America’s Craving for Desire

Matt Thompson Basic Composition 355:100: G6 Final Draft Paper #5 12/1/10 America’s Craving for Desire The great American author Napoleon Hill once said, â€Å"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything. † Hill presents the idea that these desires become the foundation, which in turn creates a power that is superior to the standard. America as a whole has the desire to be better than every other country, even if the consequences are unknown.Americans believe our way of living has put the country above the rest, for our advancements are much greater than the rest. Barbara Kingsolver in â€Å"A Fist in the Eye of God,† explores the theory that America wants to be presented to the world with a positive image, by advancing in every aspect there is to grow in. Kingsolver explains that evolution is the â€Å"greatest show on earth†, as long as the new procedures and advancements are for the common good. Kingsolver argues that ethics should be just as a part of the application and uses of technology as profit.However, Americans also has the desire to stick with what has been practiced for decades. Jack Hitt in â€Å"Dinosaur Dreams: Reading the Bones of America’s Psychic Mascot,† expresses the idea that the Americans’ ambition to seek for supremacy has created the image of the tyrannosaurus rex, due to its dominant stature which represents America. Hitt argues that the image of the tyrannosaurus rex should not be altered because it has been around for generations and in turn has made America into what it is today.The desire to be the best is what creates the almighty ego of America. American exceptionalism, the idea that America is an invincible superpower, dismisses long-term consequences in favor of short-term gain, to currently better the standard of living, which in turn reveals the true image that Americans wish to attain by lookin g at evolution as a way to gain supremacy. The visual representation of America has been created through the ambitions and desires of dominance that Americans have strived for, throughout the centuries. America has always had the desire to e the most efficient and potent country in the world, while other countries attempt to be like America.There is no country like America, for Americans are always one step ahead of the competition: â€Å"dinosaurs are distinctly American, not only because our scholars have so often been at the forefront of fossil discoveries and paleontological theory but because the popular dinosaur is a wholly owned projection of the nationalist psyche of the United States† (Hitt 128). Hitt notes that the tyrannosaurus rex was generated from Americans ambitions and how Americans wanted to see T. ex, for America had basically found most of these dinosaurs through archeological digs. In Hitt’s essay, countries like China tried to make new dinosaurs ba sed off of their own desires, but America quickly shot them down because the image did not accommodate what Americans wanted dinosaurs to be. Hitt explains that through Americans aspirations, America had used the T-rex to create the powerful country that it is today, making the T-rex our mascot. America may be a dominant country compared to other countries, but that does not mean that everything is done in everyone’s best interest.Kingsolver says, â€Å"But I only have to stand still for a minute and watch the outcome of thirty million years’ worth of hummingbird evolution transubstantiated before my eyes into nest and egg to get knocked down to size† (Kinsolver 213). Kingsolver presents the idea that America can get to the stature it wants to be by following the example of the hummingbird, as the hummingbird has done just fine by itself over the billions of years without technology. Kingsolver explains that America is efficient like a hummingbird, but ultimatel y gets to that desired efficiency through an unethical approach.America’s desires are achieved by profit, not by a careful and methodical approach to make American’s lives better. Many countries look down upon the power hungry country that America aspires to be, for almost everything that Americans have made has been through the advancements of technology. Kingsolver says that many products that make America efficient are banned in other countries, as the effects of the products are unknown. America has the image of a dominant and sometimes unethical nation, which has been created and developed by the visual ideas of Americans over time.The dreamers of America have a similar projection of what America should look like to the rest of the world, but each has different desires to make that projection relevant. The traditionalists of America wish to gain the reputation of the most powerful country by holding firm to the original beliefs and culture that America has created , while the evolutionists hope to show their power through the progression of technology and advancements. Progression is what makes the world go round because if the world doesn’t develop, many civilizations wouldn’t be here today.Kingsolver says that, â€Å"this is our new magic bullet: We can move single genes around in a genome to render a specific trait that nature can’t put there, such as ultrarapid growth or vitamin A in rice† (Kingsolver 209). Genetic engineering has allowed Americans to expand on their desires and make them the best, for things like Bt corn and Monsanto can be created through this process. Kingsolver explains that while many countries like to stick with tradition, America generally accepts the separation from tradition, in order to better themselves through technology.In turn, Americans believes that the evolution of technology, presents a positive image to the world and how everyone else strives to become like America. Unlike th e anti-traditional Americans in Kingsolver’s essay, the Americans described in Hitt’s essay, believe that tradition is the foundation that creates America’s power. Hitt says, â€Å"we eat dinosaurs and they eat us. We partake in their dinosaurness, they partake of our humanness† (Hitt 131). Hitt explains that through America’s aspirations, the dinosaur has become America and America has become the dinosaur, since America has followed and studied them more than any other country.America encourages the practice of learning about dinosaurs because it has uncovered the truth about America and our persistent selves. America has the desire to be the best and the tyrannosaurus rex, in the minds of the world, is the best for it is seen as a dominant creature to all. Hitt states that America is comfortable and content with the old image of the dinosaur, especially the tyrannosaurus rex because it is what the Americans before us believed it to be. If America were to progress forward with the new image, the unappealing image, the hummingbird, would be the new face of America and the more attractive image, the T. ex, would be left behind; creating confusion for the old image created the modern superpower of America. However, America must strive toward evolution and progression because staying with tradition would hinder America’s chance to become the stature that Americans desire. Once America’s ambitions of supremacy are fulfilled, America accepts the world as superficial, while losing sight of reality, leaving it never to be found. Americans realize that America is above the rest, so many naively think there is no need to change anything, for the power that has been desired, has been achieved.With this irrational thinking, there are long and short-term consequences that can affect us now and even the Americans after us, when many of us are long gone. Kingsolver says, â€Å"the potential human ills caused by ingestion of engineered foods remain an open category† (Kingsolver 210). Kingsolver explains that America ignores the consequences, as long as the technology and practices being used are beneficial to Americans needs and aspirations. These new foods, technology, etc. an end up harming Americans and foreign countries that get these distributions, because we don’t have enough research on these new inventions before each and every one of them is given out to the public. America can begin to lose touch with reality, as everything that is created around them is genetically engineered to fit the image of America’s desires, to make us more efficient. While there are consequences that can physically harm Americans, there are also consequences to American’s mentality. Hitt says, â€Å"These are all intriguing hypotheses, but the fossils do not give us enough evidence to test whether any of them are correct.The mystery remains unresolved† (Hitt 137). Hitt states that the images and thought processes of America become the norm when everyone sees things in the same way. Americans believe scientist, researches, etc. without the real knowledge of the subject because it is what has been practiced for centuries. For example, the tyrannosaurus rex was made to fit the bill of America’s brute strength, and in turn it became the mascot of America. America accepts the image of the tyrannosaurus rex because this practice of dinosaurs is what America wants to see.Hitt explains that the desires to see that tyrannosaurus rex as a powerful creature that represents America, leaves America with short and long term consequences. In Hitt’s essay, he shows that Americans become scientifically illiterate for man does not know the true facts about the world before him. Americans don’t dig deep enough in finding the real truth and in reality, only scratches the surface to find something that is appealing to them. Consequently, the real truths of the wo rld become lost over time.Through America’s exceptionalsim, their desires cause unintended repercussions that will soon expose America to the est of the world. Desires are an inclination to attain something that men and women want to achieve in his or her lifetime. Americans aspires to be the best and most powerful country in the nation, leaving the rest behind. America has its own image that it has created and how it is to be viewed by the nation. America creates this representation through the process of evolution and tradition. Through evolution, like genetic engineering, America makes advances through technology to make a higher standard for living, while the practice of tradition allows Americans to portray images in a way that is desired.While Americans accept the advancements that makes America the way that it is, there some short and long term consequences that can negatively affect America. Most of the consequences are unknown to Americans, for concise research was n ot done to many products given to Americans. Desires can bring many consequences, but in reality, many Americans would not be living if America did not aspire to be the best and raise our standard of technology.

How Much Copper Is in the Coin?

