Relationships and Setting in Willa Cathers O Pioneers! Essay -- Cathe

Relationships and Setting in Willa Cather's O Pioneers! O Pioneers!(1993) by Willa Cather begins on a blustery winter day, in the town of Hanover, Nebraska, sometime between 1883 and 1890. The narrator introduces four main character: the very young Emil Bergson; his older sister, Alexandra; her friend Carl Linstrum; and a little girl, Marie Shabata. Alexandra's father, John Bergson, is dying. He tells his two oldest sons, Lou and Oscar, that he is leaving the farmland, and all of what he has accomplished, to their sister. Alexandra is a hard working young lady and will do anything to make her father proud. When the drought and depression struck three years later, Alexandra's determination to keep the farm allows her to persevere. Many families, including Carl Linstrum's, sell their farms and move away. However, Alexandra believes in the promise of the country and staying true to her father's word. She convinces her brothers to re-mortgage their farm and buy more land. She also convinces them to look for more innovative farming techniques. With the plot moving ahead very qu...

Reaction Paper Essay

Natural Disasters and the Philippine Stock Exchange Index: A Garch-M Analysis by Adrian P. Gallido, Ph.D. and Martites A. Khanser, D.B.A This study examines the effect of earthquakes, tropical cyclones and volcanic eruptions on the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) over the period of 2 January 1985 to 30 December 2010. In the context of the Philippine Market, the composite index can be seen to support the â€Å"gaining from loss† hypothesis of Shelor et al. (1990), where it was implied that stock prices are positively influenced by disasters. The losses derived from disasters contribute to gains in some business sector. For instance, the 1989 California earthquake can be viewed as unfavorable to real estate firms (Property index) but, in contrast, beneficial on the stock price of insurance firms. The negative response of the stock prices on real estate firms was regarded as indication of the unfavorable location of the properties. In contrast, the positive market response on the stock price of insurance firms was considered likely due to investor expectations of higher demand for property-liability insurance-related products. I’ve also learned that there are criteria of events to be considered a disaster, According to Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), an event is considered a disaster when it meets at least one of the ff. criteria: i) 10 or more people are killed; ii) 100 or more people are affected; iii) a state of emergency is declared; iv) a call for international assistance was made. A good point on this study that I’ve also learned is that the future work can also consider other events including technological disasters as well as disasters of human origin such as terrorism (man-made disaster). In my own opinion, since investors sell shares at the slightest hint of anything that might impact stocks negatively, and that pushes the stock market down. The reverse is also true— the good news is, the demand for stocks is higher and it motivates shareholders to buy. And as for the effect of natural disaster on the stock market, specifically, I think investors fear, at least in part, that when our country broadcasts or announces some disaster, it will contribute huge sums of money and manpower to disaster aid, and it places a strain on our economy. Overall, Disasters have an insignificant effect on market returns and investors can consider including market movements in measuring the impact of natural disasters, and can come up with disaster-based strategies. This is an interesting study for those who wanted to invest or other stakeholders such as investors to be aware of the extent disasters that can affect market performance for us to make appropriate steps to better manage our portfolio and to be ensured if the market is doing good, resilient or strong. Alissa L. Munez Dr. Trinidad MBA- Colegio de San Juan de Letran Portfolio Management Reaction Paper The Study of Relationship between Asian Stock Exchanges and New York Stock Exchange by Neda Bashiri, Amir Mohammad Zadeh This study investigates the linkages between equity markets of 5 Asian countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and Turkey and those in USA employing correlation analysis and Vector Auto Regressive (VAR). The study of relationship between ASE and NYE gives knowledge of the degrees of relationship and co-movement among international financial markets that can help both individual and corporate investors to manage their portfolios for maximizing their risk and return trade-off. Also,  co-movements between two countries can affect the pattern of the economy. It was learned that the time series are correlated and correlation between markets is positive, which tends to indicate that there is common trend/factor that is driving the markets in the same direction. According to the result in one of this study, the US was found to be the most exogenous. These results are achieved for Asian Markets, USA and Indonesia influence Malaysia. USA also influences Turkey. The Philippines are affected by Malaysia, Indonesia, and USA while Indonesia is affected by Malaysia and the Philippines, while Japan is affected by Malaysia and the USA. This study can help investors to look