Tuesday, November 26, 2019

World War I

When World War I came to a close in mid-November of 1918, many ideas were circulating in Europe as to what the peace settlement should entail. In Britain, leaders were thinking about how to increase British colonial power. In France, many wanted to permanently punish the Germans, partly in revenge for Germany's aggression in World War I, but also, perhaps subliminally, for the Franco-Prussian war in 1871. In Germany, citizens were worried about how radical changes after the war could affect their daily lives. Finally, in the United States, President Wilson was already concocting a system of permanently preserving European peace. All these biases, worries, plans, and ideas came together in Paris in 1919, with the Treaty of Versailles, establishing the post-war peace in Europe. Yet just twenty years later, war would once again break out in Europe. So why were the peace settlements of World War I unable to prevent the outbreak of war twenty years later in World War II? To underst! and this, one must first have a detailed understanding of the World War I peace settlement at Versailles. The first and most significant treaty signed after World War I was the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty, signed on the 28th of June 1919, was mainly orchestrated by David Lloyd George, representing Britain and Georges Clemenceau, representing France. Woodrow Wilson was the official representative of the United States, though he was often unable to attend due to sickness or other problems. When Wilson was in absentia, Secretary of State Robert Lansing represented the U.S. Italy also sent their Foreign Minister Sonnino to the negotiations. The Treaty of Versailles had two main issues on which it focused: Germany's post war territory and also the amount of reparations Germany must pay. In the East, Germany was literally split into two parts. The Allies decided that the nation of Poland should be given access to the sea, so they formed the "Polish Corrid...

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Chilling History of Frozen Food

A Chilling History of Frozen Food When we crave fresh fruits and vegetables in the middle of winter, we can thank an American taxidermist for making possible the next best thing. Clarence Birdseye, who invented and commercialized a method for quick-freezing food products in convenient packages and without altering the original taste, was  simply seeking a way for his family to have fresh food all year round.  The solution came to him while conducting fieldwork in the arctic, where he observed how the Inuit would  preserve freshly caught fish and others meats in barrels of sea water that quickly froze due to the frigid  climate. The fish were later thawed, cooked and most importantly tasted fresh much more so than anything at the fish markets back at home. He surmised that it was this practice of rapid freezing  in extremely low temperatures that allowed meat to retain freshness once thawed and served months later. Back in the U.S., commercial foods were typically chilled at a higher temperature and thus took longer to freeze. Compared to conventional techniques, fast freezing causes  smaller ice crystals to form, which is less likely to  damage the food. So in 1923, with an investment of $7 for an electric fan, buckets of brine, and cakes of ice, Clarence Birdseye developed and later perfected a system of packing fresh food into waxed cardboard boxes and flash-freezing under high pressure. And by 1927, his company General Seafoods was applying the technology to preserve beef, poultry, fruit, and vegetables.   Two years later, The Goldman-Sachs Trading Corporation and the Postum Company (later the General Foods Corporation) bought Clarence Birdseye’s patents and trademarks in 1929 for $22 million. The first quick-frozen vegetables, fruits, seafoods, and meat were sold to the public for the first time in 1930 in Springfield, Massachusetts, under the trade name Birds Eye Frosted Foods ®.   These frozen products were initially only available at 18 stores as a way to gauge whether consumers would take to what was then a novel approach to selling food.  Grocery shoppers could choose from a fairly wide selection that included frozen meat, blue point oysters, fish fillets,  spinach, peas, various fruits and berries. The products were a hit and with the company continued to expand, with frozen food products transported by  refrigerated boxcars to distant stores. Today commercially frozen foods are  a multi-billion dollar industry and  Birds Eye, a top frozen-food brand, is widely sold just about everywhere.  Ã‚      Birdseye served as consultant to General Foods up until 1938 and eventually turned  his attention to other interests and invented an infrared heat lamp, a spotlight for store window displays, a harpoon for marking whales. He would also establish companies to market his products.  By the time of his sudden passing in 1956 he had about 300 patents to his name.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Sex versus Gender Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sex versus Gender - Assignment Example One culture will define an actual man who beats up his wife; while another culture will consider a person a man considering his height and voice. Some cultures define a woman as a person bearing children; while, others will define a woman as individuals with delicate stature. These are all the gender roles that every culture assigns to men and women, thus associating these roles with one gender. Feminist theories have arisen because of distinction in gender because â€Å"most feminists differentiate sex from gender† (Nfah-Abbenyi 16). Generally speaking as in all cultures, male gender is associated with roles like going out for jobs, playing games, joining clubs, and becoming politicians; while, female gender is associated with roles like running a house, bearing children and raising them up, doing grocery, serving the family, and the like. Thus, we assign specific roles to one gender and call it man or woman. However, we do not have that liability for the biological category of sex. Sex is defined by Nature: sex with smaller gametes (sperms) and Y-chromosomes is male; while sex with larger gametes (ova) and X-chromosomes is female. Sex is defined at the time of fertilization of the egg. If a Y-chromosome from the male fertilizes an X-chromosome from the female, then the resulting sex is male. When an X from the male fertilizes an X from the female, the resulting sex is female. These and some other features like the structure of the reproductive system define which one is male sex and which is female. Hence, the distinction of sex is defined by the Nature depending upon certain physical features; while the distinction of gender is defined by the society depending upon the societal roles (Powell 4).

