5m and 0. 85m 0. 75m, hence it complies with UBBL. Clause 43(b) * â€Å"†¦ in the case of water-closets with fittings other than pedestal-type close fittings, not less than 1. 25 metres by 0. 75 metre. † * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Hostel Block J * Site photo: * Discussion: Dimension of water-closet: 1. 53m by 0. 85m * 1. 53m 1. 25m and 0. 85m 0. 75m, it complies with UBBL. Clause 43(c) * â€Å"†¦in the case of bathrooms, not less than 1. 5 square metres with a width of not less than 0. 75 metre. † * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Hostel Block J * Site photo: * Discussion: * Area of bathroom = 1. 37m x 0. 86m = 1. 18m2 1. 18m2 1. 5m2 (n ot comply with UBBL) Width = 0. 86m 0. 75m (comply with UBBL) * Although the width of the bathroom in TARC Hostel is 0. 86m which comply with UBBL, but the area of the bathroom is too small which is 1. 8m2 and it did not meet the minimum requirement stated in UBBL which is 1. 5m2. Hence, this bathroom is not complying with UBBL. * Recommendation – we can increase the area of the bathroom by increasing the length of the bathroom to at least 1. 75m. Clause 43(d) * â€Å"†¦in the case the bathrooms with close fittings, not less than 2 square metres with a width of not less than 0. 75 metre. † * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: Bathroom in residential house at Taman Bunga Raya. * Site photo: * Discussion * Area of the bathroom = 1. 5m x 1. 5m =2. 25m2 2. 25m2 2m2 (comply with UBBL) Width = 1. 5m 0. 75m (comply with UBBL) * Since the area of the bathroom is bigger than 2m2 and the width is more than 0. 75m, they all met the minimum dimensions required by UBBL. Hence, the bathroom with closet fittings in Taman Bunga Raya complies with UBBL. D) Clause 106 (1) 106(1)-In any staircase, the rise of any staircase shall be not more than 180mm and the tread shall not less than 255mm and the dimensions of the rise and the tread of the staircase so chosen shall be uniform and consistent throughout. * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Bangunan Tan Siew Sin * Site photo: Discussion: * Dimension of staircases: 312mm x 133mm * 180mm 133mm and 312mm 255, it complies with UBBL. E) Clause 107(1), (2), (3) and (4) 107(1)-Except for staircase of less than 4 risers, all staircases shall be provided with at least one handrail. * Date: November 28, 2012 * Location: TARC Block A * Site photo: * Discussion: 4 risers /= 4 risers, so no need handrail and it complies with UBBL. 107(2)-Staircases exceeding 2225mm in width shall be provided with intermediate handrail for each 2225mm of required width spaced approximately. * Date: November 28, 2012 Location: TARC Bangunan Tan Siew Sin * Site photo: * Discussion: * Dimension of staircases: 5420mm * 5420mm 2225mm, it complies with UBBL. Clause 107(3)-In building other than residential buildings, a handrail shall be provided on each side of the staircase when the width of the staircase is 1100 mm or more. In these clause state that all the buildings except residential building, if the width of the staircase is equal or more than 1100mm, which is 1. 1m, handrail should be provided on each side of the staircase. * Date : 28th November 2012 * Venue : Staircase beside DK A, TAR College Site Photo: * Discussion : Width of staircase = 2. 53m, 2530mm – 2530mm 1100mm (stated in UBBL) so this staircase needed handrail on both sides. – This staircase is installed with both sides handrail, hence this stairc ase is comply with UBBL. Clause 107(4)-All handrails shall project not more than 100mmfrom the face of the finished wall†¦(†¦) This is the first part of Clause 107. (4) in UBBL, which means that if there is a handrail attached to the wall, the handrail should be projected out from the wall with a length of not more than 100 mm * Date : 28th November 2012 Venue : TAR College Cyber Centre * Site Photo : * Discussion : Total length projected out = 9. 3cm, 93mm – 93mm100mm (stated in UBBL) -Since this handrail projected out with 93mm, so this handrail comply with UBBL. Clause 107 (4)-(†¦)†¦ shall be located not less than 825mm and not more than 900 mm measured from the nosing of the treads.. (†¦) This is the middle part of Clause 107. (4) in UBBL, it means that the height of the handrail measured from the nosing of the treads should be in the range of 825mmto 900mm. * Date : 28th November 2012 * Venue : TAR College Cyber Centre Site Photo : * Discussion : Height of handrail = 84cm, 840mm -900mm 840mm 825mm (stated in UBBL) -Since the height of handrail is in the range of 825mm to 900mm, so it is comply with the UBBL. Clause 107 (4)-(†¦)†¦provided that handrails to landings shall not be less than 900mm from the level of the landing. This is the last part of Clause 107. (4) in UBBL. From this sentence show that the handrail at landing area should have the height of not less than 900mm measured from the landing. * Date : 28 November 2012 * Venue : TAR College Cyber Centre * Site Photo : Discussion : Height of handrail= 86. 5cm,865mm -865mm900mm (stated in UBBL) -Since the height is less than 900mm, so it is not comply with UBBL. * Recommendation: The handrail should be installed in a higher and measured before install. F) Explain the UBBL : part IV temporary works in connection with building operations Clauses 48(Commencement of building operation) (1) When there is any building works that started, the person that responsibl e for the construction work shall put a board with names, addresses and telephone numbers of the contractors and also person in charge. 