out for the movement or changes in different financial markets all over Asia. It was learned that there is no stock exchange that can affect the USA stock exchange but actually NYSE influences all developed markets. The explanation for the US is the fact that it is the largest and most dominant market in the world. One of the ideas for this study originates from the fact that globalization is an important trend. Substantial involvement of globalization for the financial markets comes form the Modern Portfolio Theory, which allowed all international investors to diversify globally in order to reduce their portfolio’s risk level to a level lower than their home country’s systematic risk level. In this study, Mentalities causes a great factor on the effect of the movement of the stock market, it was characterized by a lack of individuality, causing people to think and act like the general/major population in the world. Because of this mentality, investors become sensitive regarding on the news of financial crisis in USA and they quickly pull out from financial markets. However, this does not necessarily mean developments in other markets should be completely ignored. Though, this is a great study that we learned the relationship between ASE and NYSE. And learned that the USA returns is a dominant market that influences most markets. Alissa L. Munez Have Filipino Households Become Less Prudent? By Akiko Terada-Hagiwara It’s an interesting study to know why the average household saving rate in the Philippines declined by 5.2 percentage points to about a mere 5 percent disposable income from 1996-2006. By presenting the article based on Surveys, Decomposition Analysis and Estimations it shows the declining savings rate has been due to the reduced precautionary motives as partly expected by development such as the expansion of social security system. I agree that the slow moving income growth is magnified by more extensive coverage of the system to the informal sector employees, which appears to have reduced households’ precautionary savings. According to this article, a number of factors are relevant in affecting the precautionary motive of the Filipino households. First, the Philippines’ Social Security System developed significantly during the 1990’s. Existing studies found that the coverage by social programs, such as disability insurance, unemployment insurance and health insurance is negatively associated with savings. In 1988, only less than half of the Filipino workers were covered by the system. The system now covers 3 out of every 4 workers (75%). This expanded coverage of the SSS implies a reduce need for the younger cohorts to accumulate precautionary savings. I agree with the writer that the demographic factors do not fully explain the declining timesaving rate profile because it was more associated with the changing precautionary motives of Filipino households. The precautionary saving was strong in 1990s when the coverage of SSS is still limited. However, the precautionary motive does not seem to be present in the 2000s. The less prudent behaviors are found to be significant with households with informal sector jobs, but only in the 2000s validating the extended SSS being the major factor affecting the Filipino households’ savings behavior.  Moreover, this impact is found particularly strong with lower income households in 2000s. Just to add another reason why Filipino households’ savings rates declined is our poor spending habits; we wanted to have the latest gadgets and anything that is trending. As for our OFW’s, when they go home for vacation, they spend like a one day millionaire and go back to abroad to earn money and just to repeat the cycle. Also, the Lack of Financial Knowledge, we know that Finance is a very complicated subject. I believe that we should start to invest in our knowledge. And if you ask most Filipinos about where their savings are, most of them will tell you that they keep their money in the Bank. Only few of us know about investments on stocks or mutual funds. Alissa L. Munez Reaction Paper Dynamic Correlation between stock prices and exchange rates by Chin-Hao Lee, Shuh-Chyi Doong and Pei-J Chou This article is interesting because it examined the interaction between stock price and exchange rate and explored their dynamic correlation influenced by the stock market volatility.   The correlation between stock market and foreign exchange market is affected by the stock market volatility. The correlations become higher in Asian emerging countries except in the Philippines when their stock market is volatile. I agree with the writers that this study is particularly important for international investors and managers in diversifying their strategies for improving their investment performance because the correlations between stocks and foreign exchange markets become higher while the stock market volatility increases in Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan, but not in the Philippines. Moreover, based on the findings of this article, investors can hedge risk between stock and foreign exchange markets domestically when the domestic stock market is stable. Otherwise, when stock market becomes volatile, investors diversify their portfolios intentionally for hedging risk since the correlation between stock and foreign exchange rates becomes higher. So it was learned that an international company would certainly be directly affected by currency fluctuations. They will often try to mitigate this with a hedge fund, so any losses they take on one-currency balances with gains on another. I guess the stock price of a company is based on perceived value, not necessarily on the predicted value of their assets and relationships. However, as currency exchange rates are merely indications of the general state of an economy, an issue that would affect a product based company, might or might not show up as a fluctuation in the currency exchange. A financial services company is heavily influenced by exchange rates, but still, the perception of their value, would not immediately be affected. 