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

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

Financial - Assignment Example A financial manager can buy a large lot of stocks if the prices of stocks are lower. Valuation Principle The valuation principle can help financial managers make financial decisions regarding whether or not to buy a common stock. The use of valuation models can help a manager determine the intrinsic value of a corporation. The application of stock valuation models can be used to determine if the market price of a stock is over or under valued. Common stocks that have a value lower than the market price should not be purchased, while stock whose valuation exceeds in the market price should be purchased. Net Present Value The net present value is an analytical tool that can be used to make capital decisions. The NPV takes into consideration all the inflows and outflows of money associated with a project to determine whether a project should be accepted or rejected (Besley & Brigham, 2000). Another important element of the NPV calculation is the fact the NPV incorporates the time value of money. The time value of money adjusts the values in order to consider inflation. Most corporate finance books have time value of money tables. According to the NPV a project should be rejected when the value of the NPV is negative. A project is accepted when the value is positive. The use of NPV calculation can be used to compare different projects.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Financial Planner Essay Example for Free

Financial Planner Essay Among the many career fields to choose from, Id like to pursue one in the financial planning industry. A financial planners job is diverse and could be in areas like management of cash flow, investment and retirement planning, tax and estate planning, insurance and risk management planning, among others. There are also job opportunities outside personal planning that provides more financial rewards. I believe this job to be interesting, challenging and beneficial to people. This isnt like other jobs wherein youre only there to perform a task sometimes without knowing the end result or the product of your efforts. As a financial planner, a person is able to help other people in more significantly, even in a life-changing manner. Its a fact that many people have great ideas and good intentions regarding their finances, but few have the willpower and the right know-how to execute their plans. Thats where I see myself helping. Id like to see people to be more financially stable and create for themselves a nest egg for their future. People should be aware of financial planning at an early age. The earlier a person starts setting aside part of his income for a financial plan, the more secure is his future going to be. Another reason why Id like to have a career in this field is because I get stimulated when dealing with numbers. Crafting plans after studying pages of figures and mathematical formulas is something that does not daunt me. According to journals and news articles that have been published regarding the financial planning field, the demand for financial planners are rising globally as more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of having tailored financial plans for themselves. Over the years, financial planners have gradually, but consistently, created a niche for themselves in the market. There are several factors that have contributed to the upswing of demand for financial planners. In the earlier years, people were happy with social security benefits and old age Planner 2 pensions provided by the government. But years later, peoples outlook has shifted and the idea of being more comfortable and secure in old age have dominated the minds not just of those who are near retirement but even those who are still relatively young. Awareness among young professionals is seen to continue within the next decade, making it reasonably safe to assume that demand for financial programs and financial planners will continue. Another reason why the financial planning business has risen is caused by uncertainties in the stock markets. People are now opting to seek professional advice, before investing in a particular bond or stock. There is also a growing demand for financial planners outside the personal planning arena. Financial planners have found themselves becoming more and more necessary in banks and other financial institutions. Their expertise is needed in determining risks involved in investment vehicles. The pay scale and benefits that a certified financial planner receives differ from company to company, experience, and type of certification. A person who holds a position in higher management, like a vice president or portfolio manager, will earn a six-digit figure. Likewise, a person whos been a financial planner for more than twenty years will also receive a six-digit salary. Entry-level compensation is often in the range of $30,000 to $40,000. The banking industry and other financial institutions salaries are often higher compared to other industries. For instance, a job posting for a financial advisor in Connecticut offers an annual income of $50,000 to $80,000. Another example is an ad for looking for financial planning director, which offers at least $150,000 annual income. But whats more attractive about being a financial planner is the opportunity to earn more than your basic salary. Commissions and incentives are given for every transaction. A persons overall income is often measured by how well he networks and sells financial products.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Persian Letters by Montesquieu :: Persian Letters Montesquieu