We calibrated three different molarities of copper (II) nitrate. We tested for the %Transmittance of 1M, 0. 1M, and 0. 01M and plotted the data collected on a calibration curve based on concentration and absorbance. We used nitric acid to dissolve a penny to produce another copper (II) nitrate to test its %Transmittance and plot that on the graph to discover the concentration of that substance which came out to be about . 21M. We attempted to develop a method for determining the concentration of three different diluted copper (II) ion solutions. We also tried to determine the concentration of copper within a penny by dissolving it in nitric acid. We used a spectrometer to measure the %Transmittance of each and were able to convert it to it absorbance in order to plot it on our calibration curve. We used test tubes to contain the solution and set the spectrometers to 20, which were preset by the TA. Prepare three different beakers with one containing 0. 01M, 0. 1M, and 1M of copper (II) nitrate ( Cu(NO3)2). Fill three different test tubes full, each having different amounts of concentrations of the copper (II) nitrate. By using the spectrometer measure the %Transmittance (%T) for each. Convert each %T into its absorbance by the equation: A(absorbance)=log(100/%T) and plot on a graph. The y-axis should be labeled A and the –axis should be labeled Concn for the concentration of molarity. Draw the best fit line through the graph. Place a penny in a beaker and carefully add HNO3 and occasionally swirl so that the penny can completely dissolve. Once the penny is fully dissolved, fill another test tube with the newly created copper (II) nitrate and again, test for the %Titration and convert it to the A. Plot it on the graph on the best fit line and find the amount of concentration that was found within the new solution. When dissolving the penny with nitric acid make certain to perform it within the hood seeing as the gas that is created is toxic. Also be very cautious when working with nitric acid due to the fact that is s corrosive to the skin.

Huffman Trucking - Tools For Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Huffman Trucking - Tools For Business - Essay Example This essay stresses that the tracking and surveillance feature – this feature will allow the company to monitor truck movements real time. With this feature available, it will be easy to monitor trucks on every shipping activity. This will also allow the headquarters to determine consistency of data under which is stated on the communication log sheet. This paper makes a conclusion that location indicator – provides the company and drivers with the exact location of the delivery point and their actual location, the GPS can also provide alternate routes (in cases that original routes are not accessible due to unexpected situations). This supports the objective of the delivery schedule and itinerary sheet. Delivery schedule and itinerary sheet is a tool used to organize and plan the route of each truck that goes from departure point to destination point, depending on the schedules and destination of delivery, this tool can also help determine which orders can go out in one truck. The delivery schedule and itinerary sheet also helps maximize time and efficiency for deliveries and fuel. The communication log sheet is a tool which provides data on the status or condition of each truck. Accidents like engine breakdown, heavy traffic and bad weather condition may occur, in these cases drivers would radio condition to the nearest br anch or head quarters. All communication details are logged in the communication log sheet.

Research professional associations specific to your career field or Assignment

Research professional associations specific to your career field or industry - Assignment Example For the nearly two and a half years I have been associated to this group, we have been meeting 2-3 times a month mostly on Saturdays. Every meeting has a structured format, which also runs between 3-3 hours, with a number of members taking part in the diverse roles, in the meetings. We are normally 39 members at our club. Membership is open to every individual above the age of 18 and hoping to enhance their leadership and communications skills. This organization has helped me a lot enhance my veterinary technician career. I learned through the organization that people who have better communication skills stand a good chance of getting better jobs compared to people who have the required academic qualifications, but poor communication skills. My days at this organization have greatly shaped my communication skills. At least I can stand in front of a group of people and offer a clear presentation and they understand. Two years back this was merely impossible. We are located in California State, Rancho Santa Margarita, and you can reach us at 1-646-558-5908. You can also visit our website @

Eisenhower and U.S. Policy in Southeast Asia Essay

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Communication questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication questions - Essay Example Taking the analysis a little bit further, the individual can realize that by analyzing the language of a particular media outlet, the individual can come to understand what bias might exist within the language or what understanding the media might be attempting to provide. Further, with regard to the production, the individual that pays close attention to how the production of the media is effected will be more likely to recognize a the way in which different methods tend to focus on aspects that might be biased in some way or another. Additionally, the representation of the media is another key point that helps to show a level of media literacy. By understanding the representation that a particular piece of media provides, the viewer, reader, or participant can come to understanding the approach to the story that the media outlet has decided on. Finally, a focus on the audience that the media outlet is attempting to present the story to also tells the individual a lot about what inf ormation is being represented and how the media wants the information to be used. As a result of these understandings, I have come to apply this particular approach to the majority of the media that I consume; especially to any news media. By focusing on the audience for which the media was designed, I can oftentimes see the way in which media is used to create a particular point of view or ideology on a particular topic. By thinking about how the media was produced and what factors are focused on the most, especially if it is television media, I am able to see the approach that the news story is likely o promote or the approach that the media is attempting to ridicule. Similarly, by analyzing the way that language of the media, I have been able to understand the level of bias that is oftentimes presented prior to the individual having the opportunity to come to their own

Indirect method vs. Direct method. Statement of Cash Flows Essay

Indirect method vs. Direct method. Statement of Cash Flows - Essay Example Likewise, decreases in the current liabilities are recorded as decreases in the company’s cash inflows. In addition, the indirect method begins with the income statement’s net income data. Further, noncash deductions are added back to the net income to arrive at the correct cash inflow (Stickney, 2009). For example, the income statement shows a deduction for depreciation expense. Since the indirect methods starts with the net income, the depreciation expense reduced the company’s net income amount. Consequently, the proper process is to add back the depreciation expense to the net income. The reason is very obvious. All company expenses have a correspondent credit to cash or cash equivalents. However, there was no cash outflow or payment made when the company debited depreciation expense. To arrive at the amount of cash that flowed into the company’s coffers, the next step is to add back the cash-absent depreciation expense. The same process is applied to the amortization expense. Amortization expense is debited but there is no corresponding credit to cash or cash equivalents.... There is a big difference between the cash inflows from operating activities and the cash inflows from investing activities. The cash inflows from operating activities represent the cash inflows that come from the normal day to day business operations. For example, the company is engaged in the selling of television sets. Cash inflow figure comes from the day to day selling of the televisions sets. In terms of the company’s cash outflows come from the purchase of the television sets from the television store’s suppliers. If the company is a barber shop, the company’s cash inflows come from the customers who pay for their haircuts. The company’s cash outflows include the amounts paid for the electricity that is used to light the barbershop (Stickney, 2009). The cash inflows from investing activities represent just what account states. The amount represents cash inflows and cash outflows from non-operating activities. For example, the grocery company buys st ore inventory. The amount paid for the store inventory is part of cash inflows from operating activities. The company buys the inventory in order to sell the inventories to their current and prospective customers. On the other hand, the company buys the adjacent building. The amount paid for the building is classified as cash outflows from investing activities. The company is investing in the building because the company wants to expand the grocery business. When the company sells its old grocery building at a discounted price, the amount collected is classified as cash inflows from investing activities. The company decides to sell the old grocery building, which was originally recorded as cash outflows from investing activities, when the old grocery building was purchased. In the same

MLT1 Task 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MLT1 Task 11 - Essay Example nd beverages such as of fermented milk, wine, alcohol, yoghurt, sauerkraut, and so on, aids in agricultural production through nitrogen fixation, for example, are useful inn study and manipulation of the DNA of plants and animals (genetic engineering/ biotechnology), and in the development of vaccines. In all the samples that I studied, that is, those from water, soil, and air, there were evidences of microbial growth after allowed periods of incubation in the respective Petri-dishes at room temperature. However, also, there were no distinct colony characteristics in all the dishes which had various kinds of colonies, colors, shapes and other such definitive features. Five kinds of colonies were evident on the air dish and had various sizes (6mm, 4mm, 13mm, 5mm and 9.5mm) and shapes (with four being irregular and one round shaped). Margins were either lobate (2) or wavy (3) with the surfaces wrinkled, smooth or smooth with contoured edges. The first colony was milky white, the second had a white center with clear surrounding, the third had a white center with milky white surrounding, the fourth had yellow, gold, clear surrounding and the fifth had a tan center with a white/ clear ring. Two colonies were seen in the soil (one 10mm and the other less than 1 mm in size). The first colony lacked a definite shape or margin while the second was irregularly shaped with a lobate margin. All surfaces were wrinkled. The first colony was clear and the second was cream white. There were four different colonies in the water sample (dish) (4mm, 5mm, 1mm, and 30mm). Three were round and one irregular, with two margins lobate and the other two smooth. All surfaces of the water colonies were smooth. Colors differed from tan to white, orange, clear to off white and lastly, transparent. As noted in C above, all the dishes from water, air, soil and skin samples had an array of different kinds of microbial colonies. This is a result of the fact that each of these microbial

