Law OF Diminishing Returns Essays - Production Economics

Law oF Diminishing Returns The Law of diminishing returns is a key one in economics. It is used to explain many of the ways the economy works and changes. It is a relatively simple idea; spending and investing more and more in a product where one of the factors of production remains the same means the enterprise will eventually run out of steam. The returns will begin to diminish in the long run. If more fertilizer and better machinery are used on an acre of farmland, the yield will increase for a while but then begin to slow and become flat. A farmer can only get so much out of the land, and the more the farmer works, the harder it gets. The economic reason for diminishing returns of capital is as follows: When the capital stock is low, there are many workers for each machine, and the benefits of increasing capital further are great; but when the capital stock is high, workers already have plenty of capital to work with, and little benefit is to be gained from expanding capital further. For example, in a secr etarial pool in which there are many more secretaries than computer terminals, each terminal is constantly being utilized and secretaries must waste time waiting for a free terminal. In this situation, the benefit in terms of increased output of adding extra terminals is high. However, if there are already as many terminals as secretaries, so that terminals are often idle and there is no waiting for a terminal to become available, little additional output can be obtained by adding yet another terminal. Another application for this law is in Athletics, for runners, their investment is the time and energy put into training and the yield is hopefully improved fitness. Early in their running careers or early in the training program a couple of weeks of regular training would be rewarded with a considerable increase in fitness. Having achieved a very fit state though, two weeks of regular training will achieve a barely perceptible increase in fitness. But in today's world, this famous law seems to have been turned on its head. In Japan, for example, huge amounts of investment have resulted in large increases in the economy and large increases in capital goods per worker. But the rate of productivity growth did not decline the way one would have expected on the basis of diminishing returns. Japan got ahead and stayed ahead.