1. Lean Branch Banking Practice: We are now implementing Lean Branch Banking, where we eliminate â€Å"deposit slip, withdrawal slips and bills payment slips† for Over-the-counter transactions (cash and check deposit/bills payment, withdrawals). For Deposit- Each deposit or bills payment shall be supported by a duly validated slip or transaction receipt. The customer, payor or representative shall confirm the completeness and accuracy of the deposit or bills payment  accepted via the issuance of transaction receipt by signing on the transaction receipt. For Withdrawal- a duly validated Withdrawal/Debit slip or transaction receipt shall support each withdrawal. The processing teller shall ensure the completeness and accuracy of the posted withdrawal. Any alteration on the withdrawal/Debit slip shall be signed FULL by the customer. This was implemented to improve customer experience on making deposit, bills payment or withdrawal by shifting to a paperless process. Recommendation: The Lean Branch Model that was implemented in our company was great but unlike other Banking institutions that provide this kind of services, they use a more systematic and enhance technology. Where clients can be more responsible on doing their own banking transactions. I’ve observed that the implementation of the company’s Lean Branch Banking really improves customer experience because clients just wait their numbers to be called and just dictate their account numbers and amount they need to deposit or to withdraw. The only thing that they will do is to wait and to confirm their transaction before they sign the slip. But there are many instances of misposted transactions or wrong transactions that was overlooked by the teller and was signed by the client. The client did not check his/her transaction and just sign the slip. If not properly handled, such error may result to financial and reputational risk of the bank. So I suggest that, since we’re implementing a Lean Branch Model we should update more on the system and provide queuing machines to the branches. Where their clients could update their own passbooks, check their account balances, etc. inside the bank that can give knowledge on their clients and let them feel the Real Banking Experience. The bank should not limit technology just by providing an online banking transaction outside its branches but must also provide online banking transaction inside the branches. Since we are now in the modern era, where technology is more advance. We need to help one another to be familiarized on how to used this technology for faster, innovative and great banking experience. 2. Gold Members VS. Senior Citizens, PWD’s and Regular Clients Practice: Gold Members are clients with VIP treatment who maintains their PHP100, 000 Average Daily Balance in the bank. They are given a priority queuing just like the senior citizens and PWD’s. There are times that the clients with priority queuing get inside the bank all at once. Because they know that they should be prioritized, they don’t get numbers for queuing and just go directly to the counter for their transaction. Recommendation: Sometimes it just happened that your clients with priority queuing gets inside the bank all at once and will be disappointed if you will tell them to just wait for their turn because there’s a client with the same level of priority that transacts first. This kind of situations must be opened to meetings or huddles on the Quality Circle to mitigate the problem and to maintain the quality service the company wants to implement. There should be a certain person/employee to collect or to receive their transactions so that the process will be discreet by delivering the transaction to the processing teller and it will be delivered back to the client, without requiring the clients to get in line to be able to feel their privileges and importance in the organization. 3. Human Resources Practice: In a branch, there’s limited employees that operates the system (4 employees per branch). There are times that the clients became disappointed on Long Lines, Long waits, etc. and they will notice the number of employees should be increased to give faster service. Since we know that management has a way on determining on how many employees that is needed in a branch to operate, it takes time to wait for a new hire employee that will be given on a certain branch. Recommendation: Since the Company is implementing a Lean Branch Model; they will hire more competent persons to be trained, give sufficient workshops and seminars to help their employees to grow and to be ready on their  assigned tasks. The Company must hire Auxiliary personnel to fill up the gap of a branch office and to prevent future complaints. 