Formal Analysis of Gao Jianfu (1879-1951)s Buddhist Pagodas in Burma Essay

Formal Analysis of Gao Jianfu (1879-1951)s Buddhist Pagodas in Burma - Essay Example In 1939, Gao Jianfu was one of the Chinese artists who founded the Awakening Art Academy. The main purposes of the academy were to produce skilled artists who could document the war crimes in form of paintings, and to host art exhibitions in the southern cities of Macao and Hong Kong (Hung 148). During his time, Jianfu not only spearheaded establishment of national art academies, but also produced iconic paintings of ruined cities and buildings. Succeeding sections of this paper contains formal analysis of two paintings on the theme of ruins and destruction by Jianfu. In one painting on page 151 of the chapter The Birth of Ruins, Jianfu uses ink and color on paper to depict a Chinese city in ruins. On page 153 of the same chapter, there is a painting by Jianfu depicting the burning of the Afong Palace. With respect to the painting of a city in ruins, Jianfu work shows the architectural remains of two adjacent buildings, clustered debris on the ground, and white and orange smokes soaring up to the skies. The city in ruins painting contains diagonal lines. Edges of the destroyed walls are diagonally aligned with respect to the ground. In addition, debris and smoke streams are tilted with respect to the ground’s horizontal and vertical planes (Hung 151). Similarly, the painting of Afong Palace depicts dust, ashes and smoke rising in a tilted manner. In both paintings, Jianfu employed the use of diagonal lines to convey a feeling of instability. Diagonally represented structures means they are either unstable, or are wobbling from the effect o f instability (Whitney 58). By using diagonal lines, Jianfu wanted to concisely represent the destroying effects of Japanese invasion in the city painting, and the detrimental state of the Afong Palace in the second painting. With respect to the formal analysis concepts of shape and form, Jianfu depicted both paintings in three dimensions. By viewing the city ruins and the Afong Palace painting, one

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Management - Essay Example C). Strategic decisions of an organization want to ensure its economic goals like profit maximization, volume, and the growth of organization. These decisions are largely influenced by their employees, customers and other stakeholders. Study of business ethics can be seen from different direction of business. Business Ethics relates to the need of ethical values in business decisions and plans. Ethics is also relevant in the context of corporate responsibility of an organization. Each organization has its own responsibilities to the society. Business ethics is a feeling of obligation to consider other human beings who are directly and indirectly involved in business activities. Business ethics also relates with good behavior of organization. Business ethics can also be deemed as an organization’s ability to ensure ethical value in its corporate decisions. The business strategy of each organization should depend on their ethical views; as such decisions affect various stakeholders. An organization’s responsibility to these stakeholders differs on the basis of its objectives. Example: An organization’s responsibility to its owner is making maximum profit and minimizing the cost. It further aims to ensure the growth and value of the business, the manager want to satisfy this responsibility at the same time they want to continue other responsibilities to the society, government, customer, employees etc. In this context all managers find themselves placed in a dilemma to take proper decision so that ethical decisions and corporate objectives stay in tandem with each other. This study aims to discuss about the problem of organizations’ social performance and economic performance. Economic performance is dealing with an organization’s main objective like making profit, generating revenue and reducing cost. On the other hand, the social performance of an organization pertains

Ethics Essay Essay Example for Free

Ethics Essay Essay There are different systems in which an individual or a company could make ethical decisions. They can vary depending on the issue at hand and they relate and different in certain ways. In this writing I will compare the similarities and differences between virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics. I will include a description of the differences in how each theory addresses ethics and morality. And I will give a personal experience to explain the relationship between virtue, values, and moral concepts as they relate to one of the three theories. Ethical systems based on abstract values are described as virtue theory. Virtue theory is based on character ethics. It is the viewpoint that in living one’s life one should try to cultivate excellence in all they do and in all that other do. This is the system that would address ethics and morality from the perspective of living with high values and with great character (Boylan, 2009). Quoting Boylan (2009) from our book, â€Å"Utilitarianism is a theory that suggests that an action is morally right when that action produces more total utility for the group than any other alternative† (pp. 153). Utilitarianism focuses on what is best for the group or team as a whole. This theory asks, â€Å"What ethical decision will profit the most for the largest amount of people?† Deontology is a moral theory that emphasizes one’s duty to do a particular action just because the action, itself, is inherently right and not through any other sorts of calculations (Boylan, 2009). Calculations like what the consequences of that action might be. Deontology is a duty-based theory when addressing ethics and morality. In comparing these three, a utilitarian working for ATT might overlook a bad credit report to make a deal because the deal would help the company and the  client. Therefore it’s a win-win. A deontologist might make the same decision based on the fact that the client needs a cell phone to be able to take care of business in order to take of her children. The simple fact that the action is inherently right regardless of the consequences is the bases for the deontologist. And to the contrary only a virtuous worker would have integrity and do what was in the best interest of the company. A personal experience of mine to relate these topics would be a girlfriend of mine just got out of a bad relationship where she was not married, but had a child with this man. She lived with the father of her child for many years although he was abusive and was providing home that was unsafe and insufficient for her and her child. She stayed for many years making decisions as a utilitarian until one day she changed to a deontologist. She chose to leave the state and ignore the rights of the father on the grounds that he was abusing both her and her son. She valued her and her son’s health over anything. She was virtuous in that she rose above the desire to retaliate and pursued only their protection. And all of her actions where based on her moral concepts, according to her beliefs and understanding. In conclusion, there are many different theories and ways to make ethical decisions. I have related and compared the virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontology. I have also shared a personal experience to relate virtue, values, and moral concepts to one of these theories. Life and business are about making decisions and these concepts and theories are a foundation to a healthy life and a healthy business. References Thompson, S. (2014). What is the relationship among virtue, values moral concepts in individual and business contexts?. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/relationship-among-virtue-values-moral-concepts-individual-business-contexts-69097.html Boylan, M. (2009). Basic Ethics. : Prentice Hall.