Frigate USS United States Navy Ship Overview

Frigate USS United States Navy Ship Overview With the United States separation from Great Britain after the American Revolution, American shipping no longer enjoyed the protection of the Royal Navy when at sea. As a result, it became an easy target for pirates and other raiders such as the Barbary corsairs. Aware that a permanent navy would need to be formed, Secretary of War Henry Knox requested American shipbuilders submit plans for six frigates in late 1792. Concerned about cost, debate raged in Congress for over a year until funding was finally obtained through the Naval Act of 1794. Calling for the building of four 44-gun and two 36-gun frigates, the act was put into effect and construction delegated to various cities. The designs selected by Knox were those of renowned naval architect Joshua Humphreys. Understanding that the United States could not hope to build a navy of equivalent strength to Britain or France, Humphreys created large frigates that could best any similar vessel but were fast enough to escape enemy ships-of-the-line. The resulting vessels were long, with wider than usual beams and possessed diagonal riders in their framing to increase strength and prevent hogging. Utilizing heavy planking and making extensive use of live oak in the framing, Humphreys ships were exceptionally strong. One of the 44-gun frigates, to be named United States, was assigned to Philadelphia and construction soon began. The work progressed slowly and briefly came to a halt in early 1796 after peace was established with the Dey of Algiers. This triggered a clause of the Naval Act which stipulated that construction would halt in the event of peace. After some debate, President George Washington convinced Congress to fund construction of the three ships closest to completion. As United States was one of these vessels, work resumed. On February 22, 1797, John Barry, a naval hero of the American Revolution, was summoned by Washington and given a commission as the senior officer in the new US Navy. Assigned to oversee the completion of United States, he superintended its launching on May 10, 1797. The first of the six frigates launched, work moved quickly through the rest of the year and spring 1798 to complete the ship. As tensions increased with France leading to the undeclared Quasi-War, Commodore Barry received orders to put to sea on July 3, 1798. Quasi-War Ship Departing Philadelphia, United States sailed north with USS Delaware (20 guns) to rendezvous with additional warships at Boston. Impressed with the ships performance, Barry soon found that the expected consorts at Boston were not ready for sea. Unwilling to wait, he turned south for the Caribbean. During this maiden cruise, United States captured the French privateers Sans Pareil (10) and Jalouse (8) on August 22 and September 4. Sailing north, the frigate became separated from the others during a gale off Cape Hatteras and arrived in the Delaware River alone on September 18. After an abortive cruise in October, Barry and United States returned to the Caribbean in December to lead an American squadron. Coordinating American efforts in the region, Barry continued to hunt for French privateers. After sinking LAmour de la Patrie (6) on February 3, 1799, he re-captured the American merchantman Cicero on the 26th and captured La Tartueffe a month later. Relieved by Commodore Thomas Truxtun, Barry took United States back to Philadelphia in April. Refitting, Barry put to sea again in July but was forced to put into Hampton Roads due to storm damage. Making repairs, he patrolled the East Coast before putting into Newport, RI in September. Embarking peace commissioners, United States sailed for France on November 3, 1799. Delivering its diplomatic cargo, the frigate encountered severe storms in the Bay of Biscay and required several months of repairs at New York. Finally ready for active service in the fall of 1800, United States sailed to the Caribbean to again lead the American squadron but was soon recalled as peace had been made with the French. Returning north, the ship arrived at Chester, PA before being laid up at Washington, DC on June 6, 1801. The War of 1812 The frigate remained in ordinary until 1809 when orders were issued to ready it for sea. Command was given to Captain Stephen Decatur, who had earlier served aboard the frigate as a midshipman. Sailing down the Potomac in June 1810, Decatur arrived at Norfolk, VA for refitting. While there he encountered Captain James Carden of the new frigate HMS Macedonian (38). Meeting with Carden, Decatur wagered the British captain a beaver hat if the two should ever meet in battle. With the outbreak of the War of 1812 on June 19, 1812, United States traveled to New York to join Commodore John Rodgers squadron. After a brief cruise on the East Coast, Rodgers took his ships to sea on October 8. Departing Boston, they captured Mandarin on October 11 and United States soon parted company. Sailing east, Decatur moved south of the Azores. At dawn on October 25, a British frigate was spotted twelve miles to windward. Soon recognizing the ship as Macedonian, Decatur cleared for action. While Carden hoped to close on a parallel course, Decatur planned to engage the enemy from long-range with his heavier 24-pdr guns before closing in to finish the battle. Opening fire around 9:20 AM, United States quickly succeeded in destroying Macedonians mizzen topmast. With the advantage of maneuver, Decatur proceeded to pound the British ship into submission. Shortly after noon, Carden was forced to surrender with his ship dismasted and having taken 104 casualties to Decaturs twelve. After remaining in place for two weeks while Macedonian was repaired, United States and its prize sailed for New York where they received a heros welcome. Putting to sea with a small squadron on May 24, 1813, Decatur was chased into New London, CT by a strong British force. United States remained blockaded in that port for the rest of the war. Post-War/Later Career With the end of the war, United States was fitted out to join an expedition to deal with the resurgent Barbary pirates. Under the command of Captain John Shaw, the frigate crossed the Atlantic but soon learned that an earlier squadron under Decatur had forced peace with Algiers. Remaining in the Mediterranean, the ship ensured an American presence in the area. Returning home in 1819, United States was laid up for five years before joining the Pacific Squadron. Thoroughly modernized between 1830 and 1832, the ship continued regular peacetime assignments in the Pacific, Mediterranean, and off Africa through the 1840s. Returning to Norfolk, it was laid up on February 24, 1849. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the rotted hulk of United States was captured at Norfolk by the Confederacy. Recommissioned CSS United States, it served as a blockship and later was sunk as an obstacle in the Elizabeth River. Raised by Union forces, the wreck was broken up in 1865-1866. USS United States Quick Facts and Figures Nation:Â  United StatesBuilder:Â  Philadelphia, PAAuthorized:Â  March 27, 1794Launched:Â  May 10, 1797Commissioned:Â  July 11, 1797Decommissioned:Â  February 1849Fate:Â  Broken up at Norfolk 1865/6 Specifications Ship Type:Â  FrigateDisplacement:Â  1,576 tonsLength:Â  175 ft.Beam:Â  43.5 ft.Draft:Â  20 ft. - 23.5 ft.Complement:Â  364Speed:Â  13.5 knots Armament (War of 1812) 32 x 24-pdrs24 x 42-pdr carronades Sources Dictionary of American Navy Fighting Ships: USS United States (1797)NavSource: USS United States ImagesHistory of War: USS United States vs. HMS Macedonian

A Study on the Different Opinions about Human Categorization Based On Physical Traits and Sexual Orientation