4. Trainings Practice: To the Loyal employees of the bank who are working for several years in the company, they are sometimes familiarized on the Job they’re doing and since they almost know all about the operations and the systems of the bank, sometimes they’re having a hard time to understand the new system without the updated trainings and workshops. Recommendation: Give employees the trainings and workshops they deserved especially for those who is working for the company for several years. This is the person who remains loyal to the organization and they must be given training on updated systems and operations. 5. Job Rotation/Employee Rotation Practice: Because there are one-man employees inside the branch, employees are not given a chance to be familiarized on another job to be able to learn how the whole branch operates. There are some instances you need to learn to do another job because your co-worker is sick or you need to be assigned to another branch because there’s also a risk on being familiar or attached to our clients. Recommendation: Job rotation can help employees be more productive. Rotation can raise worker morale because they get to try new jobs, so boredom and burnout are less of a problem. Sometimes employees may be less likely to call in sick, show up late or quit. Employees can also learn skills on one job that can be applied to another job, which helps them perform work more efficiently. This is why cross training increases productivity to the employees.

The Nazi Evangelicalism Nazi Propaganda - 1423 Words

Hargurdev Singh Professor Garoupa English 7 29 September 2014 The Nazi Evangelicalism In 1940 s Europe, many nations were polluted with Nazi propaganda depicting the power and superiority of the German people. Alongside these propaganda posters, Adolf Hitler, the German FÃ ¼hrer, was also portrayed in an angelic light and as an individual that was brought into this world to cleanse it of its sins. He was seen as a god-like figure that could bring this world to what it was supposed to be, a German empire, or the Third Reich. During this time, the Second World War was raging on and the Allies had also adopted the use of emotionally driven propaganda posters and leaflets to show the German FÃ ¼hrer as the enemy they believed him to be. Propaganda from both sides of the war effort was created to psychologically affect those viewing it. Those in Germany and other Nazi-led countries were led to believe that the FÃ ¼hrer was a savior, while those in the Allied opposition denied his being an angelic force. However, questions pertaining to the methodology of such propaganda still remain, such as how could mere posters plastered onto walls have such a strong influence on their viewers, and what beliefs did such influences drive? By breaking down the opposing propaganda posters into three categories - the symbolism within the text, symbolism within the images themselves, and what each image represents for each side - we can infer that personal emotions are what lead people to choose a side

Analysis Of The Tell Tale Heart - 1110 Words

Oftentimes, the most truly despicable villains are marked with indifference towards their moral reprehensibility. â€Å"In the Penal Colony† and â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† both elucidate the idea that corruption, darkness, and immorality alike are unperceivable to the one afflicted. However, while â€Å"In the Penal Colony† suggests that this blind nature is a result of dutiful honor, responsibility, and hope, â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† alternatively submits that it is a result of the possibility of fulfillment. Distinction between both arguments is found in the way setting and atmosphere background the action. Both stories are vague in describing the general location and time of the action. Kafka, however, puts forth some effort in detailing the immediate setting in the scene. He establishes the story within a â€Å"deep†, yet, â€Å"small†, â€Å"sandy valley, closed in on all sides by barren slopes† (Kafka 75). Kafka also notes, â⠂¬Å"apart from the Officer and the Traveler there were present the Condemned†¦and The Soldier...† (Kafka 75). The valley is oxymoronically both â€Å"deep† and â€Å"small†. The uneven and odd composition highlights the peculiarity and alien quality the colony exudes to the Traveler and reader. All that stood out in the valley, both literally and figuratively, was what the Officer dubbed, â€Å"the apparatus† (Kafka 75). The Traveler is made utterly removed from the setting he enters. The isolation of the Traveler standing before the machine and three strangers perpetuates an atmosphereShow MoreRelatedThe Tell Tale Heart Analysis1071 Words   |  5 PagesName: Kabita Budhathoki Class: English 1302-63501 Professor: Derec Moore Date: 10/5/2017 The Tell - Tale Heart The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe which reflects the story of an unnamed narrator about his internal conflict and obsession. This story demonstrates the imagination power of a person and how imagination can affect an individual’s life. Here in this story, the narrator commits a murder of an old man with whom he used to live with an unclearRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart Analysis1295 Words   |  6 PagesKlinger, Sabrina - Midterm Exam Explain the term ‘unreliable narrator’. How does this point of view complicate the