Information Technology and Animation

Information Technology and Animation Introduction: Information technology (IT) plays a key role in creating knowledge [1] and supporting management towards decision making[2] and Visualization tools are computer applications that produce graphical representations that aid decision making. Visualization tools are used in IT based decision support systems (DSS) like the simple spreadsheets to complex computer-based systems like business intelligence system, enterprise resource management and reporting system, knowledge management systems, and expert systems; to help decision makers to solve structured ,unstructured and semi structured problems. In the digital era, decision makers have access to large amount of digital data which can be used by visual analytics software to support decision making. Well structured problem has clear path to solution but for solving ill structured problem, external representation of the data and the problem can reduce the effort in reaching an accurate solution[3]. Chief economist of Google Inc predicts th at need for data visualization will be growing rapidly in the next few years. He writes. â€Å"the ability to take data—to be able to understand it, to process it, to extract value from it, to visualize it, to communicate it—that’s going to be a hugely important skill in the next decade. because now we really do have essentially free and ubiquitous data. So the complimentary scarce factor is the ability to understand that data and extract value from it†¦ Managers need to be able to access and understand the data themselves [4]. Independent researchers have predicted high future demand for visualization tools. Gartners research reports that in spite of global recession businesses are interested in investing in business intelligence (BI) platforms that are expanding their capabilities towards advanced data visualization, scorecards and interactive dashboards. It predicts BI market’s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2012 to be 7.0% for stand-alone BI platforms ([5]. Review of the literature on computer graphics as decision aid reports that the format in which data is presented to decision makers is critical to provide information for making decision[6]. As per the dual coding theory, cognition consists of two sub systems: Visual and Verbal[7-9]. The theory specifies that when information is represented visually, the recall is easier and the human brain can process changes in shape, color and motion parallely. As per the Central Capacity theory humans have limited working memory [10] and visualization of data (e.g. chart, diagram, graph) activates the visual component of the short-term working memory (visual working memory) to hold the visual objects for immediate attention. Both the theory recommend visual data representation to provide information to the users for making decisions as visual information is easier to store and recall. Visualization aids in perceptual information processing to identify exceptions, trends, patterns, relationship in the data (clusters, associations, causality etc), detect outliers and to summarize data perceptually [11]. Many complex business decision making need insight and insight is a sudden discovery of a solution to a problem which results in a subjectively catastrophic experience[12]. As competition in the knowledge economy gets fiercer, organizations are constantly trying to get new insights to gain competitive advantage. Effective visualization tools acts as external aids that supports thinking and building insight by providing graphs that represent information primarily through position, shape, color, size, location, movement and symbols, and that viewers decode that information by taking it in, organizing it, analyzing it and detecting patterns and structures perceptually[13]. Human brain is a powerful pattern-finding engine and effective graph make behavioral patterns, tem poral trends, correlations, clusters, gaps, and outliers visible in seconds and data graphics should amplify cognition and complement what humans do well[14]. Effective visualization tools are of great importance in supporting decision making as it amplifies cognition, perceptual information processing and facilitates knowledge generation. When visualization tools are inadequate decision making performance is impaired. A review of literature on computer graphics as decision aids has demonstrated that decision performance is effected by information presentation format[6]. Compared to static graph (SG) , Dynamic Graph (DG) facilitates in faster retrieval and recall of information [15, 16], information comprehension [16] required for decision making. One author writes â€Å"If learners are in control of the speed of animation and can view and review, stop and start, zoom in and out, and change orientation of parts and wholes of the animation at will, then the problems of veridical perception can be alleviated† [17]. However the use of dynamic interactive graph has increased in business decision making, its impact on decision making has not been explored extensively in the IS field. Both the IS literature and Accounting literature has emphasized the need for studying the role of presentation format in the efficiency and effectiveness of decision-makers’ decision quality in order to provid e empirical evidence on the effect of presentation format on decision quality [18] [19]. Previous research so far in the IS domain has extensively studied 2D, 3D graph, combining 2D-3D graph and animation with low data volume that are easily comprehensible in tables or graph. Gaining insight from high volume of business data can be challenging because the high density of the data makes it difficult to view all the data at once. On a typical computer screen the high volume data cannot be seen at once, the data has to be sliced to visually represent it on screen. A study done on functional mechanisms of online product presentation and its effect on online shopping reported that interactivity of product presentations is a design feature that influence (1) the efficacy of the presentations; (2) consumers’ perceptions of the diagnosticity of websites, their perceptions of the compatibility between online shopping and physical shopping, and their shopping enjoyment derived from a particular online shopping experience jointly influence consumers’ attitudes toward shopping at a website; and (3) both consumers’ attitudes toward products and their attitudes toward shopping at a website contribute to their intentions to purchase the products displayed on the website[20].Thus Interactive display has a positive influence on decision making thus the first objective of this study is extend the work done in the past by studying whether the use of display which has bother interactivity and is dynamic impacts decision making, including reducing information overload when dealing with high volume of data. While indicating a positive l effect from the use of DID, on the basis of the theory of Cognitive Fit, which identifies that better performance results when the external representation corresponds to the nature of the task to be accomplished [21] this study argues that it is most effective when the qualities of the display corresponds to the salient features of the task. On Time is also an important component of information load[21] where informa tion load is the volume of the data to be processed over the unit of time available for the task. The second objective of this study is to examine weather and how the effect of visualization tools on decision taking may be contingent on the time constraints- available time available for information processing. A prior study on 2D graph Vs table to examine the joints effects of presentation format and color on decision accuracy and efficiency under different time constraints [22] concluded that under low time constraints (15 min), tabular reports are better for accurate decision making and 2D graphs are better for faster processing. The combination of Table and graph were better than graph alone for decision accuracy. Under High time constraint (5 min)s color coding led to improved decision making. Decision makers are sometimes pressed for time which can result in information overload, which is the point at which information processing demands exceed the information processing capacity of the individual. This study investigates the moderating effect of time constraints on DID effe ctiveness on decision making in terms of the quality of the decision that the decision makers are able to make. This study uses the term High Time constraint (HTC) task to characterize the task that needs to completed in an environment when the decision makers are under time pressure and to distinguish it from Low time constraint (LTC) task where the decision makers are not under any time pressure to complete the decision making task. Next section contains the review of past work on DID and decision making done to arrive at the hypothesis on the overall impact of DID on decision making. The subsequent section presents a review of the previous litreature on the theory of Cognitive Fit which provides the foundation for our theories on the relationship between different task types and DID. Then the different task types with time constraints is explained along with the prediction about the moderating effects of task type on decision making. The research method for the proposed research is explained including the measurement of independent and dependent variables and the experimental design. Finally this paper concludes with the significance of this proposed study to both researchers and practioners. Theory and Hypothesis. The research model developed for this proposed study is shown in figure 1. The figure illustrates that DID enhances decision making. The effect of DID is more pronounced when the task is less time critical where the decision makers are not pressed for time and the effect of DID is limited when the task is time critical. The hypotheses supported by theory are developed below. Dynamic Interactive Display Businesses today are commonly using Dashboards, which is a combination of visualization tools that provide summarized and details reports of current status and alerts and creates situational awareness. The array of visualization tools that available today includes Tree Maps, [23], Node-Link diagram /Network diagram[24], Parallel coordinate Graph [25], Spark lines- Integrates text, and chart [26],Motion chart[27]. The present study focuses on visualization tools that provide dynamic and interactive display (DID) because in the recent time there has been staggering advances in visualization tools that are interactive and dynamic to support taking decisions and solving information-intensive problems in business. The DID chosen for this study is Google’s Motion Chart, which is a flash based visualization tool that delivers dynamic chart with high level of interactivity for multidimensional data[28]. Motion charts are dynamic. The graph is said to dynamic when the graph consists of series of single frames, each showing incremental changes in the position, brightness, shape, color of the variables; shown in a sequence which give the illusion of movement[29, 30]. Graph Dynamism consist of two types of change : position or form [31, 32]. Translation change refers to change in position (from one location to another) and transformation change refers to the change in form ( in size, shape, color, brightness)[33]. Motion chart reflect both translation change and transformation change. It is dynamic as it has several indicators which show incremental change in color, location and shape over time. Graphical excellence consists of complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision and efficiency and are accurately perceived [14]. Animations are often not clear and complex or efficient ( too fast) to be accurately perceived and judicious use of interactivity may overcome this disadvantage [17]. Motion Chart provide high level of interactivity (i.e., the extent to which users can manipulate and transform the form and content of the graph in real time[34]. Interactivity is achieved when the users can control the speed of animation and can view and review, stop and start, can transform (change the way representation is rendered, such as zooming, panning or resizing), or manipulate (control the parameters during the process of image generation, i.e. filtering, visually encoding the variables based on color, shape). Decision Making Previous study on online shopping website has indicated that dynamic , interactive presentation of information has a positive effect on the shopping decisions ( intend to purchase, revisit the shopping website) of the consumers [20]. Decision making includes problem solving[2]. Problem solving involves mentally working to overcome obstacles that stand in reaching a goal and arriving at the solution to the problem involves identifying the problem, defining and representing the problem, formulating the strategy , organizing and reorganizing information, allocating resources, monitoring and evaluation[3]. Prior research has indicated that (1) task type, (2) individual characteristics, and (3) information presentation format have effects on cognitive processing for making decisions [6]. Decision accuracy, problem comprehension and satisfaction will be used to measure decision making performance. Decision accuracy is probably the most commonly used criterion for measuring decision making performance [22, 35-48]. It is suggested that compared to DG, Dynamic Interactive Graph should facilitate performance [49]. Therefore, this study proposes that DID can enable decision makers to be more accurate when evaluating high volume of data than Dynamic Display. H1. Compared to Dynamic Display, DID increases users Decision Accuracy Research in the Management field has not examined different types of visuals and its effect on graph comprehension in detail[6]. The effect of x-y and y-z relationship encoding on the time to comprehend information was studied with respect to2D and 3D line graph [50]. As per Pinker’s theory of Graph Comprehension[51], different types of display are suited for extracting different classes of information, primarily because of two contrasting types of encoding mechanisms governing the graph comprehension process: (1) automatic conceptual message lookup processes and bottom up processing, and (2) inferential and top-down encoding processes. Simplified Flow diagram of the graph comprehension process is shown in Figure 2. Automatic conceptual message lookup is the acquisition of information using the bottom-up encoding processes where the required information is obtained from the graph easily from the graph by means of salient cues. For example the theory indicated that that trend in a line graph is encoded via the bottom-up encoding processes because the human eye can automatically extract the change perceptually. On the contrary, information that are