Monday, September 30, 2019

Marriott Cost of Capital Essay

Our objective was to find the hurdle rates for Marriott’s three divisions and for the firm as a whole. Marriott should find the hurdle rates for its divisions separately because its divisions operate in separate industries and therefore face different business risks. Marriott’s vice president says that increasing the hurdle rate by 1% would decrease the present value of project inflows by 1%. Since finding appropriate hurdle rates is critical to accepting or rejecting projects, Marriott should be precise by calculating and using division-specific rates on division-specific projects. We used the WACC method so that our hurdle rates would reflect appropriate cost of debt and cost of equity, as explained in our subsequent analysis. We found Marriott’s hurdle rates: 8.646% for hotels, 10.94% for restaurants, 11.094% for contracts, and 9.688% for the entire company. Marriott should use the division-specific hurdle rates when evaluating division-specific projects. Using the overall WACC to evaluate a project in the restaurant industry, for example, could cause Marriott to incorrectly accept a project, which would destroy wealth. Our analysis also led us to evaluate Marriott’s four financial growth objectives. First, we found that by managing instead of owning hotel assets, Marriott was able to hedge its risks in the currently volatile economy. Second, we were concerned that Marriott’s strategy of maximizing shareholder wealth by treating its projects like â€Å"similar little boxes† instead of using division-specific hurdle rates would decrease shareholder value.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

High School and School Valedictorian Competition Essay

In the essay, â€Å"The Joy of Graduating† by Kate Stone Lombardi, describes the traditional high school valedictorian competition with the most prestigious students. The fight for the position of valedictorian has intensified over the years. Danielle Gorman, an elected valedictorian at Moorestown High School in New Jersey, was quoted by Lombardi of the qualifications and standards it took to become valedictorian. The traits Gorman describes common to valedictorians were taking on too much and are unwilling to fail. I think that Gorman’s assessment is reasonable because many people who strive to become valedictorian take on â€Å"more than they can chew† by taking multiple advanced placement classes to extracurricular activities in and outside of school. My senior class in high school had very competitive students when it came down to ASB or any student elections. Each student who participated was usually the overachiever; they took multiple AP classes, team captains of the sports’ teams, and public speakers for all school events. Each student tried to work harder and prove that he or she could attempt to accomplish more than one another. The students knew that having the title in high school would set them apart from everyone else so that they could have a higher ranking along with using their popularity to their advantage in gaining that title. The idea of getting this title would overwhelm students so much that it would cause more stress on themselves on top of the classes they were already taking. Because of our school’s competitiveness it was difficult to decide one individual for valedictorian. When it was time to decide who would become the valedictorian, there were two top students whom our class thought would fit the winning spot. One of the students was a girl named Asal, who was elected senior class president for ASB. The other student was a boy named Henock, who was also elected in ASB but for the school president. Both students had superb grades close to a 5. 0 gpa and they both participated in every on and off campus school event. Each of them had many responsibilities. They each would do their part to help the school community when it came to any projects or tutoring. They set a great example for the student body to look up to. They wounded up the crowds during athletic games and pep rallies with incredible school spirit. They each would help come up with ideas and themes for dances, along with helping our school clubs with fundraisers and events such as blood drives. They would help put up flyers and make announcements to make the students aware of fundraisers and activities that were constantly going on at school. They would try to help get the whole school more involved by creating fun games and contests going on during lunch to make sure that everyone felt like they were a part of something no matter what grade level they were in. They had all this pressure coming down on them with all these school activities, along with their school work. They felt the need to accomplish these tasks in order to get into their dream college so this would help them feel a little more secure that they would be accepted. It was incredible that they were able to complete these tasks as full time students and it must have been mentally and physically exhausting. Our student body recognized their hard work and accomplishments so we naturally put them on a pedestal. The senior class knew that one of these remarkable scholars could be elected valedictorian. I personally encountered experiences with them both on how stressful it was for them to undertake so many duties. I had a couple of classes with each of the presidents, and I started to witness each of them become more stressed out as more and more talk went around the school about who would become the valedictorian. They took the initiative to work ten times harder in class and pushed to receive perfect scores on tests and projects to raise their overall grade, so their percentage would help raise their gpa. They took on so many extracurricular activities that they had no social life outside of school and struggled to keep up with everything going on. They were pushing themselves to the limit to be the best they could be. This soon turned into a chaotic competition between the two most prestigious students in our senior class. Once graduation day had finally arrived, we were anxious to see whose hard work and commitment had paid off. Everyone was sitting in their assigned seats, clothed in their cap and gown anxiously waiting for the speeches to be presented. I was looking around the stage to see who was chosen for the class valedictorian, but I couldn’t seem to spot out Henock or Asal anywhere. The principal was the first to give out the welcome speech. He presented a few awards and gave out some words of wisdom to the present senior class. Finally, at the end of his speech he announced that it was time to name our senior class’ valedictorian. Everyone moved around their seats anxiously trying to see who would be honored with this great achievement. The principal then surprised us with a statement none of us expected. There were to be two valedictorians honored this year because of their outstanding gpa and wide variety of extracurricular activities. Henock and Asal both gained the winning spot that they were each competing for. These two candidates spent their high school career taking various AP courses and being active participants in the school community in order to set themselves apart from the crowd and gained the honorable title of valedictorian. Little did they know that apparently their gpa’s were only a hundredth of a point apart. The principal explained that Henock actually had the overall higher gpa, but he felt that because of Asal’s hard work and effort she should deserve the same recognition. Needless to say our whole senior class was pretty shocked. We noticed how hard working and competitive these two had gotten to try to be valedictorian and yet both of them received the winning spot. Our school traditionally only had one valedictorian chosen each year so it caught us off guard that there were two valedictorians. It was ironic that they were both competing so hard against one another when all this hard work they accomplished still got them the credit they deserved. When the speeches were to be given out by our two valedictorians, I was expecting for Henock and Asal to compete for a better speech as well because I thought that since there is traditionally one valedictorian, they would still try to go head to head at who could give a better and more inspiring speech. But to my surprise they each gave out their congratulatory response to one another within their speech. In Henock’s speech, he acknowledged that Asal was a great inspiration and motivation for him to try harder in his classes and to exceed even his own expectations because that was how he perceived how she was in her classes. He admitted that he looked up to her with great respect and that she definitely deserved to be valedictorian whether or not he was chosen with her. Asal was very grateful and said a few great admiring words about him to show her appreciation towards him and his hard work. The fact that my high  school had two valedictorians did seem to be out of the ordinary for my senior class, but it certainly was deserved to the right people. Danielle Gorman describes the traits of a valedictorian to take one more tasks and harder classes with the drive to not fail. My classmates Henock and Asal indeed had that drive and it paid off well for the both of them and they each were appreciative that they got to share that number one spot with each other. Although they went head to head with each other trying to achieve the same goal, they were in it to win it and they did.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Immigrants and nativism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Immigrants and nativism - Essay Example This political party would oppress any immigrants for the existing job for the Native Americans (Bennett 179). During the potato famine in the mid 19th century, a huge wave of nativism took part in unite states after the migration of Irish Catholics to the country. Petitions to the congress from the northeastern state suggesting that the immigrants right to vote be limited. The Irish Catholics were barred from holding any public office across many states when the constitution became the law of the land in 1806. In Massachusetts and other colonies by the 1870s, a celebration of Guy Fawkes Day was done by burning the pope in effigy. Allegiance to the pope was viewed to bring political unrest in America by the natives. A national nativist movement was organized by November 1837 by anti-Catholics. With the increase in numbers of immigrants between 1820s-1850s, there was reinforcement of economic, social, and political concern in New York and other points was done. A native majority select committee in the House of Representatives endorsed legislation extending the naturalization period for all the immigrants especially the Irish Catholics who they deemed as uneducated, superstitious and dominated by their priests (Bennett, 174). Though, with much support, the legislation did not pass. A lot of legal restriction soon followed all trying to oppress the immigrants and even trying to get rid of

Friday, September 27, 2019

Artical report Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Artical report - Article Example The author has reflected that such theory of human behavior should encompass within its scope manifold issues, including layers of analysis from individual to organizational and social, harmony with current understanding of social and biological sciences, ability for empirical testing, universal cultural applicability and lucidity of the theory so that it can be taught and used easily (Stark 131). The author, in the context of arguing about the importance of a unified theory of human behavior, has adopted a quite well structured form and also has provided considerable focus over four major driving forces that mainly determine nature of human behavior. However, understanding the driving forces and their role in construction of human behavior would not have been easy unless prior to the section he has provided a brief explanation about â€Å"Evolution of the brain† (Stark 131). In this section the author has shown that evolution of human brain is mainly responsible to determine behavior of individuals and their choice of actions, â€Å"†¦evolution has selected several innate skills for human including habitat selection, food selection, danger awareness, intuitive psychology, orientation, justice, and an ability to remember important people† (Stark 132). The limbic part of human brain specifies and differentiates â€Å"incoming sensory messages† (Stark 132) and human beings, consecutively, also respond to those impulses depending on their needs. The author’s emphasis on this functional aspect of brain explains the necessity for human beings in the context of acquiring, learning, bonding and defending themselves. Aftermath, the author has explained the four drives, which he considers as the main forces in determining human behavior. The D1 or Drive to Acquire is the first force that determines instinct of human beings in the context of acquiring certain basic

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Enterprise Resource Planning HW Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enterprise Resource Planning HW - Research Paper Example The paper concludes with the most practical strategy to guarantee that the best ERP option is made available according to a company’s business needs. Enterprise Resource Planning System 3 Enterprise Resource Planning System One must consider the scale the drive â€Å"Enterprise Resource Planning† (ERP) vendors in order to understand these vendors’ sales tactics. Millions of dollars are invested by big players such as Oracle/PeopleSoft, SAP, Microsoft, and SYSPRO --- to name some --- to develop ERP systems (Dowlatshahi, 2005, p.3745). For these vendors, CD copy of the system is just minimal capital; therefore closed deals for implementations of these systems gain them absolute profit. It should be of no surprise to see these vendors exhaust all means to close deals with potential clients, since there is a lot of profit at stake (Fulla, 2007, p.35). Some companies report being given trips to the vendor’s headquarters, luxurious meals and accommodations, and transport by stretch limos (Dowlatshahi, 2005, p.3747). These are all part of a vendor’s strategy in wooing clients to buy their ERP system. Basically, these ERP systems are similar in their fundamental functionalities in business processes management. Therefore, to sell a product, vendors must establish their product’s superiority over other ERP systems available in the market. The danger here is the vendor’s inclination to make outrageous claims regarding their ERP system. Some vendors publicize the advanced functionality of their system, some vouch for the ease of use, while others offer money-back guarantees of up to millions of dollars if their system fails to double other company’s ERP system performance (Fulla, 2007, p.36). ERP vendors even try to sell extra technical and consultation support aside from their software licenses. Final quotes may include consulting and programming assistance of up to thousands of hours. However, companies should be a ware that there are usually fees for this consulting assistance, and it may be easier to find cheaper open market services (Fulla, 2007, p.38). Enterprise Resource Planning System 4 Choosing a Vendor The ERP market has developed to make the products provide the fundamental needs of a typical business. For instance, the big players have general ledgers as well as purchase and sales ledgers than they can offer to financial departments of several companies. However, these standardized systems create confusion among buyers. This is why a vendor’s reputation plays a vital role in the selection of a system to be implemented in a company. There are helpful criteria that aid in addressing the major issues in evaluating which vendor to buy from. First, the vendor should be able to offer live demonstrations. A previous survey showed that a good demo is seen as the most useful criteria in choosing the correct ERP system for the company. Vendor policies should also be given consideration , particularly regarding version upgrades or system updates. Vendors should also be able to present a list of solid references that will vouch for the excellent performance of their proposed system. On this part however, buyers should request for information on failed implementations by the vendors. Areas of failure may be more worthy to evaluate compared to areas of successes, which most vendors will flaunt. Credibility also plays a vital role in choosing the appropriate system for a company. For example, SAP