2) Construction work only can start when there is a protective hoarding to separate building and public by approval and requirements of local authorities. (3) According to by-law 19, person who in charge shall obtain a temporary permit when protective hoarding is required. The protective hoarding is required to construct as shown in the approved protective hoarding plan. The constructed protective hoarding shall also be maintained in good condition during construction work to the satisfaction of local authority. Clause 49 (Responsibility of person granted temporary permits) There is some responsibility for the person who granted for temporary permit: a) Always keep the roadside drain unobstructed and clear to the satisfaction of local authority. b) Reinstatement on completion and adjustments to existing cables, pipes and other services on construction site according to requirements of relevant authorities. c) The end of the hoardings shall be painted in white color with a mark by red warning lights for safety during night time. d) Any accident and damages due to hoardings and railing to the property or persons. ) Always make sure that hydrant points or any other existing utility service installation must be unobstructed by hoardings or other materials. f) Always allow easy access over the roadside drain, to and from the adjoining verandah-ways by applying suitable openings with handrails at the end of the hoarding. g) Responsible to maintain the hoarding to the satisfaction of local authorit y. h) Always try not to damage and take good care on any existing services main with avoid overloading the ground or by any temporary construction. ) Upon the completion of works, it is a must to remove the hoarding together with all materials and debris on site. j) Always leave the site and drains clean and tidy and recover any damages to roads, drains, footways and also verandah-ways. Clause 50 (Cancellation of temporary permit) Local authority always has the right to determine the temporary permit due to breach of any above-mentioned conditions or any other reasonable reasons. Upon notification on determination of temporary permit, within one week time, the applicant shall remove all the hoardings, railings and other materials connected to public road. Clause51 (Vehicular access to site) There are some specified hours or peak hour that construction vehicular are restricted to access if necessary for avoiding obstruction of traffic nearby. Clause 52 (Rising mains to be installed progressively) According to by-law 232, rising mains shall be installed when the building designed exceed 18. 3 metres in height to the top most full floor. For the ease of fire fighting and precaution with providing fire fighting facilities during various stage of construction. References Uniform Building By-Laws.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Critical Thinking envi 423 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Thinking envi 423 2 - Essay Example on the continent of Asia but has strong cultural and geographical ties with many parts of North Africa with aspects such as religion and language getting assimilated by them as a result. In ancient times the Middle East connected major trade routes between Asia and Europe through both land and seas. Caravans from India and China brought their goods to the busy markets of the Middle East for trading purposes. From there, the traders ferried the goods across the Mediterranean and into Europe to venture into other new markets. Other routes took traders across the red sea or down the coast of Africa with some traders penetrating further into the hinterlands. These bands of migrating people made up of traders and even conquerors, acted as agents of change in that they spread new and foreign ideas, religious traditions, inventions and different forms of achievements into the nations of Europe, Asia, and ultimately Africa. This movement of ideas, and or customs from one place to another con tributed to cultural diffusion (Arab Contributions to civilization). The Middle East is home to many different peoples with a variety of languages, religions and traditions. But Arabs whose major language is Arabic are the majority group in the Middle Eastern countries, but the Middle East is also home to other groups such as the Iranians, the Turks, and the Kurds. The major religions dominant in the region include Islam which is the leading religion by number of devout followers, followed by Christianity that also boosts of a substantial following, and lastly but not least Judaism. These are people who were born and raised in the desert or mountain wilderness and lived in tents or caves. They engaged in raising goats, sheep, donkeys, horses and camels. Bedouins consider the desert as their home, travelling in small bands or groups. Interestingly, the Bedouin are still living today as they have been living for thousands of years back, travelling from one oasis to another in their