encoded via the inferential and top-down encoding process , needs execution of deliberate and capacity-limited computations that requires effort and use of both short-term and long-term memory processing. Fulfilling comprehension tasks, such as making inferences and drawing conclusions about the data in the graph and selecting and organizing the information from the graph, requires integration of the retrieved and encoded new information. This study proposes that more scan and search operations are needed to visually locate and organize the new informa tion represented in the dynamic graph for both conceptual message lookup process and inferential process. The DID possesses interactivity and hence retrieving the information from the graph will be easier for the users by manipulating the data using overview, zoom, filter features of the display. Therefore, in response to the comprehension task, DID will be better than dynamic display. H2a. Compared to Dynamic Display, DID increases users graph comprehension for automatic conceptual message lookup process H2b Compared to Dynamic Display, DID increases users graph comprehension for inferential and top-down encoding process Next from the perspective of affective dimension, users form positive, neutral or negative attitude towards the perceived usefulness of the visualization tool in decision making. The study predicts that DID with interactivity and dynamic display of the multi dimensional data affects decision maker’s attitude regarding perceived usefulness of the tool more significantly in favor of the tool than dynamic graph. H3 Users attitude towards the perceived usefulness of the DID display differ from their attitude towards the perceived usefulness of the dynamic display. Theory of Cognitive Fit and Time constraints The theory of Cognitive Fit suggest that a match between External representation and users’ tasks is important for the realization of positive results from the display format [52]. While DID generally influences decision making, the degree to which DID affects decision making varies contingent upon the task types being examined. Decision makers may be faced with different types of tasks. Tasks for Problem solving can be retrieval, Communication of facts, Comparison of alternatives, Trend analysis, Recognition and recall, Problem finding, Problem comprehension and Problem solving[36]. When time in money decision makers have to make decisions fast and thus decision task can be time critical. In prior studies terms ‘‘time pressure’’ and ‘‘time constraint’’ are most commonly used interchangeably [53]. Prior research so far has not investigated the time-constraint tasks that are best supported by DID. For this study High Time Cons traint (HTC) tasks are those that force the decision makers to perform under high time pressure. It is different from Low time-constraint (LTC) task for which the decision makers are not under any time pressure to perform. These types of task types moderate the degree to which DDI affects decision making. Research suggests for HTC task , decision makers accelerated their processing, are more selective in processing and instead of evaluating one alternative at a time (depth based) the decision makers concentrate on attribute based ( breadth wide) pattern of processing[54]. Dynamic Interactive display (DID) have features that lets the users manipulate the data and retrieve details on demand but DID are complex because it provides access to several layers of data which the users can slice and dice. Therefore when DID is used with HTC task , decision makers are unable to accelerate processing as the complexity of the graph makes the users experience information overload , which affects their performance negatively. However when DID is applied to LTC task, then the interactivity is useful because access to several layers of information and availability of time lets the decision makers process information in depth. Thus DID for HTC task does not contribute as much to decision making accuracy, problem comprehension and perceived usefulness as it does for LTC task. H4. Increases in Decision accuracy, effected by DID, are more significant for LTC task than HTC task. H5a. Increases in users graph comprehension for automatic conceptual message lookup process, effected by DID, are more significant for LTC task than HTC task. H5b. Increases in graph comprehension for inferential and top-down encoding process, effected by DID, are more significant for LTC task than HTC task. H6. The impacts of DID on perceived usefulness towards decision making are more significant for LTC task than HTC task. Research Method The proposed study will employ a controlled laboratory experiment to empirically test the effects of DID on Decision making and the moderating effect of time-dependent task types to achieve a high degree of internal validity [55]. To simulate experimental display close to real experiences and to increase the generalizability of the findings, instead of developing a prototype of DID , we selected Motion Chart owned by Google Inc for the visualization tool to produce DID . Motion chart is a commercial product used in business. Experimental Design For this proposed study a within-subject factor along with a between-subject factor, 2X2 factorial design will be used. The within-subject factor, Display format, will have two levels: DID and Dynamic Graph. The between-subject factor, Task Type will have two levels: HTC and LTC (Refer fig 2). The within-subject design for the presentation format will enable control over individual differences like spatial ability[56], cognitive style, comprehension abilities, which could confound the results [6] and also economize on the number of participants required for this study. Fig 2 2X2 Factorial Design Because display format was a within-subject factor, different task type were employed for each display format. The different task will have the same difficulty level so that this study can control for difference in task difficulty to have an effect on decision performance. Different task will control for the learning effect that could happen by repeatedly making the same type of decision with same task using different display format under different time dependent task. The participants might not use the interactive features provided in the DID even though it is provided to them. To control for that, the task assigned to DID will require manipulation of the data to arrive at the correct solution and the participants with the correct result will be rewarded with Bonus gift certificate to motivate them to use the interactive features of DID to arrive at the optimum result. Prior use and practice with a display format has an effect on performance [57] hence to control for that this study will allow participants to have experience with the visualization tool by giving them a brief 15 mins hands on training with the product. As discussed earlier this study uses the term First, the pretest will be conducted with a pilot group that will be demographically similar to the experiment participants to determine the average time required by the subject to reach the optimum solution. Based on this average time the two limits will be chosen to arrive at the High time constraint and low time constraint condition. HTC task is a financial decision making task that will be given to the subjects which involve both bottom up encoding and inferential processing under the High Time constraint in an environment when the decision makers are under time pressure. When there is insufficient time to complete a task, decision performance becomes unpredictable[58] and to control for that the subjects in the HTC treatment will be given a time limit which will be close to the average time required to reach the optimum solution so that they get sufficient time. Low time constraint (LTC) task is a different financial decision making task that will be given to the subjects which involves both bottom up encoding and inferential processing where the decision makers are not under any time pressure to complete the decision making task. Half of the participants were assigned to Dynamic graph with HCT task and DID with LCT task and the other half in reverse order. Participants were assigned randomly to each condition to reduce potential extraneous effects in the experiment. Participants For the main experiment the participation will be voluntary and the subjects will be selected from the pool of graduate and undergraduate students taking courses in finance, economics or business in a large university. To motivate the subjects to participate in this study they will be offered gift certificates. to encourage their participation in the experiment. The participants will have to fill out a standard form about their demographics, if they have experience with Motion charts, number of years at the university. For the results to have external validity, this study proposes to conduct the experiment with handful of executives from the industry who are entrusted with the task of decision making to increase the generalizability of results. Measurements The study will use the decision accuracy to measure the decision quality of the decision making performance. As discussed earlier this is a common measure used to measure decision making performance. To measure the problem comprehension this study will employ a validated comprehension study which has been used in prior studies on effects of information formats [59, 60]. To measure perceived usefulness of the display this study will use the validated survey used in prior studies to predict system usage [61]. Data Analysis Cronbach’s Alpha will be used to assess the reliability of the constructs. A repeated measure ANOVA will be run to analyze the effects of information display on decision making. Separate t-test will be conducted to compare the mean difference between DID and dynamic display for each of the task type to examine the nature of interaction effects. Significance of this Research The proposed study can contribute to both theory and practice. By a controlled laboratory experiment , it will empirically test the impact of Dynamic Interactive Display (DID) in decision making performance for high volume of data. Although DID today are available in a number of areas like accounting and finance (Electronic financial statements using XBRL eXtensible Business Reporting Language), geography (E.g. Active Maps), education (E.g. web based active textbook with animated interactive figures), medicine (E.g. Medical imaging), architecture (Floor plan, building plan) but the review of the literature suggests that the impact of DID has not been explored intensively in the IS field. This proposed study aims to provide empirical test of the theory of Cognitive Fit, in supporting that the impact of IT is limited which is contingent on whether a particular IT application, such as DID, is a good match with the requirement of processing high volume of data to complete a given task. The current study provides useful guidelines for design and use of dense, interactive visualizations towards effective business decision making. If Business want to want to improve decision making performance with high volume of data they can do it with DID. However, because there are so many visualization tools available for use that it is difficult to select the one that is useful for decision making under different time pressure. This proposed study will provide guideline for the usefulness of use DID for HTC and LTC task. These suggestions might help the decision makers and Visualization tool to enjoy the benefits of DID for the appropriate time-dependent task. The proposed study in crucial to understand whether DID has positive effects on decision making and if yes then under what conditions. Interaction can becomes become a powerful tool where users need to filter and zoom on subset of data. There might be information overload and the users might feel lost in the data. There can be added cost in giving access to several levels of data. We also need to understand if providing interactive display is appropriate for tasks which need to be completed under high time pressure and requires processing of high volume of data. This proposed study attempts to imply that DID might not be usable for all decision making context and it is important to understand when it is the most appropriate and use it accordingly to support decision making. References: 1. Shneiderman, B., Creating creativity: user interfaces for supporting innovation. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 2000. 7(1): p. 114-138. 2. Todd, P. and I. Benbasat, The impact of information technology on decision making: A cognitive perspective. Framing the domains of IT management—Projecting the future through the past, 2000. 3. Yahaya, A., Problem Solving. unspecified. 4. DeSanctis, G., COMPUTER GRAPHICS AS DECISION AIDS: DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH*. 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Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1984: p. 531-554. 12. Tufte, E., The visual display of quantitative information. 1983. Envisioning information, 1990. 13. Rieber, L. and M. Boyce, The effects of computer animation on adult learning and retrieval tasks. Journal of Computer Based Instruction, 1990. 17(2): p. 46-52. 14. Morrison, J. and D. Vogel, The impacts of presentation visuals on persuasion. Information Management, 1998. 33(3): p. 125-135. 15. Tversky, B., J. Morrison, and M. Betrancourt, Animation: can it facilitate? International J ournal of Human Computer Studies, 2002. 57(4): p. 247-262. 16. Abdolmohammadi, M., J. Harris, and K. Smith, Government financial reporting on the Internet: The potential revolutionary effects of XBRL. Journal of Government Financial Management, 2002. 51(2): p. 24-31. 17. Debreceny, R. and G. Gray, The production and use of semantically rich accounting reports on the Internet: XML and XBRL. 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Roncarelli, R., The Computer animation dictionary. 1989: Springer New York. 26. Sundberg, P., Animation in CALL: Learning to think in the fourth dimension. Paper Presentation CALICO, 1998. 98. 27. Lowe, R., Selectivity in diagrams: Reading beyond the lines. Educational Psychology, 1994. 14(4): p. 467-491. 28. Lowe, R., Animation and learning: selective processing of information in dynamic graphics. Learning and Instruction, 2003. 13(2): p. 157-176. 29. Lowe, R., Extracting information from an animation during complex visual processing. European Journal of the Psychology of Education, 1999. 14: p. 225-244. 30. Kiousis, S., Interactivity: A concep t explication. new media society, 2002. 4(3): p. 355. 31. Jiang, Z. and I. Benbasat, Research Note Investigating the Influence of the Functional Mechanisms of Online Product Presentations. Information Systems Research, 2007. 18(4): p. 454. 32. 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Differentiate Between Investment Speculation And Gambling Finance Essay