plot in Poe’s, The Tell-Tale heart? An unreliable narrator is a narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised whether it be in literature, film or theatre. Such as providing faulty, misleading or distorted details. The narrator in this short story is the killer. We really do not get the opportunity to really know the killer such as his name and what his motive is in killingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart1482 Words   |  6 Pages The Tell-Tale Heart An American Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe Jameka Josephs ENG 145 Prof Barbara Witucki  In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, Edgar Allan Poe illustrates how obsession can quickly turn into madness and destroy its victim and those connected to them. The narrator tries to convince us that he is in full control of his thought yet he is experiencing a condition that causes him to be over sensitive. Throughout the story we can see his obsession proving his insanity. The narrator claimsRead MoreTell Tale Heart Analysis1176 Words   |  5 Pagesespecially famous for his tales of mystery and macabre. A popular dark short story, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† and one of his first and most famous poems, â€Å"The Raven,† are no exception. â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is a story of murder narrated by the culprit himself, while â€Å"The Raven† is a melancholy poem about a distraught lover and a talking raven. The reason why the two works are so well known is because of the effect of Poe’s excellent use of literary devices. Throughout â€Å"The Tell -Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Raven,†Read MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart1075 Words   |  5 Pagesabout killing someone? Maybe it was just an irritating person at school or work that caused these thoughts. Or maybe it was the way that person talked or the way in which they carried themselves. The narrator in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, has a problem with the old man with whom he lives. The problem is not about the old man himself, but instead the elder’s â€Å"Evil Eye† (692). After a week of spying on the old man, the narrator ends up killing him because of his eye. Why kill anotherRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tell Tale Heart1092 Words   |  5 PagesThe tale of the heart In the short story, â€Å" The Tell Tale Heart† written by Edgar Allen Poe the insane narrator tells us about the murdering he committed. Because the narrator saw the man and his cataract eye as evil, he thus killed the man. To start with, The narrator would go into his room every night at midnight to see when it is a good time to kill him. The narrator would go into his room every night at midnight to see when it is a good time to kill him. â€Å" Gradually- I made up my mind to takeRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart Analysis856 Words   |  4 PagesIn the story The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, The author puts a lot of emphasis on the heart. But what can we infer about the heart? In the story Poe’s character claims to the audience that he was very nervous about the situation but was not insane. He claimed to have a ‘disease’ that made his hearing extra sensitive.   Every night the narrator suspiciously stalks this old man who has this mysterious blu e eye with a film over it. The narrator soon feels entrapped by this eye and decides toRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart Analysis778 Words   |  4 PagesAll throughout Edgar Allen Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† the reader follows along as the narrator explains the eight days where he plotted against the old man. During this explanation, the readers forms an opinion on if the narrator is a calculated killer or mentally insane. It is understandable why some people might think that the narrator is a calculated killer because of the planning that the narrator mentions. However, there are more scenes where the narrator can be interpreted as being mentallyRead More The Tell-Tale Heart: An Analysis Essay908 Words   |  4 PagesThe Tell-Tale Heart: An Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Edgar Allan Poe’s short-story, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† the storyteller tries to convince the reader that he is not mad. At the very beginning of the story, he asks, ...why will you say I am mad? When the storyteller tells his story, its obvious why. He attempts to tell his story in a calm manner, but occasionally jumps into a frenzied rant. Poes story demonstrates an inner conflict; the state of madness and emotional break-down that the subconsciousRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Tell Tale Heart 1072 Words   |  5 PagesMason Wright Professor Ward English 1101 Oct 2nd, 2015 Literary Analysis: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe In Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, a story is told of a man whom is not named but I willrefer to as the narrator. The narrator is often quite nervous, however the man tells that â€Å"the disease has sharpened my senses- -not destroyed- -not dulled them†. The narrator tells of an old man, whom the narrator loves, but he plans to kill the old man, for the old man has what the narrator

Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim offered differing...

Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim offered differing perspectives on the role of religion. Choose the theorist whose insights you prefer and outline how they perceived religion operating socially. Discuss why you chose your preferred theorists views over the others. Marx, Durkheim and Weber each had different sociological views of the role and function of Religion. My preferred theorists view’s on Religion is Karl Marx’s as I feel his ideas are more relevant to what Religion actually is. And I have chosen Marx’s theory on Religion as I feel that it is the most similar to my own views on the subject. His views are more interesting to me as I don’t practise any Religion and his views expand on†¦show more content†¦Durkheim’s theories make sense and are for me a nice and fluffy way of looking at Religion, but I have a feeling that if he were to see the route Religion has gone down in modern society would he still feel the same about the majority of Religions, for example the scandal’s in the Catholic church over the past forty years that are only really surfacing now. And Weber’s thoughts were more rational as that what was expected of people was to keep their heads down and they would even tually be rewarded with Heaven. Even if in today’s society more numbers are in decline of practicing religion, Marx’s views on the subject are definitely the most valid. There expectations of people may not be as extreme as they were back in the 1800’s of their followers as they are now, but of the three, Marx’s views are the most realistic of what Religion truly is. His ability to see what religion was actually doing to people’s lives back then is remarkable and for his words to still have such relevance now in modern society shows that he was extremely perceptive of society. Marxism also assumes that Religion will eventually disappear and for someone to envisage that from over one hundred years ago is clearly someone who knew what they were talking about. And that is why I chose Marx. Bibliography. MacDonald.,B (2006) An Introduction to Sociology in Ireland, 2nd Edition, Dublin, Gill

Midtermquestion obesity Free Essays

Generally, much of the blame for obesity’s widespread existence in Western society is placed upon poor lifestyle. In the case of the former, the increasing pervasiveness of a sedentary lifestyle, characterized by long periods of inactivity (such as sitting in an office) with little to no exercise, in addition to a decreasing amount of leisure time being spent on physical activity, as opposed to video games and television viewing. (Bleich, et. We will write a custom essay sample on Midtermquestion obesity or any similar topic only for you Order Now al., 2007) In the case of the latter, over-eating remains a problem, despite advances in nutritional awareness. Additionally, the increasing reliance on fast-food meals, with their energy dense composition, have quadrupled the calorie intake of the average American over the period between 1977 and 1995.   (Lin, et. al., 1999) Genetics also play a part in the development of obesity. Excess calorie intake and how it translates into body mass is affected by various factors such as the genes which regulate metabolism, appetite and adipokine. Additionally, there are various genetic conditions that have been identified as symptomatized by obesity (e.g. Bardet-Biedl syndrome, leptin receptor mutations and MOMO syndrome). Farooqi O’Rahilly (2006) have also noted that obesity has a hereditary component. Chakravarthy Booth (2004) have also theorized that certain ethnicities may be more prone to obesity, as an evolutionary means of taking advantage of abundance in between long periods of food scarcity. As such, the genetic disposition towards obesity is an advantage in surviving famine, but a maladaptive trait in a society with food stability. Obesity may also be affected by medical illnesses such as Cushing’s syndrome, growth hormone deficiency and hypothyroidism. The treatment of some illnesses may also lead to fluctuations in weight, as a side effect of medication taken (e.g. antipsychotics, fertility meds). Quitting smoking has also been recognized as a cause of moderate weight gain, due to the resulting loss of appetite suppression. Also, some psychological disorders such as bulimia or binge disorders contribute direct risks of obesity. The mechanisms of neurobiology also contribute to the development of obesity. In addition to leptin (which regulates the intake and expenditure of energy) substances such as ghrelin (which regulates short-term appetite) are linked with the maintenance of obesity. (Flier, 2004). Other such substances include adiponectin which regulates glucose, cholecystokinin which stimulates the digestion of fat and protein, and PYY 3-36 which responds to food intake by reducing appetite. Finally, social determinants