Air Pollution Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Air Pollution - Research Proposal Example This paper informs about the causes of air pollution, the affects of air pollution related to health of people and the environment of the earth and the preventives measures that are taken and that should be taken for the controlling and reduction of the problem of air pollution. Air pollution is affecting the lives of people negatively as it is causing many dangerous diseases and even death because of many health related problems. Depletion of the ozone layer and acid rain are the phenomena that are the result of air pollution. The ozone layer is damaged because of air pollution. To avoid further damage to ozone layer and to safeguard the environment and human health, there is an urgent need to take proper steps in order to control the problem of air pollution. Different countries of the world have taken legislative measures for controlling the problem of air pollution but still, a lot is needed in order to safeguard earth and humanity. The causes of air pollution are mostly human cr eated. There are two kinds of pollutants: secondary and primary. Primary pollutants pollute the air directly and are results of chemical or other kinds of processing such as volcanic eruptions and sulphur dioxide from industrial processing, while secondary pollutants do not directly cause pollution but they develop pollution by means of primary pollutants such as depletion of ozone layer and photochemical smog. Air pollution is a problem that needs attention. It is not a minor problem as it is endangering not only environment of the earth but also human life.

What are the advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing ROI (Release Research Paper

What are the advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing ROI (Release of Information) - Research Paper Example This calls for a need to outsource the ROI activity so that things can be accomplished with minimal fuss. The potential advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing the ROI are as follows: According to an estimate, Hospital Information Management (HIM) departments need to retain at least three workers on full-time basis and accommodate their pays, monthly privileges and educational expenses in the budget in order to adequately administer the ROI process. (Fournier, Coffey, and Bellenghi, 2008, p. 22). Outsourcing the responsibility for the ROI offers the owners’ room to minimize the expenses by saving the money that would have otherwise been consumed in purchasing the insurance, facilities and monthly privileges for the permanent HIM employees. Also, money spent on educating the employees through additional training is saved. Not only that, outsourcing the ROI services can be employed as a fundamental means to transfer the risks and all liabilities to the contractor accepting the responsibility. In addition to that, applications and requests are entertained timely with minimal inconvenience to the applicants as well as the staff. Furthermore, the information is released with increased responsibility and remaining within the limitations imposed by the owners which goes in favor of the owners. Although usually outsourcing ROI bears more advantages than disadvantages, yet the disadvantages can be very severe once encountered. It is an established fact that no other company would take the responsibility as seriously as the owners themselves fundamentally because the contracting companies are concerned with their fee, and the owners’ reputation does not matter much to the irresponsible contractors. However, disadvantages are not commonly encountered unless the contracting company tends to maximize its profits by selling the owner’s secret reports and statistics to the spying agencies.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Assess the extent to which the cold war involved the nationas of the Essay

Assess the extent to which the cold war involved the nationas of the middle east and africa - Essay Example This is because of the suspicious relationship that developed between these two nations at the time, whereby nations split into two with some supporting the US, and the others remained in support the USSR. Thus, even within these nations, leaders acted in a divided manner with some supporting the ideologies of the USSR communism, while other countries supported the capitalistic view of the US, and this propagated the social and political division of nations.4 Cold war involvement in Africa Because of its endowment with resources, Africa was a battleground for Cold War for quite a long period that led to many wars, which both sides of the conflict, namely the United States and the Soviet Union blamed on each other. The harassment that was conducted by the Americans and the UK on Mugabe and Al-Bashir of Sudan was heaped on China and Russia with the aim of making the west to appear friendly and clean to Africa.5This has proved to be the new stage being set for fresh crop of Cold War in the African soil, as at the time USSR and US were engaged in Cold War, Africa was still involved in it, as some of the African states were surrogates of the two. Africa is a rich provider of the world’s major raw material for the production of goods for the industries in the west because a country is only able to engage in war if it has enough economic power and political influence for the purpose of protecting its interests.6 Therefore, surrogate African States provide support to one of the side in the cold war for their own interests and for their leaders selfish interest; such support normally involved the use