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

What are the main differences between Monopolistic Competition and Essay

What are the main differences between Monopolistic Competition and Oligopoly market structuresWhich of these market structures best serves the interests of the consumer and why - Essay Example In this type of market structure the firm takes the price charged by the competitors as given and does not take into consideration the impact of its price on that of competitors. In the short run the firms operating in monopolistic market can act as monopolies but in the long run the other firms enter into the market and the gains of differentiation takes the downward sloping curve with competition. Oligopoly is regarded as the market structure where there are large firms operating in the market with significant barriers to entry. The oligopolists are aware of the conditions prevailing in the market as the market is dominated by only few sellers. The decision undertaken by one firm will influence the other firms operating in the market as well as the market as a whole. The decision or the responses of the market participants should be taken into account in the planning process. The prevailing competition in the market structure can give rise different outcomes. An operating firm in the oligopolistic firm can maximise the profit by operating at the level where marginal revenue is same as marginal costs. Differences The primary differences between the two types of market structures are in terms of relative size and control of the market of each firm on the basis of the number of competitors in the existing market structure. It is difficult to find clear cut evidences that cite the differences between the two market structures. Some industries can posses the characteristics of both oligopoly and monopolistic firm. With decrease in the level of competition the firms tend to behave more likely to that of oligopoly and less likely to that of monopolistic competition. The monopolistic market structure offers differentiated products. The suppliers are aware of the price system existing in the market i.e. they are the price makers. The barriers to entry are not stringent in the short run but in the long run the firms can enter or leave the industry. The sellers can act in independent fashion within the market. The demand curve slopes downward and is more elastic than that of monopolists (Economics, 2012). The firms operating in the oligopolistic market structure are interdependent. The products offered can be homogeneous as well as can be differentiated across producers. The interdependence among the firms is correlated with the homogeneity of the products. A huge amount of investment is usually associated with entry in the oligopolistic market. In this market structure the firms can collude and impose some restricted trade practices with the aim to raise prices. The profit of the industry is maximized with the collusion of firms. If one firm believes that the other firm will keep the output level constant it can raise the productivity so as to gain maximum revenue. In a situation characterised by cartel the firms can recognize the significance of joint profits from producing each unit of output. However if one firm believes that the other firm will increase the level of productivity, then the other firm will try to increase the productivity faster to gain the first mover advantage (Central Washington University, 2003, p. 3). In this situation the cartel will broke. The significance of market structures on interests of consumers As long as the consumers are happy in demanding one product regardless of the prices of other products the seller o f the product will be acting as a

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Efficient Market Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Efficient Market Theory - Essay Example Any information, whether published or insider, will reflect in the prices instantly. This hypothesis presupposes that there is no question of under or overvaluation in the market and it is impossible to outperform the market by making abnormal profits in the stock exchanges. It is also pertinent to note that higher returns are associated with higher risks, and the factors affecting performance of a stock could vary from political risks, acquisitions and mergers, crisis of various sorts to fluctuations in other markets, and it may be difficult for the market forces to adjust to the impact of these factors instantly. Objectives This paper seeks to study and analyze the secondary sources with reference to the following questions relevant to efficient markets theory: 1. Is the Efficient Market theory true? 2. Is there any need for technical or fundamental analysis in efficient markets? Efficient Market Theory If beating the market is impossible, how come Warren Buffet is consistent in ou tperforming the market? There are so many mutual fund and portfolio managers giving consistent performance in the stock markets, which is not possible according to this theory. There is always scope for outperforming the markets thorough experience, expertise, intuition and discipline. The efficient market is an ideal situation which is hardly achieved in the real life. For example, Muhammad, N. M. N. and Rahman, N. M. N. A. (2010, p. 35) writes â€Å"EMH states that security prices fully reflect all available information and will immediately adjust to the arrival of new information (Adam, 2004). However, since market was closed on both Saturday and Sunday, it was argued that investors cannot do anything with the market even though they got some information during the weekend†. The equilibrium in the market is always disturbed by so many factors including psychological factors such as over confidence of the investors or over reaction to the market forces. Sharma, A. (2009, p. 37) states â€Å"Various studies have been conducted worldwide on stock market reaction to public announcements. Market’s reaction to such publicly available information is very swift. Inefficiency in the market exists when investors envisage such information before it is formally announced and earn abnormal returns†. Greed and fear are the motivating forces of the markets many a times, and rational approach to the investment or trading takes the backseat. Sudden crashes in the markets are nothing to do with fair value, and the market sentiments driven by so many factors rudely shakeup the very fundamental concept of this theory. Consequently, the question of under or overvaluation to the stock arises in the markets. Park, A. (2010, p. 365) states that one of the implications of the weak-form EMH is that prices are submartingale, or, more loosely, they are a random walk. Consequently, a so-called technical analysis, which is the extraction of information about the fut ure movement of prices from past prices, should have no merit. In real life situations, perfect efficiency in the market place is unrealistic, and it also depends upon accuracy of the information, cost of the information, the efficiency of the information transmission and the risk-return reward in taking decisions based on the information. Livanas, J. (2006, p. 28) argues how can the market be efficient when investors seem to make decisions that perhaps are rational – but only within bounds? When the investors make decisions in an irrational manner, which is in line with the human behavior, it will be difficult to rely on a

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Arkansas State Lottery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Arkansas State Lottery - Essay Example Based on a US 2003 Report, Arkansas ranked only 43rd in academic achievement among the 48 contiguous states in U.S. The National Education Association in 2002, meanwhile, rated Arkansan teachers' salaries at 41st place, pegged at no more than $36,962 per year. Additionally, the American Legislature Council bemoans that spending per pupil in the state is $5,764, roughly 25 percent lower than the national average of $7,557 per student (Muck). Local supporters of the lottery, hence, claim that returns drawn from the lottery would, by way of improving cash flows, facilities, technologies, and the overall serviceability of the institution, uplift the lagging educational system in the Arkansan state. Lottery money can also plug income and funding gaps critical to the overall maintenance and expansion of institutional development programs3. One such lottery supporter, Sandy Garrett, Oklahoma's state superintendent of public education, recounted that the expansion of the local scholarship program in Georgia was augured by its vigorous state lottery, and captured more fluently by its HOPE Program4. These scholarships had enabled several average or "B" students in high school land into top state-universities sans any significant financial burden (Muck). On a more On a more practical light, Rep. Shirley Walters-Greenwood of Arkansas explained that in-situ lotteries can generate savings. She mentioned that scores of people from Arkansas travel interstate to play lottery in presumably more palatable and less notorious gaming venues such as billiards halls, bingo sprees and casinos. Likewise, crossing states impose additional costs for gas and travel, and compel Arkansan

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Consequences Of Noncompliance With The AEDA Lessons To Be Learned Essay

Consequences Of Noncompliance With The AEDA Lessons To Be Learned - Essay Example That is why Congress first passed in 1967 what has come to be known as The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, with subsequent amendments and ruling which would follow as the years passed. According to the online page for The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it has this to say about the congressional act, "The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age. The ADEA's protections apply to both employees and job applicants. Under the ADEA, it is unlawful to discriminate against a person because of his/her age with respect to any term, condition, or privilege of employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments, and training," (Equal Employment #1). In understanding this law, it is crucial to understand the facts behind it. According to this group, this act covers employers who have 20 or more employees, and also happens to cover both state and local governments. The group goes on to say that the protections for such persons under the act are as such: "It is generally unlawful for apprenticeship programs, including joint labor-management apprenticeship programs, to discriminate on the basis of an individual's age. Age limitations in apprenticeship programs are valid only if they fall within certain specific exceptions under the ADEA or if the EEOC grants a specific exemption." Job Notices and Advertisements "The ADEA generally makes it unlawful to include age preferences, limitations, or specifications in job notices or advertisements. A job notice or advertisement may specify an age limit only in the rare circumstances where age is shown to be a "bona fide occupational qualification" (BFOQ) reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the business." Pre-Employment Inquiries "The ADEA does not specifically prohibit an employer from asking an applicant's age or date of birth. However, because such inquiries may deter older workers from applying for employment or may otherwise indicate possible intent to discriminate based on age, requests for age information will be closely scrutinized to make sure

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Shylock Is a Jew in a Predominantly Christian Society Essay Example for Free