Differentiate Between Investment Speculation And Gambling Finance Essay Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time.[1] In contrast putting money into something with an expectation of gain without thorough analysis, without security of principal, and without security of return is gambling. Putting money into something with an expectation of gain with thorough analysis, without security of principal, and without security of return is speculation This is the ups and downs of the market. When the market experiences big swings up and down, especially down, this can make a lot of folks sick. The sicker it makes you feel the more you should look at your portfolio and adjust it so you can handle the wild swings of the market. This could mean that you invest a higher percentage of your portfolio in bonds, which are a less risky type of investment. Inflation Risk The cost of living goes up. If you invest in something that returns 2% and inflation goes up 4% then youve lost 2% of the value in your investment. My parents and parents-in-law thought they would be able to live their retirement years with $100,000.00. Back then, 1930s thru 1940s, $100,000.00 made people feel they were rich forever. Opportunity Risk Opportunity Risk is when you decide to invest in one type of investment, youre also deciding not to invest in others. So if you commit money to a certain investment and it goes down in value, youre stuck in that investment and are not able to participate in another investment that might be more attractive. This is especially apparent when you purchase your own bonds for instance. You could be stuck in a 10-year bond and you want to get out because of high interest rates. You would then be forced to sell for a loss. Its much better to invest in bond funds because the fund manager has the ability to invest in many different types of bonds. Reinvestment Risk Reinvestment Risk has to do with timed investments like CDs and bonds that you purchase yourself. A mutual fund manager has the ability to diversify a portfolio of these types of investments by selecting from a larger basket of different types of CDs and bonds to reduce the risk. Concentration Risk Diversification, Diversification, Diversification. Dont concentrate your investment dollars in one type of investment. Read my article here on Diversification. Interest Rate Risk When the Fed messes around with the interest rates moving them up and down, the markets react. The value of bonds go up when interest rates go down. The value of bonds go down when interest rates go up. Keeping a well diversified portfolio will reduce the affects the Feds have on your portfolio. Credit Risk The Credit Crunch is what weve been in lately. The financial sector has taken a hit. The financial sector includes lenders like Countrywide Bank. On another note, Im watching that sector with everyone else because it just might be getting ripe to pick. Since I write about options at this site thats how Id play it if something comes up that looks interesting. Marketability Risk Having the ability to sell you investment(s). This pertains to a low interest in stocks, bonds or CDs that you may personally own. By low interest I mean not enough buyers. This is reduced immensely if you invest in a mutual fund. Currency Translation Risk The value of the dollar goes up and down in the international market depending on what country. This is one reason why its good to just have 10% of your portfolio in the international market. Timing Risk The market goes down and you feel uncomfortable about it so you sell one of your investments that you shouldnt sell bad timing. Difference between Investment , Speculation : The main difference between speculating and investing is the amount of of risk undertaken in the trade. Typically, high-risk trades that are almost akin to gambling fall under the umbrella of speculation, whereas lower-risk investments based on fundamentals and analysis fall into the category of investing. Investors seek to generate a satisfactory return on their capital by taking on an average or below-average amount of risk. On the other hand, speculators are seeking to make abnormally high returns from bets that can go one way or the other. It should be noted that speculation is not exactly like gambling because speculators do try to make an educated decision on the direction of the trade, but the risk inherent in the trade tends to be significantly above average. The term investment is used to suggest a commitment that is relatively free from certain risk of loss.It is restricted to situations promising dependable income , relatively stable value, a modest rate of return and a relatively little chance for spectacular capital appreciation. People who seek high income yields or large capital gains are therefore said to forsake investment for speculation. Speculation differs from investment with respect to the limit of the investor i.e the period for which a person is investing and the risk-return characteristics of the investment.An investor is always interested in a good and consistent rate of return for a long period of time. However , a speculator is less interested in earning very large returns , higher than the normal rate of return , in a short time. The word speculate comes from the latin word, speculate meaning to see ahead . Speculation is a reasoned anticipation of future conditions. A speculator tries to perceive investment values ahead of the general public. It attempts to organize the relevant knowledge as a support for judgements. Infact , everything we do in this world is a speculation. One must have the courage to make decisions when the conditions are unfavorable such as panic , despair or optimism. Most successful speculators operate on a single principle of buying in underpriced markets and selling out in overpriced markets. Thus speculation is a deliberate assumption of risks in ventures , which offer the hope of commensurate gains. These expected gains might be much larger than an investment would offer.The speculation are more interested in price gains than in income. Difference between Investment and Gambling: According to most dictionaries , gambling is an art of risk taking without the knowledge of the exact nature of risk. Many people speculate heavily on the strength of tips or gossip and plunge into situation , which they do not understand. This is gambling even though the commitment is of reasonable speculative quantity. Gambling is based on tips , rumours and it is an unplanned and non-scientific act. A gambler risks more than he/she can afford. It is considered to involve the shortest time period and highest risk. Typical examples of gambling are betting on horse riding , game of cards , lottery etc.Holding shares for the duration of a stock exchange fortnightly account might be termed as speculation . but to bet on the course of the stock market over the same period with a book maker is considered to be a gambling. Difference between Gambling and Speculation Gambling and Speculation are popular among those who want to make easy money. One cannot deny that money has been ruling the world today. People always thrive to profit, and the easier it is to earn money, the better. With that mindset comes the popularity of gambling and speculation. But what might we overlook is the fact that even if these two seems to have the same goal, there is difference between gambling and speculation. Gambling If you want cash within a snap, maybe gambling can help you with that. When one say gambling, it would usually connote casinos, lotteries and slot machines. And every time you gamble, there are only two things you can expect, it is either you win, or you lose. This has been popular because you only have to spend a small amount of money for stakes that are very high. For example, in lottery, the jackpot would amount to millions of dollars, but you can bet for just a couple of bucks. Speculation If one wants to increase his chances to profit one might try to speculate. Speculation is just like investment, you initially put in a capital expecting a profit in return. This is also defined as the act of placing funds on a financial vehicle with the intention of getting satisfactory returns over an amount of time. The stock market is a widely known rendezvous for speculators. The main points of difference are as follows: Gambling and speculation are vehicles to profit easily. The probability to succeed in either gambling or speculation is undetermined. The success of a speculator would be because of his skills and knowledge while the success of a gambler would be due to his luck. Gambling can be done without thinking while speculation needs in depth study. 5. Speculation needs a lot more hard work compared to gambling Q2 : What are Financial Markets with examples? What is the difference between Money Market and Capital Market? Explain in detail one money market instrument and one capital market instrument. Ans :A financial market is a market in which people and entities can trade financial securities, commodities, and other fungible items of value at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect supply and demand. Securities include stocks and bonds, and commodities include precious metals or agricultural goods. Structure of Financial Market FINANCIAL MARKET MONEY MARKET CAPITAL MARKET DERIVATIVES MARKET EQUITY MARKET LONG TERM DEBT MARKET FUTURES MARKET OPTIONS MARKET GOVT DEBT MARKET CORPORATE DEBT MARKET SECONDARY MARKET PRIMARY MARKET Types of financial markets: Within the financial sector, the term financial markets is often used to refer just to the markets that are used to raise finance: for long term finance, the Capital markets; for short term finance, the Money markets. Hence we can say that basically there are two types of markets: Capital Market Money Market Capital markets which consist of: Stock markets : which provide financing through the issuance of shares or common stock, and enable the subsequent trading thereof. Bond markets : which provide financing through the issuance of bonds, and enable the subsequent trading thereof. Commodity markets, which facilitate the trading of commodities. Capital markets are markets that trade equity (stocks) and debt (bonds) instruments having maturities more than a year. Due to their longer maturity , these instruments experience wider price fluctuations , higher credit and interest rate risks than the money market instruments. In contrast to money markets, capital markets are used for long term investments. They provide an alternative to investment in real assets such as real estate or gold. Money markets, which provide short term debt financing and investment. Money market consists of: Certificate of deposit Treasury Bills Commercial Papers etc The need for money market arises because of the immediate cash needs of individuals , corporation and govt do not necessarily coincide with their receipts of cash. The money market enables large sum of money to be transferred quickly and at a low cots from one economic unit ( business , govt , bank etc.) to another economic unit for relatively shorter period. Difference between Money Market and Capital Market: Money market is distinguished from capital market on the basis of the maturity period, credit instruments and the institutions: Maturity Period: The money market deals in the lending and borrowing of short-term finance (i.e., for one year or less), while the capital market deals in the lending and borrowing of long-term finance (i.e., for more than one year). Credit Instruments: The main credit instruments of the money market are call money, collateral loans, acceptances, bills of exchange. On the other hand, the main instruments used in the capital market are stocks, shares, debentures, bonds, securities of the government. Nature of Credit Instruments: The credit instruments dealt with in the capital market are more heterogeneous than those in money market. Some homogeneity of credit instruments is needed for the operation of financial markets. Too much diversity creates problems for the investors. Institutions: Important institutions operating in the money market are central banks, commercial banks, acceptance houses, nonbank financial institutions, bill brokers, etc. Important institutions of the capital market are stock exchanges, commercial banks and nonbank institutions, such as insurance companies, mortgage banks, building societies, etc. Purpose of Loan: The money market meets the short-term credit needs of business; it provides working capital to the industrialists. The capital market, on the other hand, caters the long-term credit needs of the industrialists and provides fixed capital to buy land, machinery, etc. Risk: The degree of risk is small in the money market. The risk is much greater in