A Study on the Different Opinions about Human Categorization Based On Physical Traits and Sexual Orientation Society’s Characterization of the Condemned Although we like to have a promising view on our own mortals, we and our society can be cruel and unforgiving even when we don’t expect it. We see our viewpoints of classes, races, and sexes all being similar coexisting in in a world of equality, but our decisions on who to put on death row and who gets to walk will always be apparent to our personal prejudices. The truth is, our brains are incapable of judging somebody solely for their actions, and not taking anything from their physical appearance to the sexual identity into that judgement. If we were to decide a person’s fate without seeing them or hearing anything about them besides the crime they’ve committed, our prison and death row inmates would be a completely different cast of people. But, since we’re exposed to the race and gender of everyone put on trial, our judgements reflect the qualities of these people in the harshest of ways. The race or sexual identity of an individual involved in any certain situation can completely compromised by the society around them, and that stands true with inmates on death row. In our country, a white female going on trial for murder will have a completely different outcome than a black male convicted of doing the same thing. For a lot of people, whether or not they know it, the race or sexually identity of the accused can greatly affect their punishment, regardless of the crime they commit. Separate human beings have separate subconscious desires to punish or defend one class of individuals differently than others, and this prejudice holds true in even the most extreme of situations. Nobody can completely ignore the details of person placed in front of them, everyone has their own dark opinions that greatly affect any situation. When those opinions spread across a community and take hold of entire societies, many may seem racist or sexisttrials as â€Å"normal†, and judg e them according to the expectations of their neighboring peers. Because of this, a single person can be put to death while being judged from one society, but freed if they were judged by another, different society. In some instances, the identity of the person who committed the crime affects the outcome more than the crime itself. Of course, this prejudice does not only fall into place in established countries. This is a phenomenon happening around the world, with some dilemnas being more extreme than others. A great example of this was in the article Uganda’s Death Penalty for Gays, in an entire culture is attacked, threatened, and harshly judged more than others. In Uganda, homosexuals are punished for any kind of gay behavior, no matter what the context or situation. Gays are outcasts here, and are treated as such. The entire community has a clear hatred for this specific type of person, and that opinion is heavily reflected on their laws and punishments. From these rules and terms, we have the right to assume the people of Uganda exercise these prejudices in their daily lives and behavior. Their characterization of who they’re killing and for what reasons don’t just apply to their culture, but are most likely influenced by it. Even though it’s not nearly as extreme, what’s happening in Uganda is similar to what’s happening to the African Americans in our country. There are no laws strictly tailored against the black community, yet America is commonly blamed for using excessive force and punishment against African Americans and people of foreign countries. Looking at the statistics from the Death Penalty Information Center, we can see that 75% of murder victims in cases leading to an execution were white, even though only roughly 50% of murder victims in total were white. Assisting this information, only 43% of inmates on death row are white, even though 72% of our country’s population is white. Although we promote equality for all races, our society seems to judge the ethnic community harsher than caucasians and females, and the punishments we choose to inflict on one race may not apply to another, regardless of the crime. That being said, we also tend to make the punishments for men much more cruel than those towards women. If a woman rapes or murders someone else, the chances of her being put on death row is much slimmer than if a man did the same. In contrast to this, some countries in the Middle East will murder a woman for talking back to a man. All these small details over who the person is generally overshadow what the person has done, and that’s something that can greatly change the outcome of somebody’s entire life. Every community has different values, and your punishment for any crime would probably change based on where in the world you were standing. In a perfect world, all races and genders would be treated equally, everywhere. Unfortunately, every society has prejudices they can’t escape from, and the subtle repercussions from those may be the difference between life and death.

Heart of Darkness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Heart of Darkness - Essay Example The Conrad’s story seems to unfold the dark moments that might be frightening to the readers, however it does point out the benefit of civilisation. For instance, the story accounts for the civilisation that transformed the one time dark country Britain (Conrad 36). The tradition brought to the Dark Continent by the white man did not sound impressive to the blacks, but it has transformed the community to illuminate better practices, which they did not acknowledge in the first place. The modern methods of cultivation are good news to people that knew little about the existence of modern method of increasing agricultural yields (Conrad 56). Another important instance that is impressing in the novel is the modern education system. The system enabled the continent to transform from its traditional systems, which produced little in terms of industrialisation as well as globalisation. Education was the only viable way through the Dark Continent could receive the new light. Conrad observes that Africans embraced the old technology in doing their things. It did not appear to them that the society could apply scientific ways of doing the daily activities. The fruit of introduction of science to the dark part of the world brought light that is shining in this region. The roads that the colonial masters developed did not only helped the colonial masters to exert their autocratic rule in the dark world, but also enabled the blacks to enjoy trading their goods. However, the novel gives a fiery tale of inhumanity projected to the innocent blacks in the name of civilisation. The verbal abuse to the Africans by the colonial masters is disgusting. It is arguable that better ways were applicable in introducing modernity (Conrad 125). The author described the killing of the Africans as if they did not have the right to live or to chose what is good for their lives or not. The white figures did not regard blacks as human beings moreover; they did