Shylock Is a Jew in a Predominantly Christian Society Essay Question: ‘Shylock is a Jew in a predominantly Christian society just as Othello is†¦living in a predominantly white society. But unlike Othello, Shylock rejects the Christian community as firmly as it rejects him.’ (W.H. Auden, ‘The Dyer’s Hand’, 1963. Quoted in ‘Shakespeare’s Comedies’, edited by Lerner, Penguin 1967.) In light of the above quotation, compare and contrast Shakespeare’s presentation of prejudice, considering how audiences of different periods might react to it. (2000 words) Shylock’s presentation of prejudice has been received in immeasurably different ways by audiences of different generations, and the portrayal of the attitudes of Shylock and Othello towards their intolerant societies are ones that still arguably offer a valuable view towards prejudice in our present-day societies. ‘Shylock is a Jew’. Four words from the above quotation which arguably encapsulate the main running theme throughout the whole of The Merchant of Venice. From a Venetian viewpoint, Shylock is a Jew; therefore he is different; therefore we will exclude him. Shakespeare shows this through many different examples, from the racist views expressed by ‘good Antonio’, to the expressions used by the high courts of Venice; the Christian community expressing a certain divide and prejudice towards Shylock and the Jewish minority. This ‘rejection’ of the Jews is notably explored in the views expressed by Antonio early on in the play, when the loan of ‘three thousand ducats’ is negotiated. Bassanio attempts to convince Shylock through kind words and offers of dinner- the ‘Christian’ way of kindness; possibly the only instance of kindness offered to Shylock throughout the entire play. However, as soon as Antonio enters, the tone chan ges; Shylock goes from being referred to as ‘sir’ by Bassanio to ‘The devil’ by Antonio. Antonio would ‘spit on thee again’, and this particular example highlights that, despite the fact Antonio is attempting to receive a loan from Shylock, prejudice is still inherent in his every word and action. The Christian community ‘rejects’ Shylock, no matter what he may do of benefit to them; and, as a result, is rejected in like. The harsh treatment Shylock receives (such as curfew and a barrage of cuss-words) is reflected in the way that he ‘rejects the Christian community as firmly as it rejects him’; for example, when offered dinner, Shylock launches into an expletive, hate-fuelled speech about Christianity, claiming that pork is ‘the habitation which your prophet the Nazarite conjured the devil into’, and firmly stating that he ‘will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you’. Shylock is rejecting the Christian community with every moral fibre in his body, and seems to only take the bond of Antonio to hold some kind of leverage above him, namely the term of ‘the forfeit/ Be nominated for an equal pound/ Of your fair flesh’; a foolishly agreed term that is taken full advantage of. Shylock is treated harshly, and as a result takes full advantage of the fact that legally he can kill Antonio; thus rejecting the Christian community. Othello, however, is the polar opposite of Shylock’s ‘stand-alone’ attitude; though being the outsider ‘in a predominantly white society’, he attempts to fit in, and be loved by the aristocratic Venetians. Shakespeare presents the prejudice inherent in Venetian society in a slightly different way; though Shylock and Othello both are used by the ‘majorities’, and thrown out when not needed, Shakespeare presents a play that explores the prejudice through a different angle. Othello is the war-hardy soldier needed by the whole of Venetian society to fight the Turkish aggressors, who angers Venetian society by taking a white woman; Shylock is a Jew whose possessions are needed by Antonio alone, who angers Venetian society by daring to claim what is rightfully his. In Othello the audience receives an impression that, though Iago is manoeuvring everybody towards his own aims, Othello is clearly in the wrong when murdering his wife; therefore he is rejected by the ‘society’, and this is morally ‘right’. In The Merchant of Venice the audience feels that, actually, Shylock is morally wronged by the Christians; and this rejection by society leaves a bitter taste. An audience in Elizabethan times would have been left with (in both plays) a feeling of discontentment in the treatment of the two key characters; despite the obvious inherent prejudice in society at this time towards ‘moors’ and Jews, Shakespeare’s manipulations of stereotypes in his works (e.g. the ‘kind’, Christian Antonio is an oppressive character who almost gets his comeuppance) were aimed to alter (or at least make the audience question) their views on minorities. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock can easily be seen as a plea for tolerance towards the Jewish community in England at the time. For example, Shylock’s famous ‘If you prick us, do we not bleed?’ speech is designed to throw a human perspective on the matter; that the ‘Jews’- peoples that have been so discriminated against that any racism against Jews has its own nametag are human too. Shylock’s most memorable speech is a cry for humanity and equality, which has resounded down the ages. As Alexander Granach (a German actor who portrayed Shylock in the 1920s) in his autobiography ‘From the Shtetl to the Stage: The Odyssey of a Wandering Actor’ writes; Shakespeare ‘gave Shylock human greatness and spiritual strength and a great lonelinessthings that turn Antonios gay, singing, sponging, money-borrowing, girl-stealing, marriage-contriving circle into petty idlers and sneak thieves.’ This will undoubtedly have had a slight effect on the audience, showing them that the supposed ‘villain’ of the piece is simply following a twisted, u nmerciful version of the ‘Golden Rule’, an ethic of reciprocity that is cited in Christianity; ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. In this play, Shylock is indeed doing ‘unto others’ how they do unto him. Shylock’s actions, instead of being a stereotypical cruel, vengeful Jew who only cares about his ‘diamond gone (that) cost me two thousand ducats’, are transformed by Shakespeare into an often-misinterpreted statement about the hypocrisy inherent in both society and religion at this time. Shakespeare’s magic lies in the fact that he managed to change two persecuted minorities, who prior to being dramatically personified by Shakespeare had been held up in plays as mockeries of creatures, to human beings with the emotional capacity to feel love and hate. Othello is no longer a ‘black ram’ held up by Iago as crudely ‘topping (the) white ewe’, he has become a symbol of the outsider used for other’s purposes. In Othello’s doing of ‘ta’en’ of Desdemona, he turns Venetian society against him, and is only needed for the purposes of defeating the Ottomans. 300 years on, and this example is still relevant; Paul Robinson, a black actor who went on to portray Othello on Broadway in 1943, drew comparisons between Othello’s situation and the situation of a coloured man in America in the 1930s; ‘while (Othello) could be valuable as a fighter he was tolerated, just as a negro who could save New York from a disaster would become a great man overnight†¦however, as soon as Othello wanted a white woman†¦everything was changed, just as New York would be indignant if their coloured man married a white woman’. In this way, Shakespeare’s portrayal of minorities is relevant for all societies where ethnical persecution takes place, no matter what the time period. However, Shakespeare’s underlying meaning of equality has been twisted. David H. Lawrence famously quoted ‘Never trust the artist, trust the tale’; and indeed, this ha what happened with Shakespeare’s intentions for Shylock and the grim reality. For example, the character of Shylock was used in anti-semetic propaganda by Hitler in Nazi Germany to promote the scapegoating of the Jews; Shylock is held up by a local newspaper in Konigsberg, Germany in 1935 as ‘cowardly and malicious’ when ‘properly understood’, a line that undermines both the intelligence and self-esteem of local people upon reading (in that they did not read enough into the play), and the true meaning of The Merchant of Venice. Upon saying that the deeper meaning is that Shylock is cowardly and malicious, they are mistaking the shallow, surface meaning for a deeper one. As Harold Bloom commented in 1999, ‘It would have been better for the Jewish people had Shak espeare never written this play’; here, Bloom is obviously commenting on the fact that people only took away the shallow meaning, not the deeper, politically-charged (for the times) meaning that Shakespeare is attempting to convey. In a manner seemingly parallel to that of Nazi Germany, Shakespeare’s messages are being sorely misunderstood even nowadays. Shakespeare and his plays (in present-day, less inherently racist society) are being taken away from younger generations, such as in British schools whose teaching is becoming impeded by the P.C nature of today’s ‘Big Society’. Texts and plays key to British education (such as ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘Othello’) are being considered to blatent in their language (eg. ‘whore’, ‘moor’) to be studied at an age of 15/16; in an age when arguably the anti-racist messages of Shakespeare need to be implemented. In this way, whilst previous generations of audiences may have held up Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ and ‘Merchant of Venice’ as examples of injustice and hypocrisy, today’s audiences are holding them up as too blatent in their use of ‘inappropriate language’. Shakespeare’s messages of equality are, once again, being misunderstood; especially if people do not understand the messages that ‘the Great Bard’ is attempting to convey. For example, in 2008, nine students at the Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls School (a Jewish comprehensive school) in Hackney in East London refused to sit an exam on ‘The Tempest’ purely because they felt that Shakespeare was anti-semetic owing to his severely-misunderstood portrayal of Shylock. Othello has also often been held up and received down the centuries as purely a negative stereotype; even as recently as 2008. Robert Fisk writes in ‘The Guardian’ that ‘Othello was a Moor, a black Muslim, a mercenary (in the service of Venice) – and a wife killer’. One can assume that this is how he would have been viewed in most predominantly-white countries up until the fall of racism and the increase of diversity; thus missing the fact that Iago is both the catalyst and trouble-starter. The mannerisms and attitudes of the characters provide a key insight into the prejudices inherent in society, through both the actions and thought-processes provided by Shakespeare. For example, Othello almost unconsciously uses racist terms to describe himself, providing a derogatory edge to his words. This is shown best in the soliloquys given to Othello, especially when he doubts the good nature of Desdemona; he feels that his ‘name, that was as fresh As Dians visage, is now begrimed and black, As mine own face’, i.e. that his previously good nature is now smeared. However, Othello associates his own face as ‘begrimed and black’, in that he sees his very self as something dirty- and that white (i.e. ‘Dian’s visage’, a marble-white Greek goddess) as something good, clean, and pure. Othello appears to have internalised the racist ideologies preached by Venetians such as Brabantio, and this especially comes to heed in the murder of Desdem ona. Seeds planted by Iago act as a catalyst to the problem put in the open by Brabantio at the start of the play; that Desdemona would never ‘Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom Of such a thing as thou’. This, ultimately, is something that the entire play relies on; this comment, made in the heat of the moment by Brabantio, ultimately delivers death unto his daughter. Othello begins to doubt Desdemona’s love and honour due to the fact that he has internalised such racist opinions as ‘blacks and whites should not mix’, and is driven crazy by this. As already mentioned, Robert Fisk spoke of the ways in which Othello would have been viewed; not as somebody noble, but as somebody ‘different’, and (though many in the Elizabethan audience may have been able to sympathise with the beating of Desdemona) a ‘wife killer’; and indeed, this is a way in which some still see him today. Shakespeare, just like Othello and Shylock, lived in a predominantly white and Christian society, and recognised the prejudices inherent in English society; indeed, his plays reflected society. However, as Chung-hsuan Tung wrote, ‘Shakespeare recognizes the existence of racial differences but he is not a racist. Shakespeare is†¦an impartial, humanitarian dramatist preaching interracial liberty, equality, and fraternity.’ Bibliography Alexander Granach ‘From the Shtetl to the Stage: The Odyssey of a Wandering Actor’ Paul Robinson – ‘My Fight for Fame; How Shakespeare Paved My Way to Stardom’ The Merchant of Venice, Edited by John Russell Brown, ‘the Arden Shakespeare’, 2007 Othello, edited by E.A.J. Honigman, ‘the Arden Shakespeare’, 1997 John Gross – ‘Shylock: A legend and its Legacy’ Robert Fisk – ‘Offended by Shakespeare? Let’s ban him.’ Guardian, 8th March 2008. Harold Bloom ‘It would have been better for the Jewish people had Shakespeare never written this play’, 1999. Chung hsuan-Tung – ‘The Jew and the Moor: Shakespeare’s Racial Vision’, 2008