capital market. The maturity of one year or less gives little time for a default to occur, so the risk is minimised. Risk varies both in degree and nature throughout the capital market. Basic Role: The basic role of money market is that of liquidity adjustment. The basic role of capital market is that of putting capital to work, preferably to long-term, secure and productive employment. Relation with Central Bank: The money market is closely and directly linked with central bank of the country. The capital market feels central banks influence, but mainly indirectly and through the money market. Market Regulation: In the money market, commercial banks are closely regulated. In the capital market, the institutions are not much regulated. Explanation of Treasury Bills (Money market instrument): Treasury Bills (T-Bills): Treasury Bills, one of the safest money market instruments, are short term borrowing instruments of the Central Government of the Country issued through the Central Bank (RBI in India). They are zero risk instruments, and hence the returns are not so attractive. It is available both in primary market as well as secondary market. It is a promise to pay a said sum after a specified period. T-bills are short-term securities that mature in one year or less from their issue date. They are issued with three-month, six-month and one-year maturity periods. The Central Government issues T- Bills at a price less than their face value (par value). They are issued with a promise to pay full face value on maturity. So, when the T-Bills mature, the government pays the holder its face value. The difference between the purchase price and the maturity value is the interest income earned by the purchaser of the instrument. T-Bills are issued through a bidding process at auctions. The bid can be prepared either competitively or non-competitively. In the second type of bidding, return required is not specified and the one determined at the auction is received on maturity. Whereas, in case of competitive bidding, the return required on maturity is specified in the bid. In case the return specified is too high then the T-Bill might not be issued to the bidder. At present, the Government of India issues three types of treasury bills through auctions, namely, 91-day, 182-day and 364-day. There are no treasury bills issued by State Governments. Treasury bills are available for a minimum amount of Rs.25K and in its multiples. While 91-day T-bills are auctioned every week on Wednesdays, 182-day and 364- day T-bills are auctioned every alternate week on Wednesdays. The Reserve Bank of India issues a quarterly calendar of T-bill auctions which is available at the Banks website. It also announces the exact dates of auction, the amount to be auctioned and payment dates by issuing press releases prior to every auction. Payment by allottees at the auction is required to be made by debit to their/ custodians current account. T-bills auctions are held on the Negotiated Dealing System (NDS) and the members electronically submit their bids on the system. NDS is an electronic platform for facilitating dealing in Government Securities and Money Market Inst ruments. RBI issues these instruments to absorb liquidity from the market by contracting the money supply. In banking terms, this is called Reverse Repurchase (Reverse Repo). On the other hand, when RBI purchases back these instruments at a specified date mentioned at the time of transaction, liquidity is infused in the market. This is called Repo (Repurchase) transaction Debentures ( A Capital Market Instrument): A debenture is a document which either creates a debt or acknowledges it. Debenture issued by a company is in the form of a certificate acknowledging indebtedness. The debentures are issued under the Companys Common Seal. Debentures are one of a series issued to a number of lenders. The date of repayment is specified in the debentures. Debentures are issued against a charge on the assets of the Company. Debentures holders have no right to vote at the meetings of the companies. Kinds of Debentures: (a)Bearer Debentures: They are registered and are payable to the bearer. They are negotiable instruments and are transferable by delivery. (b) Registered Debentures: They are payable to the registered holder whose name appears both on the debentures and in the Register of Debenture Holders maintained by the company. Registered Debentures can be transferred but have to be registered again. Registered Debentures are not negotiable instruments. A registered debenture contains a commitment to pay the principal sum and interest. It also has a description of the charge and a statement that it is Issued subject to the conditions endorsed therein. (c) Secured Debentures: Debentures which create a change on the assets of the company which may be fixed or floating are known as secured Debentures. The term bonds and debentures(secured) are used interchangeably in common parlance. In USA, BOND is a long term contract which is secured, whereas a debentures is an unsecured one. (d) Unsecured or Naked Debentures: Debentures which are issued without any charge on assets are insecured or naked debentures. The holders are like unsecured creditors and may see the company for the recovery of debt. (e) Redeemable Debentures: Normally debentures are issued on the condition that they shall be redeemed after a certain period. They can however, be reissued after redemption. (f) Perpetual Debentures: When debentures are irredeemable they are called perpetual. Perpetual Debentures cannot be issued in India at present. (g) Convertible Debentures: If an option is given to convert debentures into equity shares at the stated rate of exchange after a specified period, they are called convertible debentures. Convertible Debentures have become very popular in India. On conversion the holders cease to be lenders and become owners. Q3: What is the difference between Real Assets and Financial Assets? Explain in detail three non- marketable securities: Ans: Investment instruments or assets or securities are broadly classified into two categories : Financial assets and Real Assets. Real assets determine the wealth of an economy , whereas financial assets are merely claims to income generated by real assets . They are represented by paper and can also be termed as paper assets. Real Assets: A real asset is a tangible asset like gold, oil, and real estate.It has intrinsic value due to its utility. Its value is derived by virtue of what it represents.Real Assets have low correlations to traditional stocks and bonds. Because commodities have low correlations to stocks and bonds, they can be a good choice to lower your overall portfolio risk while enhancing your potential for better long-term risk-adjusted returns. A real asset is a tangible asset like gold, oil, and real estate.It has intrinsic value due to its utility. Its value is derived by virtue of what it represents.The types of real assets are as follows: Gold Oil Goodwill Trade Marks Patents Copyrights etc. Why invest in Real Assets? Real Assets have low correlations to traditional stocks and bonds. Because commodities have low correlations to stocks and bonds, they can be a good choice to lower your overall portfolio risk while enhancing your potential for better long-term risk-adjusted returns. What are financial assets Financial assets include Cash, and those assets that can be converted to cash in a reasonably short period of time one year at most, but less time in many cases. We will study the following financial assets: Cash Cash Equivalents Short Term Investments Accounts Receivable Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash is just as the word suggests. It includes cash money including paper and coins, checks and money orders to be deposited, money deposited in bank accounts that can be accessed quickly. The term liquid refers to Cash, and the ease or difficulty of converting an asset into Cash.   Cash Equivalents are highly liquid short term investments that can be turned into Cash very quickly. These include US Treasury bills, money market accounts and high grade commercial paper. When corporations need to borrow money for a very short time, they often sell commercial paper. These come due within a few months at most, and pay a higher interest rate than other investments.   Short Term Investments Short Term Investments include stocks and bonds that the company intends to hold only for a short time, and then sell and convert back to Cash. We consider it a good practice to convert unneeded cash to an investment account, where it can earn interest, dividends or show capital gains. These are shown on the balance sheet at their current market value, even if that is higher than the price paid for the investments. This is one of the few times we increase a balance sheet item above its historic cost. Accounts Receivable Companies often sell to their customers on credit. The amount the customers owe is called Accounts Receivable (AR). We would record AR at the same time the sale is made, deducting any cash paid at the time of purchase, etc. When customers pay, we subtract the payment from their accounts receivable balance.   Most companies use an Accounts Receivable Subsidiary Ledger, which is similar to the General Ledger. The subsidiary ledger contains detailed information about each customers account purchases, payments, returns, adjustments, etc. Most companies send statements at the of each month, listing the monthly transactions and ending balance due from each customer.   Difference between Real Assets and Financial Assets: With the advancement of economy , the relative importance of financial assets tends to increase . Even though the real assets differ greatly from financial assets , two forma are complementary and not competitive. The difference between real assets and financial assets can be summarised as follows: Real Assets determine the wealth of a society or economy whereas financial assets do not represent societys wealth. Real Assets contribute directly to the productive capacity of the economy while the contribution of financial assets to the productive capacity is indirect because they facilitate the transfer of funds to enterprises with attractive investment opportunities. Real assets produce goods and services whereas financial assets define the allocation of income or wealth among investors. Real assets appear only on the asset side of the balance sheet , while financial assets appear on both sides of balance sheet. Investing in real assets carries more risks than investing in paper assets. Non- Marketable Securities: Some financial assets are said to be non-marketable because they are neither transferable nor negotiable . The investors actually own these assets and cannot buy and sell them in the secondary market. Types of non-marketable securities are as follows: Bank Deposits: The most popular non-marketable assets held by an investor include deposits with the banks and their saving schemes. There are various types of deposits with banks such as current accounts, saving accounts and fixed deposits . Deposits on current account do not earn any interest whereas bank deposits earn intereest.The interest rate on these deposits vary depending upon the maturity period. Since saving accounts are deposited at regular interval, they have a fixed rate of interest.However , fixed deposits are recurring deposits with varying maturity period.Hence, the rates also vary. Features: They are best known type of investments that offers a high degree of safety on both the principal and the return on that principal. Bank deposits are highly liquid and can be encashed anytime. Loans can be raised against bank deposits. Non-Negotiable Certificate Of Deposit: Commercial banks and other financial institution offer a variety of savings certificates known as certificate of deposits (CDs). These instruments are available for various maturities. As the maturity increases , the rate of interest offered also increases. However large deposits may command higher rates , holding maturity constant . The credit risk associated with large CDs depend directly on the credit worthiness of the financial institution that issue them. Since large CDs are not insured , a CD holder may lose principal if the financial institution fails. Money Market Deposit Account: Financial Institutions offer Money Market Deposit Accounts with no interest rate ceilings.The Money Market Deposit Accounts require a minimum deposit to open. They pay competitive money market rates of interest and are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) if the issued bank is insured. Withdrawals can be made , as many times as desired , in person or through automated teller machines (ATMs). There are no limitations on the number of deposits.