of their state resources, which involved workforce in form of soldiers when they are required. As a result of the Cold War, Zimbabwe being a surrogate to one of the main two countries involved in Cold War, their leader Robert Mugabe murdered and violently overthrew the opposition to the side that supported the Britons, Americans and the western powers.7Moreover, beca use of the Cold War, nationalists and African leaders were frequently overthrown when they did not support the nations in such warfare. For instance, famous leaders like Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba or Eduardo Mondlane among others were victims of claims that they were supporters of the Chinese or Russians and the East policies. In these cases, other African leaders have more often than not found themselves behind bars without the hope of ever being freed.8 In addition, the involvement of Africa in the Cold War has greatly affected the continent in terms of its human, society and economy; these impacts are still very fresh with the slow growth of the African continent attributed to the Cold War. Furthermore, African resources that involved agricultural outputs and minerals were

Financial markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial markets - Essay Example So an in-depth analysis has been done to determine if debt or equity will be a good option for raising capital from the market. The data revealed that due to the environment of uncertainty it is better to maintain a portfolio of both debt and equity instruments. The different debt and equity options are discussed in the report so that companies can maintain tradeoff between risk and return and design the financial plans accordingly. ABC is an Australian company listed in Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The company is in service sector and enjoys a high credit rating. It has been found that ABC enjoys sound financial structure as well. At present the company is planning to undertake expansion strategy and for that it has to raise capital. Before finalizing any decision, the management would be interested to evaluate the future of Australian Interest rates in coming months. For determining the future interest rate, a thorough analysis of Australian market needs to be done; taking into consideration all those factors which directly or indirectly influence the interest rate. Emphasis should be given on both domestic as well as international market conditions. This paper will also research to determine the appropriate financing instrument for the company as per the future interest rate condition. The main aim of the management is to develop a balance between cost of capital and risk factors. The research information and data is documented under different section. The first section provides an in-depth analysis of present and future market condition in Australia. The future prospect of interest rate is forecasted undertaking all the factors which influences it. In the second phase a strategy will be developed that helps ABC to finance their business according to the future market scenario and finally in the last section a discussion to support the recommended strategy and how the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

What are the advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing ROI (Release Research Paper

What are the advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing ROI (Release of Information) - Research Paper Example This calls for a need to outsource the ROI activity so that things can be accomplished with minimal fuss. The potential advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing the ROI are as follows: According to an estimate, Hospital Information Management (HIM) departments need to retain at least three workers on full-time basis and accommodate their pays, monthly privileges and educational expenses in the budget in order to adequately administer the ROI process. (Fournier, Coffey, and Bellenghi, 2008, p. 22). Outsourcing the responsibility for the ROI offers the owners’ room to minimize the expenses by saving the money that would have otherwise been consumed in purchasing the insurance, facilities and monthly privileges for the permanent HIM employees. Also, money spent on educating the employees through additional training is saved. Not only that, outsourcing the ROI services can be employed as a fundamental means to transfer the risks and all liabilities to the contractor accepting the responsibility. In addition to that, applications and requests are entertained timely with minimal inconvenience to the applicants as well as the staff. Furthermore, the information is released with increased responsibility and remaining within the limitations imposed by the owners which goes in favor of the owners. Although usually outsourcing ROI bears more advantages than disadvantages, yet the disadvantages can be very severe once encountered. It is an established fact that no other company would take the responsibility as seriously as the owners themselves fundamentally because the contracting companies are concerned with their fee, and the owners’ reputation does not matter much to the irresponsible contractors. However, disadvantages are not commonly encountered unless the contracting company tends to maximize its profits by selling the owner’s secret reports and statistics to the spying agencies.