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book The Persian Letters by Montesquieu is a fictional novel that was written by the author so he could comment on the society in which he was living. This novel has served as a good example of the ideas that were present during the early Enlightenment. There are many ideas and themes that Montesquieu discusses by using the point of view of two Persian travelers in Europe that correspond with letters to each other and others back in Persia. By using a foreigner's perspective, Montesquieu was able to present things in a way that gave a much more lasting effect then if he had used two Frenchman commenting on their own country. Through the many themes in the book, one that is prevalent is Montesquieu's attitude and ideas towards religion. The use of a Muslim Persian is quite effective in commenting on Christianity because the religions are alike in that they are both monotheistic, which can be good for drawing comparisons. Montesquieu believes that God is just an d obedience to his laws is crucial. He does not see anything wrong with having different religions because all of them have precepts that are useful to society. All the different religions promote obedience to the law and require their followers to be good and just. He believes that even if there was no God these ideas can still help society function correctly. Montesquieu also criticizes numerous aspects of established religion and shows that he sees it as useless and so he responds to it with indifference. He feels God's precepts are of the greatest importance and that is exactly what has been lost from the established church. Montesquieu's beliefs were also similar to many of the other philosophes. They criticized the established church and 'certainly opposed the ritual forms of both Catholic and Protestant worship'; (O'Brien et al 631).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of Montesquieu's key arguments throughout the novel when dealing with religion is that God's precepts are more important then anything else. He says 'for, whatever religion one may have, obedience to the laws, love of mankind, and respect for one's parents are always the principal acts of religion'; and no matter what your religion is, you should acknowledge 'God loves mankind, since he founded a religion to make them happy; †¦ and you are certain to please him by loving them also; that is to say performing all the duties of charity and humanity towards them, and in not violating the laws under which they live'; (101).

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Attrition Rate in the Call Center Industry