Critique epidemiologic research articles Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critique epidemiologic articles - Research Paper Example The control group included people selected randomly in the Boston area who filled the questionnaires with their dietary intake for 2 weeks. The group is appropriate because they have different lifestyle from the health professionals and their knowledge of the healthy diets and cancer differs from that of health professionals, in short they are complete opposites. B. Was the method of classification or of measurement consistent for all the subjects relevant to the objectives of the investigation? Are there possible biases in measurement? If so, what provisions were made to deal with them? The methods of measurement were different for the study group as well as the control group. The researchers administered the diet questionnaires to the control group which were strict n the amount of calories on each specific diet record on a weekly basis for the 2 weeks but none of that was done to the control group. This was made through carrying out a follow-up to the study group after every two years. The observations of the study group are reproducible as the research team carried out a follow-up of its study group for 6 years and hence in the end they achieved their conclusive results. They can also be said to be valid as they were carried out in a scientific manner. On whether they are reliable or not, the subject is up for discussion because of the lack of a control group to compare results with for the 6 years. Yes the data requires statistical analysis because they involve quantity in numbers of fat and energy. The analysis used is multivariate which is appropriate considering there are several sets of data being analyzed. The analysis and interpretation even though longer is correct. The conclusion justified is that which supports the hypothesis. The conclusion about red meat absorption and the acid content has not been analyzed in the data and hence is not appropriate to be made without research. The first

Larkins use of language Essay Example for Free

Larkins use of language Essay The poems that I have chosen to comment on from the collection The Whitsun Weddings by Philip Larkin are Here, Nothing to be said and Faith Healing. I have chosen to write about these three because they are all very different in terms of theme, language, verse form and Larkins message and purpose. Here is the opening poem of The Whitsun Weddings. It locates the reader in Larkins England and centres around a journey the protagonist is making from London to Northumberland via Larkins hometown of Hull. Larkin uses a range of language and writing devices to express his feelings and at times his prejudices through his poetry and he does this especially well in Here. The first stanza begins with swerving east. The word swerving suggests a dangerous movement and a lack of control from the person or thing that is swerving. When someone swerves it is usually to avoid something so by using the word swerving Larkin is immediately presenting the reader with a sense of avoidance and lack of control. Larkin then goes on to say that the fields are too thin and thistled to be called meadows. This shows that he is passing through an area of land, which cannot quite be classed as countryside but is not quite urban. This could possibly be a representation of how Larkin is feeling at the time about life because even the countryside is not genuine; therefore Larkin may be commenting on the falsity of life because of its in-between state. The words Thin and thistled are harsh sounding words that make up alliteration. This alliteration may have been used to mimic the gentle hissing sound of the train or can moving along the track or road. The harsh sounding words are probably applied as a vent for Larkins disdain on a philosophical level for the falsity and lack of true meaning in life and on a smaller level for the land he is passing through that is not quite beautiful enough to be countryside. A technique that interests me is used in the line harsh-named halt. This phrase uses a repetition of the /h/ sound, which is quite a hard sound to pronounce and therefore actually halts the readers rhythm. This includes alliteration of the /h/ sound but also a kind of onomatopoeia because the word halt is actually a word that sounds like a stoppage or halt and actively brings the reader to a momentary pause. The word harsh is actually a harsh word, which adds more emphasis to the phrase. This technique is very effective because it immerses the reader in the journey of the protagonist as it actually halts their flow when the protagonists train comes to a halt. Larkin uses a lot of alliteration in Here, an example of this occurs in the first stanza when alliteration occurs four times in the space of two lines: Swerving to solitude of skies and scarecrows, haystacks, hares and pheasants. There is a repetition of the word swerving which reiterates the lack of control of the protagonist. It also shows the part of the journey that is taking him through the countryside and he is swerving east away from the towns and towards the countryside. The repetition of the /s/ hissing sound gives a sense of speed and also replicates the sound of the train or car moving. The /s/ sound runs throughout two lines which links them together and helps demonstrate the onward movement of the protagonist and the passage of time. The actual shape of the letter /s/ is flowing and therefore mimics the journey flowing onward. In the last line of the first stanza Larkin describes the entrance to a town by saying the shining gull-marked mud gathers to the surprise of a large town. Gull-marked mud can be used as a comparison to harsh-named halt a few lines previously and demonstrates the difference between town and country. The comparison between harsh-named halt and gull-marked mud can also be drawn through the hyphen between the first two words (which could be used to show the onward motion of the journey) and the alliteration used of the /h/ and /m/ sounds.