Financial markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial markets - Essay Example So an in-depth analysis has been done to determine if debt or equity will be a good option for raising capital from the market. The data revealed that due to the environment of uncertainty it is better to maintain a portfolio of both debt and equity instruments. The different debt and equity options are discussed in the report so that companies can maintain tradeoff between risk and return and design the financial plans accordingly. ABC is an Australian company listed in Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The company is in service sector and enjoys a high credit rating. It has been found that ABC enjoys sound financial structure as well. At present the company is planning to undertake expansion strategy and for that it has to raise capital. Before finalizing any decision, the management would be interested to evaluate the future of Australian Interest rates in coming months. For determining the future interest rate, a thorough analysis of Australian market needs to be done; taking into consideration all those factors which directly or indirectly influence the interest rate. Emphasis should be given on both domestic as well as international market conditions. This paper will also research to determine the appropriate financing instrument for the company as per the future interest rate condition. The main aim of the management is to develop a balance between cost of capital and risk factors. The research information and data is documented under different section. The first section provides an in-depth analysis of present and future market condition in Australia. The future prospect of interest rate is forecasted undertaking all the factors which influences it. In the second phase a strategy will be developed that helps ABC to finance their business according to the future market scenario and finally in the last section a discussion to support the recommended strategy and how the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Oral Language and Reading Comprehension Essay Example for Free

Oral Language and Reading Comprehension Essay This paper is intentionally made to show the comparison between oral language and reading comprehension. Oral language and reading comprehension are both essential to every individual. All of us had undergone oral language when we are still young and as it develops and as we grow and mature, it enables us to be more knowledgeable and prepares us to a more needed comprehension in reading. This two are significant and are interrelated to each other. As a parent, talking to the child helps expands vocabulary, develop background knowledge, and inspire a curiosity about the world. The more a child engages into certain experiences and more learning that starts from parents and then to teachers, it will widen their minds and permits them into a more broad understanding of different things. Oral language is the very learning that each of us has gone through and we still have it up to now. This paper will broaden your knowledge with regards to the comparison between oral language and reading comprehension. Background of the Study: Oral language means communicating with other people. On the other hand, reading comprehension is the act of understanding what you are reading. The definition can be simply stated the act is not simple to teach, learn or practice. Reading comprehension is an intentional, active, interactive process that occurs before, during and after a person reads a particular piece of writing. Oral language and reading comprehension are both essential because in oral language we are trained on how to communicate well with other people. Reading comprehension, on the other hand, is also a way of understanding the book that we read; it could be just a simple magazine, newspaper, or even the books we used in school. A person must be able to understand what he or she is reading. It is necessary that we know how to talk or communicate but one thing that is very useful as well in our everyday lives is the ability to read and understand what we read. There is a complete difference between â€Å"reading† and â€Å"reading with comprehension†. Now, as you go and read this paper, you will be fed with more ideas with the comparison between spoken language and reading comprehension and how these two work together for a more fluent practice of communication. It will develop your communication and reading skills; that it is not enough to know how to speak and read but being able to speak and at the same time realize what you are reading and even apply these in real life situations. Related Study: Oral language A great deal of research has been done in the field of oral language acquisition. As a means of attempting to negotiate their environment children actively construct language (Dyson, 1983; Halliday, 1994; Sulzby,1985). From a childs earliest experience with personal narrative development, oral language acquisition must be continually fostered. (IRA and NAEYC, 1998). This becomes the building block for establishing success in all areas of literacy. Oral language begins to develop at a very young age as children and parents interact with one another in the natural surroundings of the home environment (Teale, 1978; Yaden, 1988). A childs home environment greatly impacts the rate, quality and ability to communicate with others (MacLean, Bryant and Bradley, 1987; Martinez, 1983; National Research Council 1999). Factors related to language growth in the home environment include parent interaction, books, being read to, modeling; home language and literacy routines all closely parallel those of the classroom and school. The development of oral language is an ongoing natural learning process. Children observe oral communication in many contexts – home, preschool, prekindergarten, and begin to develop concepts about its purposes (Dyson, 1983; Halliday,1994;Martinez, 1983). Target skill areas such as sequencing, classification, and letter sounds oral language skills