Friday, September 20, 2019

Negative Effects of TV

Negative Effects of TV Shri Swaminarayan Bhagwan Ni Jai Akshar Purushottam Maharaj Ni Jai Gunatitanand Swami Maharaj Ni Jai Bhagatji Maharaj Ni Jai Shastriji Maharaj Ni Jai Yogiji Maharaj Ni Jai Pramukh Swami Maharaj Ni Jai Mahant Swami Maharaj Ni Jai Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav Ni Jai IS TV AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL? TV is a great innovation, and it can be beneficial if used wisely, however, it teaches us to sit back and accept instead of being proactive and thinking. TV programmes or commercials brainwash us to purchase things we do not actually require. The most bad effect of TV viewing is, it takes away time from reading, and improving reading skills. According to Dr. Seuss, The more that you read, the more things you will know. Next, DOES TV PORTRAY FACT OR FICTION? One of the bad effects of TV viewing is that it appears to portray or report reality. In fact it isnt. Instead, it is allowing us a small glimpse of whats really going on. Most people accept whatever television is feeding them, without casting a doubt in their mind. We do not make an effort to search reality, we rely on the TV producers to do all the searches for us. In this way we easily accept a bias view. Ask yourself, HAS TV ANY EFFECT ON YOUR INTELLIGENCE? Watching TV for long hours can shrink your creative and analytical thinking ability. Continuous and quick information, opinion, analysis and criticism for just about everything stops you using your critical thinking. In this way, we can be easily misinformed and manipulated. Those watching too much television start relating themselves with what is shown on TV and the desire to live the lives of their favourite TV characters. This may lead to becoming hungry for power, money, and status. IS THERE ANY HEALTH RISK RELATED TO TV? Watching television means inactivity, and # inactivity has been linked to obesity and heart disease. A study conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health # indicates that watching too much television can significantly increase the risk of developing obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Kids often snack on junk food while watching TV. They are also influenced by commercials to consume unhealthy food. Watching too much TV is also harmful to eyesight. WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL EFFECTS? A child watching non-educational TV for 3-4 hours daily # will have seen about 8,000 murders on screen by the time he reaches the age of 16. Violent TV programs encourage antisocial behaviour in children and may lead them to behave rudely. They believe in violence to resolve conflict, just like their favourite hero does to a bad guy. TV teaches us, To Be Passive Copycats. An actor may be shown smoking or drinking. Children will imitate them thinking it to be cool. DO WE WASTE TIME? Life is short, but # we have opted to substitute real living with TV living. We do not live our life to the fullest, going out to meet people, socialising and having fun. We have decided to confine ourselves within four walls and be all alone so we can watch adventure movies, reality shows, and soap operas with full attention. IN CONCLUSION Television certainly has much to offer, and without a doubt is a great innovation, but it can affect people negatively when it comes to relying on it, whether to be informed or entertained. TV steals time for activities that actually develop children, like interacting with other people and playing. A child learns a lot more efficiently from real interaction with people and things. Certainly, there are a few programs on TV that are educational and entertaining, but the majority are simply rubbish. Viewing TV can be good if it is done in moderation, and if the program being watched is selected wisely. Some TV shows can educate, inform and inspire. In a typical 24 hours day, we spend 8 hours at either school or work and further 8 hours sleeping. 2 hours are used for meals and travelling. This leaves us with 6 hours to spare. If we spend 4 hours watching TV, we will have only 2 hours for other activities like # homework, personal hygiene, sports, socialising, communicating with family members, daily puja, Ghar Sabha, housework, shopping, and cooking.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

My Adventure with Drugs :: Personal Narrative Writing

My Adventure with Drugs My brother David decided one afternoon that he was going to take me on an adventure. He came to this decision after smoking pot and watching the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland. I, being a child of nine, thought it sounded fun. My parents weren't home and my brother was supposed to be watching me. Mom and Dad usually didn't like me going too far from the house when they weren't there. That's why I questioned was how long it would take. â€Å"We'll be back before they get home,† he told me. That sounded good to me. I said I'd go with him. We started off by walking over the hills and crossing the stream in the cow pasture that's across the road from my house. I showed him the group of trees near the far end of the field that was over grown and full of vines to swing on and logs to hide behind. I told him I called it Sherwood Forrest. It seemed like great news to him because he acted very excited, but to my disappointment we did not stop there. It seems that my brother had a destination in mind. We left the pasture and crossed through the corner of the forested ridges that begin around my house. We followed a path that my neighbor used to ride her horse on. We walked through freshly turned fields and grassy ones that had no productive purpose. Finally after all of the open land we ran into an obstacle. The obstacle is called route 283. My brother and I hopped the fence that is meant to keep people and animals away from the highway. It wasn't until my brother climbed the embankment and had a leg over the metal barrier set up to keep cars from crashing into the ditch I stood in that I had enough courage to ask him a question.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Counterculture :: American History, The Civil Rights Movement

During the sixties Americans saw the rise of the counterculture. The counterculture, which was a group of movements focused on achieving personal and cultural liberation, was embraced by the decade’s young Americans. Because many Americans were members of the different movements in the counterculture, the counterculture influenced American society. As a result of the achievements the counterculture movements made, the United States in the 1960s became a more open, more tolerant, and freer country. One of the most powerful counterculture movements in the sixties was the civil rights movement. In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act to end racial discrimination in employment, institutions like hospitals and schools, and privately owned public accommodations In 1965, congress returned suffrage to black southerners, by passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Foner 926). In the case of Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional (Foner 951). Because of the civil rights movement in the sixties, minorities gained more rights than they had prior to the 1960s. While the 1960s were a time of advancement for minorities, it was also a time of advancement for women. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, which outlawed discrimination in the workplace based on a person’s sex (Foner 944). To ensure that women would have the same opportunities as men in jobs, education, and political participation, the National Organization for women was formed in 1966 (Foner 944). The sixties also marked the beginning of a public campaign to repeal state laws that banned abortion or left the decision to terminate a pregnancy to physicians instead of the woman (Foner 945). Although the sixties were a decade in which the United States became a more open, more tolerant, and a freer country, in some ways it became less of these things. During the sixties, America intervened in other nations and efforts were made to stop the progress of the civil rights movement. Because of America’s foreign policy and Americans fight against the civil rights movement, it is clear that the sixties in America were not purely a decade of openness, tolerance, and freedom in the United States. In the sixties, many Americans tried to stop the progress minorities were making with the civil rights movement. In 1961, a group known as the Congress of Racial Equality was attacked by mobs, while the group was testing the compliance of court orders banning segregation on interstate buses and trains and in terminal facilities (Foner 914).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Essay --

Tragedies occur everyday. Almost everyday people hear about a shooting or a violent event. Violence is prevalent everywhere and it is most prevalent in the media specifically in television. Television has changed how people view the world and also how children view the world. What is fiction and what is real? To an adolescent mind it is very hard to distinguish fact from fiction. Everyday they are exposed to violence, murder, and gore on the television. Television should be censored because it causes children to become desensitized to violence. The television has been around since the 1950’s but it wouldn’t be until the 1960’s that television violence began to become prevalent. Before the 1960’s television programs included shows like â€Å"I Love Lucy† and other comedies. These shows didn’t have violence; the premises of these shows were family values and principals. This changed in the 1960’s. The 1960’s were a time of war and violence. The public was able to witness the gore of war right in their living rooms. They were able to witness soldiers shooting other combatants. They were able to witness bombs exploding killing hundreds. They were able to see death. This captured and mesmerized the public, and as a result television began to become increasingly more violent. Television violence has reached a disturbingly high point, and with an increase in media violence comes an increase in child violence. Children have been gradually desensitized to violence, as violence within our media has increased. There has been such a great increase in media violence that now â€Å"the average child by the age of 18 will have witnessed 200,000 acts of violence and 16,000 murders.† Television programs display an average of 812 violent acts per hour... ...o be desensitized to violence? Don’t we want them to be nurtured in a setting that doesn’t increase aggressive behavior? The answer is yes. Toady violence is glamorized and promoted on the television. Shows are not good or â€Å"cool† unless they have some form of violence in them. As viewers see more violent and obscene things, they expect the next thing to be even more violent and obscene. They expect more and more, and for the new one to top the old. As this happens desensitization to violence grows. Children imitate what they see and hear, and television violence is easy to obtain and see. Television violence shouldn’t be easily obtainable and watchable. Children should have difficulty obtaining these things, but sadly today this is not the case. For these reason television should be censored so that the children of our future do not become desensitized to violence.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Machiavelli, A Founding Father?

Machiavelli advocated centralization and concentration of power in The Prince while the authors of the Federalist Papers call for the separation of powers and a system of checks and balances.   The Prince, however, was a job application to Lorenzo di Medici the son of Piero di Medici.   Lorenzo had just inherited the principality of   Florence by settlement of a war with the Pope and his mercenaries ( Lerner xxvii) in 1512. Machiavelli, was however, not as alien to the ideas of the Convention espoused by the various   Federalist Papers.  Ã‚   For much of his life he was staunchly republican in his outlook; the loss of the Florentine Republic and his position as an advisor to the powerful were powerful motivators to write a pro-monarchy text to regain his former position in the new state.( Lerner xxviii) During this imposed exile from the halls of power Machiavelli’s works included the Discourses, an analysis of the Roman Republic, its power structure, and its defects.   In The Discourses Machiavelli is plainly pro-republic, though he also manages to treat the issue of a monarchy as well.   Machiavelli’s ideas are included to some degree in the Federalist Papers and the Constitution of the United States. Machiavelli, Hamilton, Jay, and Madison would all find agreement in some of the most important aspects of the governing of a Republic; including the use of a standing army and the separation of powers. Standing Army The issue of a standing army was a touchy one for the convention.   The military was part of the executive power and a standing army could be abused.   Indeed he warns of this in Federalist #8 : But in a country, where the perpetual menacings of danger oblige the government to always be prepared to repel it, her armies are must be numerous enough for instant defence.†Ã‚  Ã‚   The importance of the of the soldier is enhanced and the military state is elevated above the civil. In territories that are often the theatre of war , are unavoidably subjected to frequent violation of their rights; and by degrees the people come to consider the soldier their superiors. ( #8, p35)However , the Convention left the raising of regular troops solely under the authority of   Congress, and not the President. Thus   they are under the control of the people; the Congress shall decide when a standing military is necessary; before a President has them to Command.   Hamilton says that the power to maintain a standing army in time of peace is a necessary caution given the fact that the Dominions of Britain and Spain border the fledgling nation.(#24, p120). Machiavelli would agree: â€Å"Such princes and republics of modern times as have no national troops for defense or attack ought well to be ashamed of it†¦.† (prince 175) and I conclude, therefore, that no principality is secure without having its own forces† (Prince pg 52-53) Separation of Powers The separation of powers has been regarded as the hallmark of republican principles.   The separation of power among three distinct branches of government prevents any one person from acting as â€Å"legislator, judge, and executioner.†Ã‚   In this way the abuse of power leading to Tyranny is avoided. Machiavelli states much the same in The Discourses: ALL those who have written upon civil institutions demon- strate (and history is full of examples to support them) that whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it. ( 117) An early form of the system checks and balances was the formation of the Tribunes in the Roman Republic.   The Tribunes served to act as a sort of Legislative judge curbing and investigating alleged excesses by the Senators of Rome.( Machiavelli, â€Å"Discourses†, 118)   The Convention went further; it gave executive authority to the President, but withheld the purse, and it gave the Sword to Congress but required the Executive to wield it, and gave the Law to Congress but allowed both the Justice and Executive to disapprove it, gave Congress the means to remove an executive or a justice from office, but made the members of Congress answerable to the whole of the People. Madison says that â€Å"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judicial in the same hands, whether of one, of few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of Tyranny.†(Carey lxx)  Ã‚   So both men believed that the separation of powers in a Republic is a fundamental principle defending the liberty of the citizen.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both men also believed that the authority of the supreme executive should to some respect be stronger than that of the regional powers. While the Federal system resembles more closely the â€Å"Prince and Baron† model warned against by Machiavelli; through well-thought out assignment of the powers to the Federal Government the position of the regional powers (Governors of the States) approach the â€Å"Prince and Servants† model advocated by him.   The Convention took the middle ground with the powers of the Executive (federal) being supreme only in its assigned sphere and that of the regional to be supreme within its own sphere.   Conflicts between States and the Federal authority were to be resolved by the Supreme Court.   Therefore no one State was in a position to help outside enemies to oppose the Federal government, but simultaneously the Federal authority could not rule by fiat as a Prince might have done. Conclusion: So which model was more capable of maintaining order and curtailing disorder from below?   History seems to indicate that the careful checks and balances and the general separation of powers have been more enduring than a centralized Monarchy.   France proved the wisdom of the system of checks and balances when the National Assembly seized all power for the purpose of reforming the government.   This attempt, while its aims were noble, failed catastrophically and subjected the People of France to a series of tyrants, emperors, and various violations of their civil liberties for nearly a century. Absolute Monarchy as Machiavelli said, is stable only so long as the ruler is ruthless when necessary and is either loved or feared by its people.   The problem seems to be that this merely builds up pressure in the people; who will begin to rebel the moment any hesitation by the monarch is shown either internally or through circumstance such as war.   This process happened on a world-wide scale and was experienced by Britain, France, Egypt, Iran, and may be happening now in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates of the Middle East. Machiavelli states that all laws of liberty come from the open opposition in the legislature between two classes; the Nobles and the People.(Machiavelli,   â€Å"Discourses†, p119)   The constitution eliminated the Nobility but a similar problem of factions: Those who have power, those who want power, those who want to oppress.   In a similar fashion to the Tribunes of Rome the various divisions of power executive, legislative, judicial, the National, and the Regional allow open discussion and opposition without providing any overt favor to one faction over another;( Madison, â€Å"Federalist #10†, pp 42-48) ensuring that laws of liberty continue to come from the discourses of those vying for power. ( Madison, â€Å"Federalist #10†, pp42-48) The Republican ideas that Machiavelli held and published in his works might well mark him as one of the founders of   the modern republic along with Locke, Montesque, and the other Enlightenment philosophers. Works Cited Carey, George W. and James McClellan. Reader’s Guide. The Federalist. By   Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. Indianapolis:   Liberty Fund 2001 Hamilton, Alexander, John Jay, and James Madison. The Federalist. Ed. George W. Carey and James McClellan. The Gideon Edition. Indianapolis:   Liberty Fund 2001 Learner, Max. Introduction.   The Prince and the Discourses. By Niccolo Machiavelli. New York: Random House 1950 Machiavelli, Niccolo. â€Å"The Prince†. Ed. E.R.P Vincent. Trans. Luigi Ricci. The Prince and the Discourses. New York: Random House 1950 Machiavelli, Niccolo. â€Å"The Discourses†.   Trans. Christian E. Detmold. The Prince and the Discourses. New York: Random House 1950         