Falling into mud, a descent into madness Essay examples -- Play Analys

Having never experienced a show highlighting contemporary and modern dance I was not quite certain what to expect when I first took my seat at the Kshoy!/Decay! performance. What I was not anticipating was a spectacle that moved so quickly and fluidly rendering me unable to process the scenes moment-by-moment as they unfolded before me. It was a beautiful and moving experience that has afforded me many moments of self-reflection to decode and interpret what I was presented with. There was one specific moment from the program that constantly replays over and over in my head. At this one given moment the stage is flooded with the diverse company of women, united in one rapid choreographed movement, when the mood is abruptly changed, the lighting dims to near-darkness, and the quick-footed women all flee, save one, which dramatically freezes in her position. It is silent. There she stands, this tall, statuesque woman. When you look upon her you cannot help but see her as the epitome of a strong black female, her posture suggests that she has labored very hard in her time and is all deserving of the respect that she has attained. She is fully in command of the audience and stage and has us all hinged on her impending movement. If you look closely you can see that from her pronounced forehead there is the tiniest droplets of perspiration as the result of her previous hypnotic gyrations, and you can see her breast breathing heavily trying to regain her brea th and composure. Her garb is a bright magenta beacon in the dark room, and the slight shimmer of the cloth she wears can be likened to a dimly shining candle flame. At this moment you expect her to do nothing other than stand there in her immense pride and relish in the... ...y: Boraine, Alex. A Country Unmasked: Inside South Africa's Truth And Reconciliation Commission. 1st Ed. South Africa: Oxford University Press, 2000. 145-188. Print. Davies, Rob, Dan O'Meara, and Sipho Dlamini. The Struggle for South Africa: A Reference Guide to Movements, Organizations, And Institutions. 1st Ed. 2 vols. London, United Kingdom: Zed Books LTD, 1984. 190-211. Print. De Klerk, F.W. The Last Trek - A New Beginning. 1st Ed. New York, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. 378-385. Print Meredith, Martin. Coming To Terms: South Africa's Search for Truth. 1. New York, New York: PublicAffairs, Perseus Books Group, 1999. 59-67. Print. Gellhorn, Martha, Edward Murrow, Jessica Mitford, Seymour Hersh, and Eric Schlosser. Tell Me No Lies - Investigative Journalism That Changed The World. 1. New York, New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2005. 190-192. Print.

Why was Italy not unified after the Congress of Vienna (1815)? :: essays research papers

Before the Congress of Vienna the French occupation had far reaching affects on Italy. The power of the Church and the Pope was reduced, changes were made in landownership and land was redistributed. A new middle class began to appear. Agriculture was improved and the peasants were freed from their old feudal ties and obligations. Then when Napoleon was defeated and the restoration of the old regime and monarchs was started, Italy again became a country divided into eleven independent states, excluding the tiny principalities and the Republic of San Marino. So Italy was not unified after the Congress of Vienna due to a number of reasons, such as the foreign influence of the Central European Powers, parochialism within the states, the lack of a common language and a strong economy coupled with the poor geography that separated Italy from itself and the rest of Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the major factors that contributed to Italy not being unified after the congress of Vienna was the impact of foreign influence. Before the restoration of the old regime in Italy state boundaries were rearranged a number of times, ending up with a division of the peninsula into only three parts instead of eleven states. One third, including Piedmont, was annexed to France, one third became the Kingdom of Italy, and Napoleon’s brother, Joseph, as the Kingdom of Naples, ruled the remainder. Yet at the restoration of the old regime in Italy after the Congress of Vienna, the Pope was among those who regained their positions. During the Napoleonic occupation successive Popes had been taken into exile in France, and the temporal power of the Pope as ruler of an Italian state had been declared at an end. But when the Pope returned he was intent on restoring temporal, as well as spiritual, control. The Papal States were divided into seventeen provinces, five of which were under the authority of Papal Legates, or Cardinals, who acted as provincial governors. The remainder, which were nearer Rome, were controlled by priests known as Delegates. The whole administration of the Papal States was in the hands of the clergy. The lay people had no part in government, apart from a few lay members of advisory bodies called ‘congregations’. Politically, Italy was fragmented. Further, half the states were governed by kings or dukes who already occupied or hoped soon to inherit the thrones of the non-Italian countries.

Software Ethics :: Copyright Plagiarism Technology Essays

Software Ethics INTRODUCTION Webster dictionary defines copyright as â€Å"the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, and sell the matter and form (as of a literary, musical, or artistic work). The copyright law extended to software and technologies aims at protecting the artists who created the product. The owner of the product has the exclusive right to distribute or reproduce his work. To be qualified for the protection, the work has to be original and in a â€Å"concrete medium of expression† [1]. In every product that we use daily, there is already a copyrighted law protecting it. We can’t simply write the same book and call it a different name. That’s plagiarism and violating the copyright law. The creator of a software technology patented and copyrighted his work, and he can take violators to court for stealing his idea, and reproducing his work without his permission. Why? Simply put, U.S Copyright act, 17 U.S.C Sections 101-810, protects the owner of the product . We should be thankful that we live in a country where our inventions and ideas are protected from theft and being copied. In other countries, such as Vietnam, artists are not so lucky. For many years, songs artists didn’t make a lot of money, and their songs are being sung everywhere, by all the singers. It’s like a free song, and anyone could make money off of that. That’s the precedent. Who would want to create the product, and then turn around in split seconds only to have it posted it on the web or reproduced for free. The work is wasted, the people are discouraged, and the country is ailing. Now, the artist can now protect his work. So Vietnamese, living in America, enjoy the same rights and privileges as Americans. Countries that don’t have copyright law or fail to truly protect the artists of a product will continue to struggle economically, politically, and socially. Viet Nam has improved and been more developed over the past decades. The country is beginning to see foreign investors come in and utilize the resources such as the talents, the cheap labor and materials. However, the country is not flourishing other Asians because of the lack of copyright laws, ignorance, and government monopoly and corruption.