Aquinas Third Way Essay -- 3rd Way Philosophy

Aquinas’ 3rd Way   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquinas’ third way argument states that there has to be something that must exist, which is most likely God. He starts his argument by saying not everything must exist, because things are born and die every single day. By stating this we can jump to the conclusion that if everything need not exist then there would have been a time where there was nothing. But, he goes on, if there was a time when there was nothing, then nothing would exist even today, because something cannot come from nothing. However, our observations tell us that something does exist, therefore there is something that must exist, and Aquinas says that something is God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquinas’ argument has a couple of flaws in it. One is pointed out by Samuel Clarke, who says a whole series of dependant... Aquinas' Third Way Essay -- 3rd Way Philosophy Aquinas’ 3rd Way   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquinas’ third way argument states that there has to be something that must exist, which is most likely God. He starts his argument by saying not everything must exist, because things are born and die every single day. By stating this we can jump to the conclusion that if everything need not exist then there would have been a time where there was nothing. But, he goes on, if there was a time when there was nothing, then nothing would exist even today, because something cannot come from nothing. However, our observations tell us that something does exist, therefore there is something that must exist, and Aquinas says that something is God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquinas’ argument has a couple of flaws in it. One is pointed out by Samuel Clarke, who says a whole series of dependant...

Nationally Identity Cards

Real ID will not make people any safer no matter how people strive and spin it. In reality people will be less safe from tyranny and despotism than ever before for the reason that it doesn’t come from outside forces but right here in the homeland; our own backyard (AJY, 2005). The terrorist attacks of September 11  have revived proposals for a national identity card system as a way to confirm the identity of airline passengers and keep away from terrorists from entering the country (Kristof and Stanley, 2004). For instance, the Chairman and CEO of Oracle Corp., Larry Ellison, lately called for the creation of a national ID system and offered to make available the software for it without charge.The newest calls for a national ID are only the latest in a long series of proposals that have cropped up repeatedly over the past decade, typically in the framework of immigration policy, but also in connection with gun control or health care reform. But the creation of a national I.D . card remains a misplaced, superficial â€Å"quick fix.† It offers only a false sense of security and will not enhance our security but will pose serious threats to the civil liberties and civil rights. A National ID will not keep people safe or free.The problem is the card itself. No matter how unforgeable we make it, it will be forged. And even worse, people will get legitimate cards in fraudulent names (Schneier, 2004). A national ID card system will not avoid terrorism. It would not have thwarted the September 11 hijackers, for instance, lot of whom reportedly had identification documents on them, and were in the country legally.  Terrorists and criminals will continue to be able to get by legal and illegal means the documents needed to get a government ID, such as birth certificates.Yes, these new documents will have data like digital fingerprints on them, but that won't show real identity just that the carrier has obtained what could without difficulty be a fraudulen t document. And their creation would not justify the cost to American taxpayers, which according to the Social Security Administration would be at least $4 billion. It is an impractical and ineffective proposal a simplistic and naà ¯ve try to use gee-whiz technology to solve difficult social and economic problems.A national ID card system would not protect us from terrorism, but it would construct a system of internal passports that would extensively diminish the freedom and privacy of law-abiding citizens. Once put in place, it is extremely unlikely that such a system would be restricted to its original purpose. Social Security numbers, for instance, were initially intended to be used only to administer the retirement program.   But that limit has been routinely ignored and steadily abandoned over the past 50 years. A national ID system would threaten the privacy that Americans have always enjoyed and gradually amplify the control that government and business wields over everyda y citizens (Miller, 1995).What happens when an ID card is stolen? What proof is used to make a decision that gets a card? A national ID would require a governmental database of every person in the U.S. containing continually updated identifying information. It would likely contain numerous errors, any one of which could render someone unemployable and probably much worse until they get their â€Å"file† straightened out. And once that database was created, its use would almost certainly expand. Law enforcement and other government agencies would soon ask to link into it, while employers, direct mailers, landlords, private investigators, landlords, credit agencies, mortgage brokers, civil litigants, and a long list of other parties would begin seeking access, further eroding the privacy that Americans have always expected in their personal lives.Americans have long had a visceral aversion to building a society in which the authorities could act like totalitarian sentries and d emand â€Å"your papers please!† And that everyday intrusiveness would be conjoined with the full power of modern computer and database technology. When a police officer or security guard scans your ID card with his pocket bar-code reader, for instance, will a permanent record be created of that check, including the time and your location? How long before office buildings, doctors' offices, gas stations, highway tolls, subways and buses incorporate the ID card into their security or payment systems for greater efficiency? The end result could be a nation where citizens' movements inside their own country are monitored and recorded through these â€Å"internal passports.†Rather than eliminating discrimination, as some have claimed, a national identity card would foster new forms of discrimination and harassment of anyone perceived as looking or sounding â€Å"foreign.† That is what happened after Congress passed the Employer Sanctions provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1985: widespread discrimination against foreign-looking American workers, particularly Asians and Hispanics. A 1990 General Accounting Office study found almost 20 percent of employers engaged in such practices.A national ID card would have the same effect on a massive scale, as Latinos, Asians, Caribbean’s and other minorities became subject to ceaseless status and identity checks from police, banks, merchants and others. Failure to carry a national I.D. card would likely come to be viewed as a reason for search, detention or arrest of minorities. The stigma and humiliation of constantly having to prove that they are Americans or legal immigrants would weigh heavily on such groups.National ID is an extremely terrible idea it really isn't clear to me that a national ID card does not make identification more reliable as well as realizing important economic savings by standardization. In particular while I agree that using one ID system introduces an ordinary point of high value failure it also economically feasible to invest a great deal more in the ID system. If one ID replaces n IDs you can make the ID cost roughly about the sum of the costs of all those other IDs. If one national ID replaced our entire driver's licenses, passports, credit cards and so forth it could afford more sophisticated safeguards than any of the former IDs individually.National ID system is a bad idea. Unfortunately, insecure and badly abused national ID system already exist the Social Security Number. Using SSN and Driver's Licenses as ID systems is bad, bad, bad. There are little or no regulations governing how these data can be used and this result in the current state of things: with your name and SSN, an identity thief can wreak havoc on your life. With a plain, secure, and open architecture for individual ID's, then we, as citizens, could take power over how our identities are used and disseminated for things like insurance forms, employment appl ications, credit applications, etc. Unfortunately, the need to positively identify and track an individual for these purposes is a stone cold part of daily life.Rather than reject outright the notion of any form of national ID we should be actively working towards an architecture that actually works and provides safeguards for our personal information, while at the same time making application processes easier and more streamlined. Honestly, it makes me fume that I have to fill out my personal and insurance information every time I go to any medical professional. Why can't I enter a PIN number or password into a secured touch pad and automatically authorize the download of my information automatically? Enabling this sort of ability would be moving forward, not backward.REFERENCEAJY, Real ID Act Is Our National ID Card; Real Bad, Real Stupid, 2005 Bruce Schneier. A National ID Card Wouldn't Make Us Safer. Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2004 ;http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/05/r eal_id.html;Kristof and Jay Stanley. Should the U.S. adopt a national ID card system? Many countries issue national ID cards. Post-9/11 security concerns have prompted a debate about whether †¦ ): An article from: New York Times Upfront, Scholastic, Inc., 2004.Miller, John J.   A national ID system: Big brother's solution to illegal immigration, Cato Institute (1995).