Attrition has been an evident problem for every organization due to either jack of appreciation or lack of proper job sculpting. But what is attrition? Simply put, it is the reduction in the number of employees through retirement, resignation, etc. Attrition affects two things: 1) the morale of other employees; and 2) the financial position of the organization. The group chose this topic because we are greatly interested in such field. The group is curious as to why the rate of turnover in the call center agency is high and what is the effect of this to the call center organizations.Why do these employees leave their jobs as call center agents? Is it because of the unjust compensation that these call centers are providing or is it because call center agents in general are not happy with what they do? We can draw many conclusions but at the end of the day, conducting a research would give us peace of mind. B. Significance of the Study The significance of the study is to be able to giv e emphasis as to why the rate of turnover in the call center industry is high. The group will only focus on the causes and the effects of attrition in the said industry.The study would serve as a guide and would be of great help to call center organizations in maintaining employees in their company. Furthermore, the study would be able to show the importance of the call center industry in the city of Manila. C. Problem and Objectives Problem: What are the causes Of attrition and how does it affect the call center industry? Objectives: To explain what attrition is and its difference from turnover To give emphasis on why call center agents resign To determine the factors of attrition To show how attrition affects the call center industry To present the facts obtained through out the whole research D.Assumption and Hypotheses Call center agents resign from their currents posts because they are not pappy with what they do. There will always be that feeling of being unsatisfied and it wi ll always bother them. Some would think to themselves, â€Å"Why am I doing this when can do so much better. † Most fresh graduates or undergraduates who are in need of fast cash apply at call centers to have something to do for the mean time but after a while, they move on, leaving the organization to find quick replacements at which before that can do so, the financial position Of the company will be affected.E. Scope and Limitations This study focuses on the cause and impact of attrition in the call center industry with regard to the turnover rate of employees, why call center agents leave call centers, and how the loss of employees affect these call centers. The study will only gather respondents that are call center agents that are employed within the jurisdiction of the city of Manila. F. Definition of Terms Attrition – a reduction in the number of employees or participants that occurs when people leave because they resign, retire, etc. And are not replaced Burno ut -? physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress Call center – an office set up to handle a large volume of telephone calls, especially or taking orders and providing customer service Call center agent -? basic employee of a call center Compensation – something awarded to someone Customer service -? provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase; a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation Economy -? consists of the production, distribution or trade, and consumption of limited goods and services by different agents in a given geographical location

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Employment and Job Satisfaction

Activity One Reasons why the organisation needs to collect HR data 1) To record contractual arrangements and agreements. Through retaining a copy of the employees contract along with any amendments ensures that there is no confusion in regards to an employee status. 2) To ensure compliance with legal requirements and provide a statutory excuse if required. An example of when this could be required is if an employee working for your company is found to be working in the UK illegally. If you are able to demonstrate that you carried out the necessary initial and annual checks you can avoid a ? 0,000 fine. Types of data that is collected within an organisation and how each supports HR practices 1) Customer Feedback – The collection of customer feedback allows the employer to identify any learning and development needs that may be required. It can also be used as a tool for performance management. 2) Demographics – The collection of information in regards to age allows for s uccession planning should you be dealing with an aging workforce. The collection of information in regards to gender can be important when considering equal opportunities. ) Recruitment – The collection and analysis of recruitment information helps assess legal compliance in particular monitoring of equality and diversity information. It also provides statistics on success rates of each stage of the process along with how successful different methods of recruitment have proved. A description of at least two methods of storing records and the benefits of each 1) Manual System – This is the keeping of hard copies of HR records in staff files. Manual filing is low cost and easily accessible.A manual system cannot be affected by loss of power and cannot be maliciously hacked into from outside the company. 2) Hosted Computer Records – keeping records on a hosted cloud reduces physical storage space required along with allowing access to records remotely. It can reduc e administration time (ie filing) and information may be easier to find. Two essential items of UK legislation relating to the recording, storage and accessibility of HR data The Data Protection Act 1998 states that data must be collected and processed fairly and lawfully and obtained for only the lawful purposes.The data must be adequate and relevant and not excessive along with being accurate and where necessary kept up to date. You must not keep information longer than necessary and it must be stored securely and in accordance with the rights of data subjects. Personal data shall not be transferred outside the European Economic Area unless the country or territory has adequate safeguards for data subjects. An example of where this may be applicable is the keeping of CVs on file. The Freedom of Information Act creates a public â€Å"right of access† to information held by public authorities.This applies to all public authorities including: * government departments and local assemblies * local authorities and councils * health trusts, hospitals and doctors’ surgeries * schools, colleges and universities * publicly funded museums * the police * other non-departmental public bodies An example of where this may be applicable in an HR setting would be the request of information regarding the successful candidate by an unsuccessful applicant following the recruitment of a new position. Activity Two Introduction On an annual basis our company carries out an Employee Survey.The survey is sent out to every single staff member from branch staff to directors and there is an average response rate of around 80%. This year's employee survey was carried out in July with the results being collected and collated in August and September. The surveys are carried out anonymously and employees are asked to identify their level of seniority within the company along with length of service. I have decided to look at staff members length of service and job satisfaction in relation to their seniority within the company.I think that there are several factors which make this a valuable exercise. Through identifying length of service by seniority it may identify specific job roles where there is a trend of employees are leaving after a particular length of time. Through doing this it may allow further investigation as to the reasons behind this and allow the company to bring in measures to limit this, eg specific areas of training or changes in approach to particular roles. Through reducing turnover this can reduce recruitment costs and disruption in the workplace.Identifying job satisfaction can take this a step further by identifying people who are currently in positions who may need some extra attention to prevent them leaving. Analysis and Interpretation Firstly, I transposed the dataset into percentages as this allows standardisation and ease of comparison. I decided that it would be a good idea to give a general overview of the company by creat ing a pie cart to show how the company is made up (graph one). I then further broke this down to compare length of service by seniority (graph two).I decided to use a bar chart with the break down of figures below as I think it gives good visual represetation of the situation across the company. I then broke the data down further to identify job satisfaction by seniority – again in a bar chart as I am looking at a decrete set of data (graph 3). I attempted to link the three sets of data (length of service/satisfaction and seniority) but found that the resulting chart was very complicated and unclear so decided it was better to keep these as two separate entities. Finally, I indentified the reason why people were unsatisfied in the workpalce and displayed this in graph four.From the work carried out I believe that there is evidence that the people at â€Å"assistant† level within the company are in need of a bit of TLC. Whilst their pattern of length of service may be e xplained through people being promoted, they are also the lease satisified group in the company and cite â€Å"management† as the reason behind this. Graph One – Break Down of Company by Job Type Graph Two –Length of Service by Seniority Graph 3 – Job Satisfaction by Seniority Graph Four – Reason Stated for Unsatisfaction in the Workplace %