Professional Qualification Syllabus

SECTION NAME SYLLABUS KAPLAN (CHAPTERS) BPP (CHAPTERS) A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONÂ  The nature and purpose of financial managementFinancial objectives and therelationship with corporate strategyStakeholders and impact oncorporate objectivesFinancial and other objectives in not-for-profit organisationThe financial management functionFinancial management and financial objectivesB FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ENVIROMENTThe economic environment forbusinessThe nature and role of financial markets and institutionsThe nature and role of moneyMarketsThe economic environment for businessFinancial markets and the treasury functionThe economic environment for businessFinancial markets, money markets and institutionsC WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENTThe nature, elements andimportance of working capitalManagement of inventories, accounts receivable, accounts payable and cashDetermining working capital needs and funding strategiesWorking capital management8. WCM (Inventory control)WCM (Accounts receivable and payable)10.WCM (Cash and funding strategies)Workin g capitalManaging working capitalWorking capital financeD INVESTMENT APPRAISALInvestment appraisal techniquesAllowing for inflation and taxation in DCFAdjusting for risk and uncertainty in investment appraisalSpecific investment decisions (Lease or buy; asset replacement; capital rationing)Basic investment appraisal techniquesDiscounted cash flow techniquesFurther aspects of discounted cash flowsInvestment appraisal under uncertaintyAsset investment decisions and capital rationingInvestment decisionsInvestment appraisal using DCF methodsAllowing for inflation and taxation10. Project appraisal and riskSpecific investment decisionsE BUSINESS FINANCESources of and raising business financeEstimating the cost of capitalSources of finance and their relative costsCapital structure theories and practical considerationsFinance for small and medium sized entities (SMEs)Sources of finance16. Dividend policyFinancial ratiosThe cost of capitalCapital structureSources of financeDividend policyGea ring and capital structureThe cost of capitalCapital structure

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Living Facades Can Be Grown Environmental Sciences Essay

The existent construction of populating frontages varies between providers, with a battalion of different patented systems out at that place. However, there are three chief structural systems that most living frontages will adhere to, each with their ain advantages and disadvantages. Modular Panel System Panels of pre-planted flora are fitted on to a support system that provides construction and a mechanical lacrimation system. Pre-planting means that an instant green consequence can be achieved upon completion. Composition of the faculties will change depending on the demands of the flora, but will necessitate to incorporate foods and stuff for the roots to keep. Soil can be used, but due to its weight it can merely realistically be of usage for little graduated table walls. ( see figure 1 ) Man-made Felt Pioneered by Patrick Blanc, this system uses man-made felt as a base for the flora, with H2O and foods provided automatically. A metal frame is used for the construction, with a 10mm PVC bed riveted to it and the felt stapled to this. The metal frame allows the construction to be attached to a frontage leting an air spread between the two beds which prevents flora from impacting the edifice structurally while helping the thermal and acoustic belongingss of the frontage. The PVC bed prevents wet get awaying and provides rigidness to the full construction. The polymeric amide felt layer consists of two overlapping sheets with assorted pockets that secure the workss. The pick of stuff is determined by its opposition to decompose and a high capillary action leting H2O and foods to be distributed good. This frontage has the benefit of merely weighing 30kg per meter squared. ( see figure 1 ) Container and Trellis A series of containers house the workss with trellis mediate, leting the flora to mount and make an uninterrupted face of flora. Water and foods can once more provided automatically with either a man-made or dirt based turning medium. ( see figure 1 ) ( Figure 1. Different Populating Facade Structures, 2008 ) Positive Effectss The bulk of the positive effects of life frontages are environmental, although aesthetic, societal and economic benefits can besides be identified. Air Quality It has long been recognised that indoor workss can assist better the air quality in offices and an internal life wall can supply a similar consequence and assist rejuvenate ‘sick ‘ edifices. The workss absorb C dioxide and other particulates sublimating the air. The external air quality can besides be improved by a life frontage as it is able to absorb the C dioxide and pollutants from traffic. It has been shown that a life frontage can hold a major impact on the degrees of Nitrogen Dioxide ( NO2 ) and particulate affair ( PM ) in urban countries in which there are street canons ( tallness of edifices exceeds distance between them ) . The street canons cause the air to twirl and purl around the flora enabling increased degrees of atoms to be absorbed. A survey carried out by Lancaster University found a decrease in street flat concentrations of up to 40 % for NO2 and 60 % for particulate affair. With NO2 and particulate affair doing up a big measure of air pollutants, a decrease in concentrations of this magnitude would hold a positive consequence on air pollution in urban countries. Thermal Performance The thermic effects of life frontages are really similar to those of green roofs. Internet Explorer, decrease in surface temperatures due to shadowing from flora, evapotranspiration and increased thermic mass can take to: a ice chest internal clime a decrease in urban heat island consequence However, surveies have shown that populating frontages may be more effectual than green roofs in these countries. Building Performance The surface temperatures and hence the internal temperature of edifices can be affected in many ways by the presence of life walls and flora: The flora shades the solid wall behind it, forestalling solar additions. Vegetation absorbs radiation hence cut downing contemplation. The increased thermic mass of the flora and infrastructure reduces flow of temperature through the edifice tegument: ice chest inside in summer and heater in winter. Transpiration: the consequence of H2O loss from flora by vaporization. Heat is carried off in the signifier of H2O vapor. Protection from cold air currents A 2010 survey by the National University of Singapore found that the surface temperature of life walls was significantly reduced compared to a concrete control wall, with decreases of 6 to 10 grades recorded. Analysis of the consequences concluded that shadowing and transpiration seemed to be the chief subscribers to this lessening. In another survey at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, decreases in both external and internal wall temperatures were found when a concrete wall was clad with vegetated facing. Urban Heat Islands An Urban Heat Island is the localized addition of temperature in urban Centres as opposed to environing rural countries due to a profuseness of heat retaining surfaces. It is thought that the decrease in surface temperatures due to populating frontages could assist cut down the temperatures in urban countries. A computing machine theoretical account based analysis at the University of Cardiff found a important decrease of the temperature in urban canons when the edifice envelopes are to the full ‘greened ‘ . A similar decision was reached in a survey by the University of Manchester, who found that an addition in green screen of 10 % in urban countries could take to a decrease in maximal temperatures. Biodiversity It is thought that populating frontages may lend to an addition in biodiversity in urban countries by supplying a home ground for insects and birds. Although specific proving on the biodiversity of life frontages has non yet been exhaustively undertaken, there are illustrations of wildlife such as birds utilizing populating walls as their place. Any study would hold to admit the possible disadvantages of increased biodiversity on a edifices frontage. Acoustic Control Vegetation is widely used to cut down the noise degrees from busy roads or railroad lines and it is thought that populating walls may be used to command the acoustics of edifices. A survey at the National University of Singapore found that life walls had a higher sound soaking up coefficient than many regular edifice stuffs and that the noise decrease was besides important. However, the survey pointed out that these consequences varied greatly depending on the frequences used, types of works, per centum screen of wall and type of substrate. Further proving on existent edifices is needed to set up the true acoustic virtues of life frontages. Aestheticss Bing in consequence a perpendicular garden, the aesthetic qualities of a life frontage are obvious and there are many illustrations where the primary aim is aesthetic consequence. Some of the ocular benefits include: Rejuveinating bland frontages Softening of the urban landscape and leting edifices to look more ‘natural ‘ Changing aesthetics with season Light: softening and diffusion of visible radiation can heighten infinites ( when used in concurrence with glazing ) . Social The effects of flora in urban countries on well-being are good documented and surveies have found that people view verdure as really of import in these countries. Economic Although full cost analysis is yet to be done for a edifice with a life frontage, it is possible that populating frontages could hold a good economic impact on edifices. The countries these benefits could be found are: cut downing warming and air-conditioning costs added commercial value to the edifice increased productiveness Negative Aspects Lack of surveies and research into populating frontages means that the true benefits and negatives are yet to be discerned. Of the few surveies available, most are either computing machine theoretical accounts or proving is carried out in controlled environments. To genuinely understand the effects of life frontages, proving demands to be carried out long term on edifices. However, since the construct of life frontages is reasonably new, there is presently really small informations available and most living frontages are still reasonably immature. Populating walls can necessitate a high degree of care depending on the system chosen, and at that place have been documented jobs with: Root putrefaction Plants deceasing Need for paring Future/Incorporation with Sustainability There are many other countries of sustainability that populating walls have the possible to be integrated with. These thoughts are still at the experimental phase, but could practicably work: Integration with air purification and airing eg Queens University Biowall Vertical agriculture/farming: veggies or fruit could be grown on life walls and so harvested, increasing the surface countries available for agribusiness. Water re-use: since life walls rely on automatically supplied H2O, there is the chance to utilize rain H2O or gray H2O as this supply. The systems can be attached to a H2O butt. Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM Planing governments can see developments of populating walls as positive and they may even number towards local be aftering marks. Due to populating facade engineering being rather new, at present there are no specific mentions in the sustainable codification or BREEAM. However, populating walls may be able to lend towards other countries of the codification, assisting to gain credits. Sustainability Code/BREEAM: Combined with a rainwater crop armored combat vehicle – Wat /W01 Native species planted – Eco 2 ( ecological sweetening ) /LE05 If important country of belongings covered – Eco 4 ( alteration of eco value ) Possible betterment of thermic public presentation – Ene1 ( Brooding Emission Rate ) /E1