Comparitive study of mutual funds Essay

Investing in mutual funds provides a total solution for the investing needs. With a well-designed portfolio of mutual funds, the investor can have his own pool of professionally managed investments, even with a small initial investment. Mutual fund is a kind of trust that manages the pool of money collected from various investors and it is managed by a team of professional fund managers (usually called an Asset Management Company) for a small fee. An investment vehicle that is made up of a pool of funds collected from many investors for the purpose of investing in securities such as stocks, bonds, money market instruments and similar assets. Mutual funds are operated by money managers, who invest the fund’s capital and attempt to produce capital gains and income for the fund’s investors. A mutual fund’s portfolio is structured and maintained to match the investment objectives stated in its prospectus. The Indian Mutual fund  business has passed through three phases. The first phase was between 1964 and 1987, when the only player was the Unit Trust of India, which had a total asset of Rs. 6,700/- crores at the end of 1988. The second phase is between 1987 and 1993 during which period 8 funds were established (6 by banks and one each by LIC and GIC). The total assets under management had grown to Rs. 61,028/- crores at the end of 1994 and the number of schemes were 167. The third phase began with the entry of private and foreign sectors in the Mutual fund industry in 1993. Kothari Pioneer Mutual fund was the first fund to be established by the private sector in association with a foreign fund. The share of the private players has risen rapidly since then. At present 39 asset management companies are working in India. The major mutual fund players in Indian market at present are: ï  ¶ABN AMRO Mutual Fund I have chosen HDFC ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY from private sector and SBI MUTUAL FUND from public sector for my study because HDFC is no 1 in private sector mutual fund companies and SBI is no 1 in public sector mutual fund companies. HDFC Asset Management Company Limited (AMC) was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, on December 10, 1999, and was approved to act as an Asset Management Company for the Mutual Fund by SEBI on July 3, 2000. In terms of the Investment Management Agreement, the Trustee has appointed the HDFC Asset Management Company Limited to manage the Mutual Fund. The paid up capital of the AMC is Rs. 25.161 crore. SBI Funds Management Ltd. is the investment manager of SBI Mutual Fund. SBI Mutual Fund has been constituted as a trust, sponsored by State Bank India. Today the Fund has an investor base of over 2.8 million spread over 23 schemes. With a large network of collecting branches and investor service centres, SBI Mutual Fund constantly endeavors to get closer to its growing family of investors. NEED OF THE STUDY Mutual fund companies are introducing various new schemes in the market due to which the investors are generally confused that in what type of schemes they should invest and in which mutual fund company they should invest. The main purpose of this study is to know about the performance of various schemes of mutual fund companies of public and private sector in the market. It would help to know about the concept of mutual funds and to know about various schemes under mutual fund which will ultimately benefit the investors to decide about their investment in mutual fund companies. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The study is being conducted for the following objectives: ïÆ'ËœTo develop understanding of the concept and working of mutual fund schemes. ïÆ'ËœTo analyze and compare the performance of selected mutual fund schemes offered by SBI mutual fund and HDFC mutual fund. ïÆ'ËœTo study the investor’s behavior towards the mutual fund schemes offered by public and private sector. RESEARCH METHODLOGY DATA COLLECTION The data required for the study is collected from primary as well as secondary sources. The primary data is collected through self constructed questionnaires which will be to know about the investors behavior towards mutual funds in private and public sector. SAMPLE AREA- AGRA CITY SAMPLE SIZE- 50 SAMPLING METHOD- CONVINIENT SAMPLING The secondary data is collected from websites. NATURE OF STUDY The study is analytical which includes comparative analysis of performance of mutual funds in public and private sector as well as analysis of investors behavior towards mutual funds in private and public sector. TOOLS USED FOR ANALYSIS ïÆ'ËœFinancial technique such as Sharpe ratio and Standard deviation. Presentation tools ïÆ'ËœBar graphs and pie charts REFERENCES 1) KHORANA AJAY (2001) â€Å"Performance Changes following Top Management Turnover: Evidence from Open-End Mutual Fund† Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, September 2001 2) Sapar Rao Narayan and Madava Ravindran in his paper entitled Performance Evaluation of Indian Mutual Funds(2003) www.ssrn.com 3)Panwar Sharad and Madhumathi R. in their study entitled Characteristics and Performance Evaluation of selected Mutual funds in India(2006) Indian Institute of Capital Markets 9th Capital Markets Conference Paper 4)Ranganathan Kavitha in her study entitled A Study of Fund Selection Behaviour of Individual Investors Towards Mutual Funds – with Reference to Mumbai City (2006) Indian Institute of Capital Markets 9th BIBLIOGRAPHY www.mutualfundsonline.com www.hdfcfund.com www.sbimf.com www.valueresearchonline.com