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Amble vs. Ample

Amble vs. Ample Amble vs. Ample Amble vs. Ample By Maeve Maddox I came across this comment in a review on the Amazon site: I am too stocked up on my own books to be able to accept any books for review at this time as Id wanted to give amble time reading if I accepted them for an honest review. I know as well as anyone how easy it is for typos to slip into our writing, so I cruised the web to see if this is a common misuse of the word amble in a context that calls for ample. Judging by these examples from the Web, writing amble for ample is not always a typo: The retreat, with amble time for self discovery, meditation, and guided movement, allowed me to get clarity on the life I wanted. Showing up early for your flight ensures that you’ll have amble time to go through security and relax if you’re nervous about flying. Be sure to leave yourselves amble time to hear each others perspectives and come up with some options. Some of these examples come from English-challenged commenters, but several are from sites one would expect to be well edited, including a writing site dedicated to providing tips and resources for writers. These writers may be hearing the p in ample as a b and, unfamiliar with the word amble, never bothered to check the spelling in a dictionary. amble (noun): a slow, leisurely pace; a term to describe a type of horse’s gait. amble (verb): walk slowly Examples: The campers took an evening amble along the beach. The  ambling horse allowed  for an easy ride, less tiring on the rider than other gaits. I ambled down the sidewalk in no hurry to reach my destination. The word ample is an adjective meaning broad, wide, spacious, extending far and wide. This is the word to use in the expression that means â€Å"plenty of time.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†Acronym vs. InitialismTypes of Plots