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Scholarship Guide Korea Ksgp

2013 Korean Government Scholarship Program Guideline for International Students Enrolled in Graduate Programs (2013 ) 2013. 2 ! â€Å"#$%&' ( )(*! â€Å"+ National Institute for International Education (NIIED) 2013 Korean Government Scholarship Program Guideline for International Students Enrolled in Graduate Programs 1. Program Objective The Korean Government Scholarship Program is designed to provide higher education in Korea for international students, with the aim of promoting international exchange in education, as well as mutual friendship amongst the participating countries. . Total Number of Grantees : 760 o 2013 KGSP Allocations by respective Korean Embassies : 360 candidates (from 111 nations) ! Among the 360 candidates, 30 (from 13 nations) overseas Korean adoptees are included. Their quotas are allotted to 13 Korean embassies, and are separate from general candidate quotas. Quota No. of Nations 20 1 China 15 1 The United States 10 2 Japan, Vietnam 9 1 Russia 7 1 Indones ia 5 3 Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Turkey 4 9 Mongolia, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan, Italy, Kazakhstan 3 20 Name of CountriesAzerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Iraq, Laos, Malaysia, Nigeria, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, The United Kingdom, Uganda, Mexico Saudi Arabia, Taiwan Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canada(Quebec), Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Malawi, 2 3 Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, OMAN, Panama, Papua, New Guinea, PARAGUAY, Poland, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikist an, Tanzania, TIMOR-LESTE, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia Total , 111 330 Candidates The basis for quota allocation lies in the mutual agreement between Korea and countries listed above. 5 No. of Nations 1 3 1 2 11 Total 13 Quota Name of Countries The United States Canada Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, The United Kingdom 30 Candidates o 2013 KGSP Allocation for the Designated Korean Universities :400 candidates (from 135 nations) No. of Quota Name of Countries Nations 9 1 Mongolia 8 2 Philippines, Thailand 7 2 Indonesia, Vietnam 6 2 Bangladesh, Malaysia 5 12 4 10Brazil, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Russia, The United States, Turkey, Uzbekistan Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Egypt, Israel, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tanzania Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, 3 26 Laos, Lebanon, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Poland, Rumania, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan The United Kingdom, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, UgandaAlgeria, Angola, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Costa Rica, Cote d'ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, France, Gabon, Gambia, Greece, Guinea, 2 80 Guinea Bissau,Guyana, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia,Lithuania, Mauritania, Mauritius, Maldives, Moldova, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Is. , Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Syria, Togo, Tunisia, U. A. E, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe T otal 135 , 389 candidates Among the 400 candidates allocated to the Designated Korean Universities, 11 will be allotted into two outstanding specialized universities separately. 3. Eligible Universities and Fields of Study o Eligible Universities : The 60 listed universities (or institutions) as designated by NIIED – Applicants (including Korean adoptees) who apply for this program via Korean Embassies must choose 3 desired universities out of the 60 universities listed below. – Applicants who apply for this program via the designated universities may choose only 1 desired university out of the 60 universities listed below.Ajou University, Cheongju University, Chonbuk Nat’l University, Chonnam Nat’l University, Chosun University, Chung-Ang University, Chungbuk Nat’l University, Chungnam Nat’l University, Daegu University, Daejeon University, Donga University, Dongguk University, Dongseo University, Ewha Womans University, Gangneung-Wonju Nat ional University, Gyeongsang Nat’l University, Hallym University, Handong Global University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Hannam University, Hanyang University, Hongik University, Inha University, Inje University, Jeju National University,Jeonju University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Kangwon Nat’l University, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, Keimyung University, Kongju Nat’l University, Korea University, Korea University of Technology and Education, Kumoh Nat’l Institute of Technology, Kyunghee University, Kyungpook Nat’l University, Kyungsung university, Myongji university, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pukyong Nat’l University, Pusan Nat’l University, Seoul Nat’l University, Seoul Nat’l University of Science and Technology, Silla University, SogangUniversity, Sookmyung Women’s University, SoonChunHyang University, Soongsil University, Sunmoon University , Sunchon National University, Sungkyunkwan University, The Graduate School of Korean Studies in the Academy of Korean Studies, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, University of Science & Technology, University Of Seoul, University of Ulsan, Wonkwang university, Woosong University, Yeungnam University, Yonsei University o Available Fields of Study : Detailed information about the fields and majors offered by the listed eligible universities can be found in the University Information section on the GKS website (www. tudyinkorea. go. kr). Applicants must choose their desired fields of study from the listed programs in the University Information section provided by participating universities. * Night schools, seasonal programs, broadcasting schools, and cyber-schools (including online distant learning programs) are not eligible for application. o Available Courses : Master’s programs and Doctoral programs 4. Main Notes for the 2013 Selection o Applicants have to apply for this program via either an embassy or a designated university.Overseas Korean adoptees have to apply only via an embassy if their countries are allotted the adoptee quotas. o The selection process for applicants will proceed in three steps. Firstly, applicants must be selected 3 by the institution he or she is applying through (a Korean embassy, or a designated university). Secondly, applicants who passed the first round must be selected by the NIIED Selection Committee. Finally, applicants who passed the second round must gain admission from a university. o Institutions a ccepting applications: 1 11 o verseas Korean embassies o r 6 0 d esignated K orean universities. Applicants who submit applications to more than one of the aforementioned institutions will be disqualified immediately. o Selection Procedure – 1st Selection: Each 1st selection institution will draft a selections standard based on the criteria provisioned by NIIED, and recommend the best applicants a ccording to its respective standards. – 2nd Selection: The NIIED Selection Committee will select the most successful candidates from the pool of applicants recommended by the 1st selection institutions. 3rd Selection: Only the candidates who were recommended by a Korean embassy and passed the 2nd selection successfully will be evaluated for admission by the 3 universities to which they applied; each candidate has to gain admission from at least one university. * Applicants who were recommended by a designated university will automatically be granted admission to the university that recommended them, upon the condition they are selected as a successful candidate in the 2nd Selection.Subsequently, once they pass the mandatory medical examination (when it’s orientation), they will join the ranks of the final successful candidates. 5. Duration of Scholarship o Master’s (01. 09. 2013 ~ 31. 08. 2016) : 1 yr. of Korean language + 2 yrs of Master’s o Doctoral (01 . 09. 2013 ~ 31. 08. 2017) : 1 yr. of Korean language + 3 yrs of Doctoral * (Important) After the Korean language course, the scholarship period of degree course (2 years of master’s or 3 years of doctoral) cannot be extended beyond the designated duration. In the case that a scholar possesses a TOPIK Level that is higher than 5, he or she is exempted from the Korean language course; the exempted period will be deducted from the total scholarship period (2 years for master’s or 3 years for doctoral). * In the case that a scholar possesses a TOPIK Level 6, he or she must be exempted from the Korean language course and must start his/her academic course of Master or Doctoral degree; the exempted period will be deducted from the total scholarship period (2 years for master’s or 3 years for doctoral). 6. Korean Language Course All scholars, unless exempted, must take one year of Korean language course in the designated language institution. o Exemption from the Kore an language course requirement: Korean proficiency at TOPIK Level 5 or 6 (with certification). * Scholars who have surpassed TOPIK Level 5 and want to start their degree course without the Korean language 4 course should obtain permission from NIIED in advance. * Scholars who have surpassed TOPIK Level 6 must start their degree course without the Korean language course should obtain permission from NIIED in advance. Scholars who are exempted from taking the Korean language course may take their degree course starting from September 1st, 2013. o Only the scholars who will have passed at least Level 3 of TOPIK (the Test of Proficiency in Korean) after one year of Korean language course are permitted to start their master’s or doctoral program. o Scholars who do not pass at least TOPIK Level 3 after one year of Korean language course should complete an additional six-month coursework in the Korean language. o Language Institution : the NIIED has designated seven language institu tions for the Korean language course. 7.Application Requirements o The applicant and his/her parents must have foreign citizenships. * Applicants who hold Korean citizenship are not permitted to apply for this program. o Applicants should be in good health, both mentally and physically, to stay in Korea for an extended period of time. * Applicants must submit the Personal Medical Assessment (included in the application form) when he/she apply for this program, and when it’s orientation, an Official Medical Examination will be done by NIIED. A serious illness (For example, HIV, Drug, etc) will be the main cause of disqualification from the scholarship. The handicapped who satisfy the above are also eligible for the program ? NOT Eligible: those who are pregnant o Applicants must be under 40 years of age as of Sep. 1st, 2013 (born after Sep. 1st, 1973). o Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree as of September 1st, 2013. * (Important) Applicants who h ave ever enrolled in a university in Korea will be disqualified from applying to the KGSP program. Specifically, an applicant who has previously enrolled in an undergraduate program, a master’s program, a doctoral program or an exchange program in Korea cannot apply for this program.However, a KGSP scholar who has graduated or will graduate from a Korean university as of August 31st, 2013 can apply for this program again only via the embassy if only he/she holds at least TOPIK Level 4 and obtain another recommendation within the allotment from the Korean Embassy of his/her respective country of origin (re-application is limited to one instance). * Applicants who apply for the Master’s program must hold a Bachelor’s degree or a diploma that is equivalent to or higher than a Bachelor’s degree. Applicants who apply for the Doctoral program must hold a Master’s degree or a diploma that is equivalent to or higher than a Master’s degree. * Applica nts who are expecting to obtain the relevant required degree or diploma by August 31st, 2013 must submit a certificate of degree or diploma expectation, and submit the official certificate of degree or diploma to NIIED by August 31st, 2013. 5 o Applicants must maintain a grade point average (G. P. A. ) of at least 2. 64 on a 4. 0 scale, 2. 80 on a 4. 3 scale, 2. 91 on a 4. 