are all components of early childhood educational programs (Kelley and Zamar, 1994). Meaning is a social and cultural phenomenon and all construction of meaning is a social process. Developmental stages of child language development: Phase I – Protolinguistic or â€Å"Protolanguage†, Phase II – Transition, Phase III – Language. The Protolanguage Stage (which is associated with the crawling stage) includes noises and intonation, physical movement, adult/infant interaction – this exchange of attention is the beginning of language. During the Transition Stage (which is associated with the developmental stage of walking) there is a transition from child tongue to mother tongue. During this stage the â€Å"pragmatic† mode develops; a demand for goods and services that seeks a response in the form of an action. In Phase III – Language Stage, the child moves from talking about shared experience to sharing information with a third person. The child realizes that reality is beyond their own experience; they invite confirmation, enjoy shared experience. From the ontogenesis of conversation we are able to gain insight into human learning and human understanding. Meaning is created at the intersection of two contradictions – the experiential one, between the material and the conscious modes of experience, and the interpersonal one, between different personal histories of the interacting taking part (Halliday,1994). Properly developed oral language enables a child to effectively communicate their thoughts and viewpoints with others. It is also important for young children to have developed listening skills as they begin to experience the power of communication. The environment influences ones desire to communicate as well as the frequency of communication. Oral language develops through authentic experiences (Harste, Burke and Woodward, 1994). Kindergarten classroom environments that are alive with social interaction are ideal environments for nourishing speaking and listening skills. As children participate in communicative events, they slowly acquire an understanding of the relevance of these forms. Students need to be provided and encouraged to participate in environmental literacy activities, as those experiences are indispensable to language development (Brown and Briggs, 1987). Development of oral language skills must be addressed in Kindergarten as an integral part of the daily curriculum in order for students to be able to succeed throughout schooling and in todays society (Goodman, 1992; IRI and NAEYC,1998). Kindergarten programs need to be structured but not formal. Classrooms that are carefully structured allow for maximum oral language acquisition through authentic literacy activities that take place in natural ways during a school day (Ellermeyer, 1988). Education is inquiry based, and as such the focus with education becomes learning, and the task of teaching becomes the inquiry process. The learner is central, in the process of the learning-inquiry cycle (Harste, Burke and Woodward,1994). Students need to be provided and encouraged to participate in environmental literacy activities, as these experiences are indispensable to language development. Dyson (1983) conducted a study of the role early language plays in early writing. Through observations of children at a Kindergarten writing center she concluded that oral language is an integral part of the early writing process. Talk provided both meaning and for some children the systematic means for getting that meaning on paper. The child as a language learner progresses along a developmental continuum. Language acquisition is fundamentally a social process in which language is used to make and share meaning of experience (Corter and Park, 1993). Children require opportunities to interact with both peers and adults in a wide variety of settings as they learning and practice language and literacy knowledge, skills, and strategies (Brown and Briggs 1987; Coohn, 1981; Dyson, 1983; Ellermeyer, 1988). Children like to talk about themselves, their friends, their families, their pets, their hobbies, etc. Engaging young children in conversation about things with which they are familiar affords them a comfort level to experiment with ways to express themselves. Opportunities to increase oral language abilities and applications are embedded within the literacy program. Conversation, collaboration, and learning through others are integral to learning. A childs oral language ability is the basis for beginning literacy instruction, and as such initial informal assessments as well as ongoing assessment during the school year would provide key information regarding a childs oral language abilities.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Importance of Credit Risk Management in Banking

The Importance of Credit Risk Management in Banking Credit risk implies a potential risk that the counterparty of a loan agreement is likely to fail to meet its obligations as per the original loan agreement, and may eventually default on the obligation. Credit risks can be classified into many forms such as options , equities , mutual funds , bonds , loans and other financial issues as well , which in extensions of guarantees and the settlement of these transactions. (International Auditing Practice Statement 1006 Audits of the Financial Statements of Banks) IS IT Important For the Banks To manage Their Credit Risks ? Risk is always associated with the banking activities, and taking risk is the important part of any banking operation, there is hardly any banking operation without the risk. Most of the bankers are said to be sound when they have a clear overview of what is the amount of risk involved in the current transaction and they make sure that some of the partly earnings are therefore kept for these risks. The granting of any form of credit is the common form for any bank and this risk is very common and this is the source of risks the banks are always exposed to. (Anderson et al, 2001). By being exposed to credit risk banks have been faced with a lot of