The road interpretation of the woman Essays

The road interpretation of the woman Essays The road interpretation of the woman Essay The road interpretation of the woman Essay Essay Topic: The Heart Of a Woman The Road Throughout The Road, Corm McCarthy draws a very heavy line in the sand between giving up and persevering. Very often, this line in the sand adheres to strict gender lines: while women are shown to give up in one form or another, the father and son who struggle down the post-Apocalyptic road tell themselves, This is what the good guys do. They keep trying. They dont give up 0. After closer reading of the text, reveals that not giving up is not always the lesser of two evils. McCarthy places an emphasis on the mothers body as a vessel of creation, the only form of creation in a world filled with death and destruction: Always so deliberate, hardly surprised by the most outlandish events. A creation perfectly evolved to meet its own end. A few nights later she gave birth in their bed by the light off Darrell lamp. While she labors to create a child, however, Her cries meant nothing to [the father] (54): as a man, he does not identify with this labor-as-creation . In fact, there doesnt even seem to be a memory of creation once the mother is gone. When the father and son find the charred remains of a roasted baby, the boy asks, Where did they find it? because, in a male-centric world, they are capable only of scavenging canned goods and old shoes (200). The idea of someone creating the baby is an alien one too boy who has grown up only in the ravaged landscape that is now the world. Throughout the novel, the father closely associates his wife with the world-as-it-was, a green and verdant pre-apocalyptic landscape: In dreams his pale bride came to him out of a green and leafy canopy. Her nipples peculated and her rib bones painted white. Since she embodied a time of bliss, nevertheless, not only does the wife and mother have no place in the new world of death and deprivation, but even her recollection is out of place: He mistrusted all of that. He said the right dreams for a man in peril were dreams of peril and all else was the call of language and of death 0. For individual women who are ill-fated enough to survive on the road, their figures, once vessels of conception, become assets: Behind them came wagons drawn by laves in harness and piled with goods of war and after that the women, perhaps a dozen in number, some of them pregnant, and lastly a supplementary consort of activates ill clothed against the cold and fitted in dog collars and yoked to each to each (92). In order of importance, they hold less value than goods of war but more value than activates, male sex slaves. In fact, when the mother calmly discusses her own suicide, she correctly predicts these occurrences: Sooner or later they will catch us and they will kill us. They will rape me. They are going to rape us and kill us and eat us and you wont face it (58). In some ways, her brutal acceptance of the world-as-it-has-become is much braver than the fathers Im-sure-everything-will-be-fine-when-we-get-to-the-coast brand of denial. Her willingness to murder her own child to protect him from one of the cruelest worlds in recent literature stands in direct opposition to the father, who, when finally faced with the decision, says, l cannot hold my son dead in my arms. I she says, They say that women dream of danger to those in their care and men of anger to themselves. But I dont dream at all. My heart was ripped out of me the night he was born so dont ask for sorrow now. There is none . Though she brought her child into the world, she knew the world was no place for either her or him, a fact that the father looks back on with some bitterness. Despite the fathers vicious remembering of his wife, however, it is eventually revealed that he feels a certain responsibility for her death: In his dream she was sick and he cared for her. The dream bore the look of sacrifice but he thought fervently. He did not take care of her and she died alone somewhere in the dark and there is no other dream nor other waking world and there is no other tale to tell . In fact, he even goes so far as to say, Hed come to see a message in each such late history, a message and a warning, and so this tableau of the slain and the devoured did prove to be . Only a man who feels a certain level of guilt for the way things have turned out could possibly see a message and a warning in a setting such as this.