5 scale, or grades/marks/score of 80% or higher from the previously attended institution.If an applicant does not satisfy the above GPA criteria, he/she will be disqualified from applying to this program. * If the transcript is not indicated in grades/marks/scores format, or is difficult to convert into percentages, attachment of official explanation from the attended institution is required. o Applicants who have Korean proficiency or English proficiency may be given preference. o Applicants who apply for natural science and technology program may be given preference. 8. Scholarship o Scholarship Period : same as the period of invitation. o Payment: -Airfare: Round-trip economy class ticket. Airfare for entry will not be provided to scholars who already presently live in Korea for academic study or employment. * The fees for domestic travel within a scholar’s home country and for travel insurance to and from Korea will not be provided. * Scholars from China and the Czech Republic will not be provided airfare by NIIED, but by their country of origin according to the mutual agreements. -Monthly Allowance : 900,000 won (KRW) per month. -Research Allowance : 210,000 won for scholars in the humanities and social sciences; 240,000 won for scholars in natural and mechanic sciences, per semester. Relocation (Settlement) Allowance : 200,000 won upon arrival -Language Training Fee : Full coverage -Tuitions : All admission fees are waived by the host institution (university). The tuition is paid by NIIED. -Dissertation Printing Costs : 500,000 ~ 800,000 won, depending on the actual costs. -Medi cal Insurance : 20,000 won per month will be provided (limited coverage). -Special funding for scholars who are proficient in the Korean language (TOPIK Level 5 or 6): 100,000 won per month (commencing from the degree program) o NOTES NIIED does not compensate fees for the domestic travel both in the grantee’s country and Korea. – Airfare for entry into Korea will not be provided to a scholar that has been staying in Korea for his or her study, work, etc. as of the date of announcement of successful candidates – NIIED does not compensate fees for insurance for traveling to and from Korea. – The medical fee is to be reimbursed through the insurance company to the scholar after s/he pays first. However, the expense for dental clinic or chronic disease will not be covered. Any scholar who gives up his/her study during the scholarship period will not receive airfare and allowance for repatriation. 6 – Any scholar that quits the program within 3 months after s/he entering Korea, should refund all scholarship fees (The airfare of arriving Korea, settlement allowance, monthly stipend, Korean language training expenses, etc. ). 9. Selection Procedure Details o The guideline, application form, and university information will be available at the website of GKS (www. studyinkorea. go. kr), Korean Embassies, and designated domestic universities. oFor applicants (including Korean adoptees) who apply for KGSP via Korean Embassies – (1st Selection) Korean Embassies make its own selection schedule and plan based on the criteria provided by NIIED, and accept the applications. They select 1. 5 times as many candidates as their quota from the pool of applicants and recommend them to NIIED. * Applicants from China and the Czech Republic should submit their applications to the Ministry of Education (or equivalent institution) in their respective country of origin, in accordance with the mutual agreements between Korea and those countries. Only Korean adoptees who have foreign citizenship can apply for this program via a Korean Embassy if their countries of origin are allotted the adoptee quota. They are selected through a separate procedure; general applicants cannot be accepted through this application category. – (2nd Selection) NIIED Selection Committee selects as many successful candidates as each embassy quota amongst the pool of candidates recommended by the Embassies. (3rd Selection) NIIED submits the documents of successful candidates to their 3 universities of indicated preference, and requests admission examination of the candidates into their master’s or doctoral programs. The universities have to notify the result of examination to the candidates and NIIED by the designated date. The candidates who gain admission from more than one university will have to make a final selection, and notify their respective local Korean Embassy and NIIED by the designated date.Only the candidates who gain adm ission within the 3rd Selection period can be accepted as official KGSP scholars. o For applicants who apply for KGSP via designated domestic universities – (1st Selection) Each designated university will draft its own selection schedule and plan based on the criteria provided by NIIED, and accepts the applications. Each designated university will select up to 20 candidates from all of the quota-assigned countries and recommend them to NIIED. They cannot recommend more than 3 candidates from a single country. (2nd Selection) NIIED Selection Committee selects as many successful candidates as each country’s quota from all of the candidates recommended by the universities. The candidates who are selected in the NIIED Selection Committee will be accepted to the university which recommended them, and will be finally accepted as official KGSP scholars upon a successful comprehensive medical examination. 7 10. Selection Criterion o All documents including transcript, self-int roduction, study plan, certificates of language proficiency (Korean and English), recommendations, published papers and awards, etc. will be evaluated. 11. Required Documentation o Place of submission *NIIED and Foreign embassies in Korea are not 1st Selection Institutions and do not accept applications. *NIIED accepts and judges only the candidates recommended by the 1st Selection Institutions. They are: – For applicants (including overseas Korean adoptees) applying via a Korean embassy : the Korean embassy in the country of origin. *Korean Educational Institutes affiliated with the local Korean embassies may accept applications, and select and recommend candidates in place of embassies in some countries. For applicants applying via a domestic university : One of the 60 designated universities o Deadline of Submission : The date set forth by the 1st Selection Institutions within March 2013 * Deadline for the recommendation of candidates to NIIED by the 1st Selection Institut ions is April 12th, 2013. * If the respective 1st Selection Institutions do not submit their candidates’ documents to NIIED on time, they will be excluded from the examination of NIIED Selection Committee, and their quotas will be substituted by the other 1st Institutions’ reserve candidates. o Required documents : One original document (placed in a separate envelope) nd 3 extra copies. * Documents not in English or Korean must be accompanied by a complete English or Korean translation authenticated by the issuing institution or notarized by a notary’s office. Check List for Application Documents Master’s Doctoral ! ! ! ! 3. Study Plan (Attachment #3) ! ! 4. Letter of Recommendation (Attachment #4) ! ! 5. Pledge (Attachment #5) ! ! 6. Personal Medical Assessment (Attachment #6) ! ! 7. Copy of diploma or certificate of graduation from undergraduate institution ! ! ! ! – ! 10. Official transcript of previously attended graduate institution(s)  œ ! 11.Certificate of TOPIK score (original copy), if available ! ! 12. Certificate of TOEFL or IELTS score (original copy) ! ! ! ! ! ! 1. Personal Data (Attachment #1) 2. Self-Introduction (Attachment #2) 8. Official transcript of previously attended undergraduate institution(s) 9. Copy of diploma or certificate of graduation from graduate institution 13. Published papers, if available (one or two) 14. Awards, if available (one or two) 8 15. Copy of passport (possible to submit after selection) 16. Certificate of citizenship of parents of applicant : birth certificate, passport, etc. (* applicable only to overseas Korean immigrants) ! ! ! 17. Adoption documents (*applicable only to overseas Korean adoptees) ! ! o Note * Selection for successful candidates will be done strictly by the NIIED Selection Committee. Therefore, appropriate documents should be submitted by the deadline. – Dual applications are not accepted. Applicants must apply for this program via only one institu tion. – Documents should be presented in their original form. – Submitted documents will not be returned to the applicants. – Incomplete or incorrect documents may lead to application rejection or failure in the Selection Committee, and scholarship revocation even after entry into Korea. In case of submitting photocopied documents, applicants must submit the original to the 1st Selection Institution and have the original one and the photocopied one collated. The confirmation of collation should be indicated in the photocopied documents. – Applicants who are expected to graduate from their respective home undergraduate/graduate institutions by August 31st, 2013, should submit the certificate (or letter) of expected graduation issued by said institutions when they apply; the official certificate of graduation should be received by NIIED by August 31st, 2013. Applicants must accurately complete the health checklist truthfully. All successful candidates must take a comprehensive medical exam when its’ orientation. In accordance with the requirements of the Korea Immigration Service and the KGSP Program, the candidates who are judged to be physically unfit for this program will not be accepted. – Applicants may submit the copies of published papers, if available. – Applicants may submit the copies of awards, if available. * Applicants must submit all the documents by the checklist order. (Checklist or the application documents should be on the front page, followed by the required documents, stapled and attached. ) * Transferring to a different university after confirming the host university is not permitted in any cases. In regards to changing majors, it would be permitted only under the mutual agreement of the departments concerned only within the same university, with the scholarship period unchanged. (2 years of Master’s, or 3 years of doctoral, in total). However, quitting a program and applying for a new one is not permitted. 12. Selection Schedule o Application Period : Feb. th ~ Mar. 31st (decided by the 1st Selection Institution) o The 1st Selection : The end of March (decided by the 1st Selection Institution) o Deadline for Recommendation to NIIED : April 12th (All documents must be received by NIIED. ) o The 2nd Selection : Mid to End-April (NIIED Selection Committee) 9 o Announcement for the Results of the 2nd Selection : April 30th (posted on GKS websites) o Admission Procedures for the Korean Embassies’ candidates: May 1st~May 31st o Announcement for Final Successful Candidates : June 17th (GKS websites-www. studyinkorea. go. r) o Visa Issue and Air ticket purchase : June 18th ~ July 31st o Entry into Korea : August 26th ~ August 28th o NIIED Orientation : August 29th ~ August 31st o Korean Language Course : September 2nd 13. For further information, please contact : o 1st Institutions : Refer to The Contact Information of Korean Embassies and Universities in the atta chment #8. o KGSP Team, National Institute for International Education (NIIED) – Address: #205 NIIED, 81 Ewhajang-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-810, Republic of Korea – www. studyinkorea. go. kr Korean version: -‘. /0(12$3 ! 