problems. The banks couple of years ago realised that credit risk is important and the banks need to monitor, identify, control and measure it is very significant. Due to this the effective management of credit risk has become a critical component of approaching risk management. This approach will be especially important in terms of the long term success of any bank. Banks now ensure that they have large amount of capital against any form of credit risks so that they can be in a position to adequately tackle any risks which will be incurred. (Bank for International Settlement, 1999) The credit risk is in the entire portfolio of any bank and also the risk which is associated in individual credits or any other transactions have to be managed adequately. It is always a ascertained that the relationship between the credit risk and other forms of risks need be to considered very seriously in to account, in order to Increase shareholder value through value creation, value preservation and value optimization Increase confidence in the market place Alleviate regulatory constraints and distortions (Amitabh Bhargava ICICI, 2000) The Basel II Accord specifies that banks must have new procedures for measuring against credit risks. Advantages and Disadvantages of Credit Risk Management The advantages of Credit risk management include: Credit risk management allows predicting and forecasting and also measuring the potential risk factor in any transaction. The banks management can also make use of certain credit models which can act as a valuable tool which can be used to determine the level of lending measuring the risk. It is always better to have some alternative techniques and strategies for transferring credit, pricing and hedging options. The disadvantages of Credit risk management include: Deciding on how good a risk you are cannot be entirely scientific, so the bank must also use judgments. Cost and Control associated with operating a credit scoring system. With the existence of different models, it?s hard to decide which to use, more often than not, companies will take a one model fits all approach to credit risk, which can result in wrong decisions. How Banks Measure Credit Risk The level of credit risk faced by a bank is provided by the structure of a bank?s credit portfolio. If the portfolio consists of large amount of loans in a certain asset class then this might be an indication of an increased risk. Similarly the presence of complex financial transactions such as lending may also indicate a larger risk. In general a risk always comprises of two kinds: One is risk exposure and the other one is the uncertainty element, and for the credit risk and the credit quality represents the uncertainty element and credit exposure represents risk exposure. Therefore a bank can assess its credit risk by analysing the credit quality of an obligation and its credit exposure. While assessing credit quality and exposure a bank must consider three issues: Probability of default or any sort of possibility whether the other party which is the counter party will default on the obligation either over the life of the obligation over a specific period of time. The exposure of credit or the amount of the outstanding obligation which again depends on the size if there is any case of default. Rate of recovery this is the extent towards which the credit can be recovered through some banking processes like bankruptcy and other proceedings of settlements. In the last decade or so many banks have started to make use of models in order to assess the risks for their credit which they lend. The credit risk models are very complex and include algorithm based methods of assessing credit risk. The aim of such model is to help banks in quantifying, aggregating and managing credit risk. Despite the method the focus of credit risk assessment stays credit quality and risk exposure. Analysis of the Quality of Credit (Credit Quality) Credit quality is a measure of the that counterparties?s ability to perform on that obligation?. (Contingency Analysis, 2003) A bank adopts different approaches for assessing credit quality of considering loans to individuals or businesses. If it is for small businesses then the credit quality will be assessed through a process of credit scoring. This is based on information obtained by the bank about the party who want the loan. The information which is gathered tends to be about annual income, existing debts etc. Credit score is generally calculated by a formula which is applied to the information which is obtained which gives a number based on it the score is generated. The credit score is a highly accurate prediction of how likely the party is to pay bills, the higher the score the better it looks to the bank. (Curry, 2007) However, assessing a large party is based on credit analysis of the loan done by specially designated credit analysts. This just like mention above is base on credit scoring but it involves human judgement. It involves an in depth analysis of various aspect of the party in question including balance sheet, income statement etc. Also assessing the nature of the obligation is taken into account as well. On basis of credit analysis the analyst assigns that party a credit rating. This allows the bank to make decisions regarding credit. A bank can also use credit ratings to measure the share of the borrowers with creditworthiness in its portfolio and get a clear indication of default risk. Measuring Credit Exposure Credit exposure also needs to be taken into account when assessing credit risk or risk exposure. If for example a bank has loaned money to a business, the bank may calculate the credit exposure rate as the outstanding balance on the loan amount. However, in case if the bank by any chance has increased or extended the line of credit but none of the line have been drawn down then the approach will be different. In this case the risk exposure may seem to be nil, but it does not reflect any sort of right by itself to draw down the line of credit. If the firm gets into any financial