contribute to obesity by significantly affecting the habits formed that contribute to obesity. In a 2004 study, it was noted that there was an inverse correlation between wealth and obesity, suggesting that lower income individuals rely on cheaper fast food for nourishment. (Zagorsky, 2004). Also, a 2007 study followed more than 32,500 individuals over a span of 32 years and found that changes in body mass of friends, and siblings were reliable predictors of changes in subjects, regardless of geographical distance, suggesting that the acceptance of one’s body mass has an influence on changes in body size. (Christakis Fowler, 2007) REFERENCES Bleich, S., Cutler, D., Murray, C. Adams, A. (2007) Why Is The Developed World Obese?. Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 29. Retrieved May 5, 2008 from: http://www.nber.org/papers/w12954.pdf Lin, B.H., Guthrie, J. Frazao E. (1999) â€Å"Nutrient contribution of food away from home†. In: Frazao, E. (Ed). America’s Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 750, US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Washington, DC, pp. 213–239. Farooqi, S., O’Rahilly, S. (2006) Genetics of obesity in humans. Endocrine Review, Volume 27. Chakravarthy, M.V., Booth, F.W. (2004). Eating, exercise, and â€Å"thrifty† genotypes: connecting the dots toward an evolutionary understanding of modern chronic diseases. Journal of Applied Physiology, Volume 96. Flier, J.S. (2004). Obesity wars: molecular progress confronts an expanding epidemic. Cell, Volume 116, Issue 2, pp. 337-350. Zagorsky, J.L. (2004) Is Obesity as Dangerous to Your Wealth as to Your Health? Res Aging Volume 26, pp. 130-152. Christakis, N.A., Fowler, J.H. (2007) The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years.†       How to cite Midtermquestion obesity, Essay examples

Basic Sccounting Principles

Question: Discuss about the Basic Sccounting Principles. Answer: The four principles of financial accounting are as follow : 1.Relevance:The accounting principle states that to be relevant the financial statements must be prepared timely. The characteristics of relevant financial statements are that they must be understandable, timely, useful and needed for making decisions. 2.Comparability: One of the main purposes of financial statement is that the statement of one financial year must be comparable to another year, so that the company can evaluate the change in performance over the years. So, this is possible only when consistent accounting principles are used to prepare the statements over the years. 3.Materiality: Size and importance are the main criteria of materiality concept. A small petty cash expense may be immaterial to a big company and they might not record it but for a company which has a small turnover, this expense may be significant and material to the company. 4.Conservatism: Conservatism principle states that losses and expenses to be recorded as soon as they are accrued but the profits and assets to be recorded only when they are realised. The main aim of the principle is to show lower profits in the balance sheet because the revenues and assets may be delayed. It is very important to keep records of inventory, to find out quantity of goods in hand for effective working of a company. Two such methods are used to keep the track know as periodic method and perpetual inventory system. The main differences between them are as follow: 1.In the perpetual inventory system the transaction of inventory movement are recorded as and when it happens where as in periodic inventory system, the movement of inventories are recorded at periodic intervals. 2.In perpetual inventory system the activity of the business is not affected where as in periodic inventory system the operation of the business needs to be stopped at the time of valuation. 3.In periodic method a separate purchase account is used to record the purchases where as in perpetual method a common inventory account is maintained to record the purchases and sales. 4.Though perpetual inventory system is far more efficient, reliable and preciseas compared to periodic inventory system but it is also more expensive than the latter method. 5.Book records are the basis of perpetual inventory system where as physical verification is the basis of periodic inventory system. 6.Real time information of the inventory as well as the cost of sales is provided by the perpetual inventory system where as information about inventory and cost of goods sold are provided by the periodic inventory system. 