4567 English version: Korean Government Scholarship Program !Announcement – Phone: +82-2-3668-1364, +82-2-3668-1389 – Fax: +82-2-743-4992 – Email: [email  protected] go. kr, [email  protected] kr 14. Other useful websites 8 KCUE (Korean Council for University Education) http://www. kcue. or. kr 8 Learning Korean http://www. kosnet. go. kr 8 Understanding of Korean culture http://korea. net 8 Overseas Korean embassies http://www. mofat. go. kr 8 Visa and Registration http://immigration. go. kr 15. Application Form : 10 11 REGISTRATION NUMBER 5 +9 * :;< = >? @A (Check List for Application Documents) *Do not write in this area. B C % D (Institute of Application) :E 19 (Confirmer) : 1 (Signature) 1) Name of Applicant: (given /first name) 2) Country 3) Desired Degree Program : (family/last name) : † Master’s † Doctoral (*Please tick (â€Å") in the appropriate box. ) Application Documents Check List Yes 1. Personal Data (Attachment #1) 2. Self Introduction (Attachment #2) 3. Study Plan (Attachment #3) 4. Letter of Recommendation Submission(Y/N) (Attachment #4) 5. Pledge (Attachment #5) 6. PERSONAL MEDICAL ASSESSMENT (Attachment #6) 7. Copy of diploma or certificate of graduation from undergraduate institution 8. Transcripts & student records from undergraduate institution 9.Copy of diploma or certificate of graduation from graduate institution 10. Transcripts & student records from graduate institution 11. Certificate of Korean Language Proficiency (original copy of TOPIK) 12. Certificate of TOEFL or IELTS Score (original copy) 13. Published papers, if available 14. Awards, if available 15. Copy of passport 16. Certificate of Citizenship of the Applicant and His/Her Parents : birth ce rtificate, passport, etc. (*only for overseas Korean immigrants) 17. Adoption documents (*only for overseas Korean adoptees) 12 No Attachment #1 ! † # $ (% & ‘ ( ) ) * + , – . / Only for Applicants (including Korean adoptees) who apply for this program via an Embassy of Korea) Korean Government Scholarship Program(KGSP) Application Form for Graduate Study *Please tick (# ) a box that applies to you. 1. F G % D (Institute of Recommendation) † H04D (Embassy) 2. F G I J (Type of Recommendation) † KLFG(General) † MN1(Korean Adoptee) 3. 5 + # – (Degree Course of Application) † O6#- (Master’s) † P6#- (Doctoral) 4. Q R S T (Desired Field of Study) † 1U6VST (Humanities and Social Sciences) † 9W4$ST (Natural Sciences and Technology) † X=YST (Arts and Physical Education) 5.Z ( [ W C * 9 (TOPIK 5] ^ _ 9 ) ` $ Q R a % (Preferential Entrance Date – Only for TOPIK Level 5 holders, *TOPIK Level 6 holders must start their studying from Sep 1, 2013) † Sep 1, 2013 † Mar 1, 2014 1 b67 (Personal Data) Please read the form carefully. All applicants must complete all sections only by typing. cd ef(Given name) : c(Family name) : † Male † Single (Full Name) † Female † Married * Name should be spelled the same as in the passport and in English. 3ghK g(yyyy) h(mm) K(dd) ie(Age: ) (Date of Birth) (j (Country) kl (Passport) (b (Citizenship) (Number) (Date of Issue) Wmn (Emergency Address) Address: Tel. op$q (Information concerning applicant’s most recent education) (Date of expiry) ) oprs(X-)$! (Name of previously attended Univ. ) $w (Academic Degree recently awarded) op$wyU*z (Title of graduation dissertation, if available) E-mail: tu(j/va (Country/City) † Bachelor 13 † Master x4 (Academic Major) (Photo 3*4) {[cb TOEFL (English Proficiency) Score : [$Yq (Language Proficiency) Published papers, if available(one or two) IELTS Korean Language Profi ciency (only TOPIK) Level: â€Å"1 â€Å"2 â€Å"3 â€Å"4 â€Å"5 â€Å"6 Score: Awards, if available (one or two) 5+|/}$ (Applying University) }$d (Name of Univ. ) $'d (Faculty) $#d (Department) 4 (Academic Major) University 1 University 2 University 3 $q (Academic Career) %~ (Period) $! d (Name of Univ. ) tu(j (Country) x4A (Academic Major) ^_$w (Diploma or Degree) ~ A 1 cb School (Trans Year cripts) Term 1 *eC $%C Bachel / %H -or (only Master / terms attend ed) as aa Waaq (Occupation or Research Career) st year 2 nd rd year th 3 year th 4 year 5 year EN EO (GPA) 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / UaOC (converted score) /100 / %~ (Period) %Dd (Institution or company) ac (Position) euse (Operation or Duty) A A 2$eCe ( Sponsorship) 5+ei(Amount) (US$/year) +%Dd (Sponsor) Ce%~ (Period) ( Applicant's Name : ) A ( g(yyyy) / / ) A h(mm) K(dd) (signature) * GPA(Grade Point Average) must be converted on a maximum scale of 100 points (c onverted points) * See Attachment . #7 * Fill out both the records of Bachelor’s & Master’s in the case of those applying for Doctoral programs 14 Attachment #1 012345 *+ ,-. / (Only for Applicants who apply for this program via a Designated University) Korean Government Scholarship Program(KGSP) Application Form for Graduate Study *Please tick (# ) a box that applies to you. 2. F G % D (Institute of Recommendation) † (i}$ (Korean University) . F G I J (Type of Recommendation) † KLFG(General) 3. 5 + # – (Degree Course of Application) † O6#- (Master’s) † P6#- (Doctoral) 4. Q R S T (Desired Field of Study) † 1U6VST (Humanities and Social Sciences) † 9W4$ST (Natural Sciences and Technology) † X=YST (Arts and Physical Education) 5. Z ( [ W C * 9 (TOPIK 5] ^ _ 9 ) ` $ Q R a % (Preferential Entrance Date – Only for TOPIK Level 5 holders, *TOPIK Level 6 holders must start their studying from Sep 1, 2013) † Sep 1, 2013 † Mar 1, 2014 1 b67 (Personal Data) Please read the form carefully. All applicants must complete all sections only by typing. cd f(Given name) : c(Family name) : † Male † Single (Full Name) † Female † Married * Name should be spelled the same as in the passport and in English. 3ghK g(yyyy) h(mm) K(dd) ie(Age: ) (Date of Birth) (j (Country) kl (Passport) (b (Citizenship) (Number) (Date of Issue) Wmn (Emergency Address) Address: Tel. ( op$q (Information concerning applicant’s most recent education) (Date of expiry) ) oprs(X-)$! (Name of previously attended Univ. ) $w (Academic Degree recently awarded) op$wyU*z (Title of graduation dissertation, if available) E-mail: tu(j/va (Country/City) † Bachelor 15 † Master x4 (Academic Major) Photo 3*4) {[cb TOEFL (English Proficiency) Score : [$Yq (Language Proficiency) Published papers, if available(one or two) IELTS Korean Language Proficiency (only TOPIK) Level: â€Å"1 â€Å"2 â €Å"3 â€Å"4 â€Å"5 â€Å"6 Score: Awards, if available (one or two) 5+|/}$ (Applying University) $q (Academic Career) }$d (Name of Univ. ) %~ (Period) $'d (Faculty) $#d (Department) $! d (Name of Univ. ) tu(j (Country) x4 (Academic Major) x4A (Academic Major) ^_$w (Diploma or Degree) ~ A 1 cb School (Trans Year cripts) Term 1 *eC $%C Bachel / %H -or (only Master / terms attend ed) as aa Waaq (Occupation or Research Career) st year 2 nd d year th 3 year th 4 year 5 year EN EO (GPA) 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / UaOC (converted score) /100 / %~ (Period) %Dd (Institution or company) ac (Position) euse (Operation or Duty) A A 2$eCe ( Sponsorship) 5+ei(Amount) (US$/year) 5+%Dd (Sponsor) Ce%~ (Period) ( Applicant's Name : ) A ( g(yyyy) / / ) A h(mm) K(dd) (signature) * GPA(Grade Point Average) must be converted on a maximum scale of 100 points (converted points) * See Attachment . #7 * Fill out both the records of Bachelorâ€℠¢s & Master’s in the case of those applying for Doctoral programs 16Attachment #2 9 %ii (Self Introduction) * Please type or print clearly within 1 page using black ink. (in Korean or in English) (*10 points) o Your course of life, your view of life, study background, your hopes & wishes, etc o Your education and work experience, etc. , in relation to the KGSP program o Your motivations for applying for this program o Reason for study in Korea 17 Attachment #3 $ sSn (Study Plan) * Please type or print clearly within 1 page using black ink. (*10 points) Goal of study & Study Plan Future Plan after Study o Goal of study, title or subject of research, and detailed study plan Future plan in Korea or another country after study in Korea 18 Attachment #4 Letter of Recommendation To the applicant: Please fill in your name and the other required information below. In turn, deliver or email this form to the person who will write this letter. NOTE: Request your recommender to seal his or her letter of recommendation in an official envelope and sign across the back flap upon completion. Recommendation letters that are not sealed and signed will not be accepted. Confidential Name of Applicant: (given name) (family name) Nationality: Desired Degree Program: † Master’s † DoctoralDesired Major: To the recommender: The person named above has applied for the ‘Korean Government Scholarship Program’. We ask for your assistance, and would appreciate your frank and candid appraisal of the applicant. * Please type or print clearly using black ink. 1. How long have you known the applicant and in what relationship? Please assess the applicant's qualities in the evaluation table given below. Rate the applicant compared to other classmates who are/were in the same school year with him/her. Truly Excellent Very Good Good Below Average Exceptional Classification N/A Top 2% Top 10% Top 25% Middle 50%Lower 25% Academic Achievement Future Academic Pote ntial Integrity Responsibility/Independence Creativity/Originality Communication Skills Interpersonal skills Leadership 2. What do you consider to be the applicant’s strengths? 19 3. What do you consider to be the applicant’s weaknesses? 4. How well do you think the applicant has thought out plans for graduate study? 5. Please comment on the applicant’s performance record, potential, or personal qualities which you believe would be helpful in considering the applicant’s application for the proposed degree program. Recommender’s Name Date Recommender’s SignaturePosition or Title: University (Institution): Address: (zip-code: Tel: – ) Fax: Please return this form sealed in an official envelope and signed across the back to the applicant. We greatly appreciate your timeliness regarding this letter for your recommendee. 20 Attachment #5 â€Å"Korean Government Scholarship Program for Graduate Study† Pledge (;o; ) As an applicant fo r the 2013 â€Å"Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP) for Graduate Study†, I pledge to abide by the following rules: (1) To refrain from violation of university regulations and to fulfill my obligations as a student to the best of my ability. 2) To behave in a manner appropriate to Korean culture and society, and not to participate in any form of political activity (such as organizing a political party, joining a political party, attending political meetings, publishing political articles and declarations, organizing or participating in demonstrations of a political nature, and so on). (3) To accept responsibility for paying any debts incurred in Korea (4) To agree with NIIED's decision concerning the graduate program and the Korean language course. (5) To abide by all terms and regulations set by NIIED. 6) To permit NIIED to use my personal information for the KGSP. If I am proved to have violated any of the above or to have made a false statement in my application d ocuments, I shall accept any resolution or penalty made by NIIED, even when it may/might result in suspension, revocation or withdrawal of my scholarship. I was informed and fully understand that KGSP students are not permitted to transfer schools for the entire duration of scholarship after confirming their host institution. (yyyy). (mm). Applicant’s Name : (dd). (signature) 21 Attachment #6 PERSONAL MEDICAL ASSESSMENTApplicants are not required to undergo an authorized medical exam before passing the 2nd Selection with NIIED; however, all successful candidates must take a comprehensive medical exam when its’ orientation (including an HIV and TBPE drug test**, etc) in accordance with the requirements of the Korea Immigration Service and the KGSP. If the results show that the applicant is unfit to study and live overseas more than 3 years, he/she may be disqualified. **The TBPE (tetrabromophenolphthalein ethyl ester) drug tests are for evaluating past usage of stimulan t drugs. Gender: HEIGHT cm WEIGHT kg When and for what reason did you last consult a hysician? (Please explain in the adjacent space. ) QUESTION YES NO o Have you ever had an infectious disease that posed a risk to public health (such as, but not limited to, tuberculosis, HIV and other STDs)? o 1. 2. 3. 4. allergies? high blood pressure? diabetes? any type of Hepatitis? o Have you ever suffered from or been treated for depression, anxiety, or any other mental or mood disorder? (If you have received treatment, please explain and attach an official medical report. ) o Have you ever been addicted to alcohol? u Have you ever abused any narcotic, stimulant, hallucinogen or other substance (whether legal or rohibited)? u If necessary, are you prepared to undergo physical tests to verify the answers given in response to questions u and u above? u Have you been hospitalized in the last two (2) years? u Have you had any serious injury, ailment or sickness in the last five (5) years? †  Do you have any visual or hearing impairments?  ° Do you have any physical disabilities? ? Do you have any cognitive/mental disabilities? ? Are you taking any prescribed medication?  § Are you on a special diet? †¢ On average, how many standard servings of alcohol do you consume each week? 22 IF YES, PLEASE EXPLAIN Attachment #7 GPA Conversion Table