difficulty it can be expected to draw on the credit line before any bankruptcy. Therefore in this case the bank may consider its credit exposure to be equal to the line of the credit. Credit exposure as a fraction can also be used sometimes to calculate the credit exposure for the total line of credit. (Duffie Singleton, 2003) How Banks Mange Their Credit Risk Credit risk management practices differ from bank to bank. Generally these type of practices are dependent on the type and complexity of the credit activities which are taken by the banks. In recent years banks have been using models for credit risk management. Bank Credit Risk Management Practices: Yesterday and Today The traditional approach to managing credit risk has been based on establishing a limit of credit at various levels for the individual borrowers an sometimes also based on geographical are and industry type. Also collateral and relationship exiting hardly seem adequate to cope with the declining economics of loan markets. (Gontarek, 1999) These limits specify the maximum exposures a bank is willing to take. Until the early 1990?s , credit risk analysis was limited only based on the reviews of the loans of individuals and most of the banks kept the loans on their books for maturity. (Bernanke, 2006) In recent years banking industry has made strides in managing credit risk. Managing the credit risks is the main focus of any banking operation these days and many banking?s are looking now from transaction management to portfolio management. And have slowly changed from monitoring to practising and also predicting their performance. Banks are still holding onto traditional credit risk management tools but these are becoming more and more sophisticated. Various forms of tools and models have been generated to measure and predict the performance and management of portfolio risks which in turn build competitive advantage. Despite the differences in the credit risk management practices the credit risk management in any bank rest on four pillar of: appropriate credit risk environment Sound credit-granting process or criteria that includes a clear indication of the bank?s target market Appropriate credit administration, measurement and monitoring process Adequate controls over credit risk. (Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, 2000) Therefore whether traditional or modern, credit risk management in banks involves reviewing creditworthiness of counterparties, setting credit limits for counterparties, evaluation of credit risk and reporting credit limits and exposures to management. (Caouette et al, 1998) Recent Trends in Credit Risk Management by Banks The credit risk management is undergoing an important change in the banking industry. Banks have clearly indicated that centralization, standardization, consolidation, timeliness, active portfolio management and efficient tools for exposures are the key best practice in credit risk management. (SAS, 2004) A bank in America is considering having efficient tools for ?what if? analysis and tools. Also another bank is focusing on stress testing, concentration risk, macro-hedges and capital market risk management. (SAS, 2004) The majority of the world?s large banks agree that integrating environmental and broader social issues into their core credit risk management process is essential to managing credit risk in the 21stcentury. (Huppman, 2005) Leading banks including Barclays now view that these non traditional issues as real credit risk variables that potentially affect their client?s bottom lines as well as their own. Quantitative models are being used by banks to measure and manage credit risk. Most of the Commercial bankers have started to opt for making use of the credit risk models for their credit options especially with relation to consumer lending and mortgage. These models are known as credit scoring models and were developed for consumer lending. On the other hand it has been a few years ago where the use of these credit risks models have been implemented successfully and are integrated these days with almost every bank to manage their risk. (Bluhm et al , 2003) In 2001, the UK?s biggest mortgage bank, Halifax, developed a forward looking credit risk management strategy which made use of quantitative models for risk management. (Algorithmics Incoporate, 2001) Similarly HSBC serves over 125 million customers worldwide and is the one of the world?s largest banking and financial services organizations. The world largest provider of quantitative credit risk solutions to lenders (Moody?s KMV) have decide to provide HSBC with this, which will provides HSBC a methodology for rapid, accurate measurement and benchmarking of credit risk portfolio. (Vyse, 2006) Role Of Management in Managing Credit Risk The board of directors of a bank approve and review the credit risk strategy and significant credit risk policies of the bank. The bank?s strategy reflects the bank?s tolerance for risk and the level of profitability the bank expects to achieve for incurring credit risks. These days banks establish and enforce internal controls and other practices to ensure that exceptions to policies, procedures and limits are reported in a timely manner to the management. Due to this credit risk is constantly monitored by the management. Innovations in Technology and Credit Risk Management Credit risk management in banks is also getting affected by innovations in technology. Innovations in technology have made significant improvements in bank information systems. This has also been encouraged by Basel II. The improvements in bank information systems has certainly increased the abilities of many banks and their management process to measure and identify and also control the characteristics of any kind of risk. For example ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) the credit management computer system was further perfected with risk alert and conversion functions and it performed effective real-time monitoring on the quality and operations of the credit assets. (ICBC, 2001)