7.Businesses which are small and have high sales frequency then periodic system of inventory can be expensive where as businesses of nature where sales volume is low then easy tracking of inventory can be done as per periodic method. Four important users of financial accounting are as follows: Owners and investors: The owners and investors are one of the most important users. The owners need to study, analyse and compare the financial statements of different years to make future decisions and to see whether the company is going on the right track or not. Investors always analyse a companys financial accounts before investing their money as they want the assurance that they will get a fair return in future of what they are investing today. They basically study the risk and return relationship of a company and to force whether the company will be able to pay dividends to them. Lenders and Creditors: A company raises finance from banks and financial institutions to run its operations. They study the financial accounts to know the liquidity of the firms to see whether the firm will be able to repay the loan and interest due at the time of maturity. Creditors are generally the suppliers which sell the goods to their customers on credit terms. They need to know the short term liquidity, cash flows and other aspects of an organisation to see whether they will be repaid or not. They set the terms of credit based on the customers past performance and their financial status. Employees: The better a company performs; the better it is for the employees. Employees are direct beneficiaries of a companys performance. They need to know the future prospects of their employment in the current company and also stability of their pension and retirement funds. They try to assess whether a company will expand, merge or any other major step which would directly affect their job security. Government: A company is required to follow many rules and regulations to perform in a desired manner. The tax authorities are interested to know the tax amount due and whether they have been paying the sufficient amount or not. They also use the financial accounts to get a knowhow of the performance of the economy and to make required financial and industrial decisions. Nowadays government also keeps a check whether a company is following the required corporate social responsibility or not as it is believed that because they are using the societys resources, they should also work towards it. After my graduation I would like to pursue MBA in Finance. Big four refers to the largest accounting firms in the world. They are Pricewaterhouse Coopers(PwC), Delloitte, Ernst Young(EY), Klynveld Peat Warwick Goerdeler(KPMG). They provide auditing and accounting services all over the world. They are also the certified public accounting(CPA) firms and thereby the publicly traded U.S. companies get their auditing done by these firms. The size of the Big 5 Company is much smaller as compare to the size of each Big Four companies. These firms also provide tax advises and other management and assurance services. The main functions of these Big four companies are: Consulting: They generally advise the firms on the implementation of their accounting process and system. Now they focus on more strategic areas like mergers, acquisition and their business strategy. Audit: Auditing is the core area where these Big4 companies work. Their independent team of accountants review the financial information to check whether there is fair presentation of information or not. After the completion of their work, they generate an opinion in relation to the financial statements. Tax: Big4 companies help their clientele to prepare their financial information in such a way that they will have to bear the minimum tax-costs. In U.S the tax procedure are cumbersome and also there are heavy penalties for non compliance of regulations. So, these companies also help them in filing their returns. Transactions: by transactions we mean activities like mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs etc. Big4 companies help in various activities before such transactions and also to facilitate such transactions. Like they review the firm which is to be acquired or merged with, they build a valuation model and other activities. References Basic accounting principles, viewed 19 January 2017, https://www.accountingtools.com/basic-accounting-principles Comparability/consistency, viewed 19 January 2017, https://accounting-simplified.com/financial-accounting/accounting-concepts-and-principles/comparability.html Jan, I, Perpetual vs. periodic inventory system, viewed 19January 2017, https://accountingexplained.com/financial/inventories/perpetual-vs-periodic-system Ingram, D, Difference between perpetual and periodic inventory system, viewed 19 January 2017, https://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-perpetual-periodic-inventory-system-3224.html Who are the big4?, viewed 19 January 2017, https://www.big4guide.net/who-are-the-big-4/ Kolakowski, M 2016, Big four public accounting firms, viewed 19 January 2017, https://www.thebalance.com/big-four-public-accounting-firms-1287328