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Crusade

Crusade Crusade Crusade By Maeve Maddox The word crusade, used as both noun and verb, derives from a Latin verb meaning â€Å"to mark with a cross.† Middle English adopted the Old French form, croisee. When the OF spelling shifted to croisade, English speakers started spelling it that way too. Finally, in the 18th century, the spelling was Anglicized to crusade. The Crusades were European-led wars that began in the 11th century with the intention of recapturing Jerusalem and other places in the Holy Land that had been conquered by Muslims in the 7th century, seven years after the death of Muhammad. The last attempt by a European king to recover the Christian sites was in 1272. The earliest OED citation for croisade in reference to these wars is dated 1557. In the 18th century, crusade acquired a figurative meaning separate from the idea of a religious war. The noun came to mean â€Å"an aggressive movement against something perceived as a public evil.† The first documentation of this use occurs in 1786 in the writings of Thomas Jefferson: â€Å"Preach, my dear Sir, a crusade against ignorance.† For more than 200 years, crusade has served English speakers as a useful word to signify any kind of zealous support or opposition carried on in the name of the public good, for example: Rep. Claude Pepper, who crusaded for Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal in the 1930s and was still championing the rights of the elderly a half-century later, died today at 88.   For years, I’ve been on a crusade to help people boost their productivity by strengthening their writing so they can avoid the problems that come with sending unclear messages. Klonsky is talking about the zealots, backed by multimillionaires, who are crusading against teachers unions as they claim to fight for the reform of public education. Kentucky has now, by reason of this legislation, decided to become educated - and we have embarked on a crusade for that purpose. Public School Crusaders Stake Out Rival Camps in Austin Sunday Express launches crusade for better mental health In the present political climate, the figurative use of crusade seems to be coming to an end as it joins others on the list of politically incorrect words: Campus Crusade Changes Name to Cru Ministry leaders worry that the word â€Å"crusade† has too many negative associations. President Bushs reference to a crusade against terrorism, which passed almost unnoticed by Americans, rang alarm bells in Europe.    Crusade is already coming in for criticism in some writing guides. This is from a UK university writing guide: Example 1: Crusade against crime Example 2: Campaign against crime The word ‘crusade’ has connotations of a battle and is more aggressive in tone than the word ‘campaign’. ‘Campaign’ implies a more considered approach. A style manual for Christian writers offers this advice: The terms  crusade  and crusades  are legitimate  words  in most contexts, although they should be  avoided  when used figuratively for Christian evangelism, modern military campaigns, or any effort to promote beliefs or values cross-culturally. As Western government spokesmen and journalists take care to avoid the English word crusade, the Arabic borrowing jihad comes to mind. Like crusade in English, jihad has two meanings in its language of origin: â€Å"a holy war against unbelievers† and â€Å"a struggle or effort to do good.† Here are some alternatives for politically correct writers who wish to phase out crusade in the figurative sense: crusade (noun): campaign drive push movement effort struggle offensive crusade (verb): work strive struggle fight agitate lobby champion promote Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names8 Writing Tips for BeginnersEmpathic or Empathetic?

Sunday, November 3, 2019

How we see and read images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How we see and read images - Essay Example While Kilbourne puts more stress on the impact of advertisements on female and teenage representatives, Bordo manages to refer to the impact on both, male and female social groups, providing a reader with a profound historical background as well as real-life cases. Kilbourne’s approach to the advertisement tendencies seems to express a strong feministic point of view according to which women are depicted exclusively either as sex objects or housewives. Bordo’s comments are also valid to this point of view; according to her, such social perception can be explained by men’s desire to bring an uppity woman down to size by reminding her that she is just â€Å"the sex,† even though she has built a successful career† (172). In order to support this point of view Bordo uses different sources of information including historical data, literature reviews as well as personal feelings and experience. Both writers assume that women are constantly exploited through their bodies as well as parts of it as if it is in need of change or improvement (Kilbourne). According to Kilbourne, â€Å"a woman is conditioned to view her face as a mask and her body as an object, as things separate from and more important than her real self, constantly in need of alteration, improvement, and disguise.† Different perception and judgment of man and woman within a society are also discussed by Bordo who refers in her story to the British film The Full Monty. Here, men are playing main roles being exposed to some of the stereotypes women are usually exposed to: â€Å"the naked penis is a symbol for male exposure, vulnerability to an evaluation and judgment that women experience all the time†, either they are closed or naked (Bordo 173). While men merely look undressed for some reason, women are perceived to be in their natural state (Bordo 177). However, further Bordo refers not only to the issue of naked and near naked female