Gay and Lesbian Should allowed to become foster parent and adoption Personal Statement

Gay and Lesbian Should allowed to become foster parent and adoption - Personal Statement Example This led to a practice of adoption among gay and lesbian people for a want to care and nurture a child. â€Å"Discussion and debate about adoption and foster care by gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) parents occurs frequently among policymakers, social service agencies, and social workers. The government report shows that an estimated 65,500 adopted children and 14,100 foster children living with gay and lesbian parents†(Gates,2007) The recent surveys have revealed that, considerable amount of homosexuals have adopted children and is leading a fairly good life. However, there are also arguments against the homosexuals adopting and raising children on their own. This could be mainly due to the image the homosexuals have in the society of being ill- mannered and degraded. They are a subject of taboo, and are looked upon as an alien due to their sexual orientation and way of living. Nevertheless, they too have the desire to fondle a child and be a caring parent. So it is very impo rtant to understand their emotional status and allot them the status of being a parent to bring harmony and happiness in their life. â€Å"A good foster home has two happy, contented adults with time enough to pay attention to a foster child†(Mc Nair,35) Work Cited Blatt, Susan Mc Nair. A guidebook for raising foster children. 1st. West Port: Bergin & Garvey, 2000. 35. Print. Gates, Gary.

Animated Comedy Analysis (comparison and discuss) Essay

Animated Comedy Analysis (comparison and discuss) - Essay Example uth Park, have written scripts that are laced with these lacerations that have the main aim of addressing racism in the American society and tell the story to the world at large using comedy as a medium to best portray this message. Animated comedies are believed to best capture and impact the minds of the viewer’s population than the action live comedies like sitcoms (Fels et al 296). The productions of these animated comedies have however elicited a lot of criticism as to whether the main aim of these comedy pieces is effectively addressing this social vice of racism amongst other societal issues like gender, class and sexuality by the use of cartoon medium or it’s a mere ridicule of the same social issues. A close analysis of the episodes of an animated comedy like South Park created by Trey Parker and Matt stone gives a clear picture of the context of race and vulgarism. The characters seem to be uttering a lot race related terminologies like the epithet â€Å"nigger† as a form of ridicule but passing a message that makes the race issue to appear as a thing of the past and the society at large has moved on (Weinstock 82). The aim of an animated comedy like South Park is to shine a torch where many have dreaded to shine a torch, race related issues are sensitive in nature because of the controversies that results when the subject is touched on but with the use of race ridicule platform in this animation gives an a approach that is blunt in nature in portraying racism in the society. Racism activism is normally related with the 18nth centuries and early 19nth centuries with race activists like Martin Luther king who took the main role of talking against racial segregation and discrimination. Race related issue in the present time appears to be a thing of the â€Å"past† that does not need much concentration because of the normalcy of interaction and good relationship ties between the races. South Park exposes the various instances of race related issues in