GNLD and its product Nutritional Supplements Assignment

GNLD and its product Nutritional Supplements - Assignment Example It is through the fast changing health industry that new ways and methods of diagnosis and promotion of better health has been implemented. All these proceedings have brought about patient care, worker efficiency, and hence better health. To achieve these objectives, several companies like GNLD, which manufacture and sell nutritional food supplements, have been introduced. This product has however been impacted by market forces as discussed in this paper. Degree of Rivalry With the increased need for better health, and the extensive research being carried out in the health industry, rival firms have increased competition drawing the profits that GNLD used to make initially. This has made the competition imperfect; hence, each other firm is struggling to achieve competitive advantage and a higher market share than its rival company. In addition, the controversy on the quality of products of the increasing nutritional food supplements companies and slowed down the market growth. This h as consequently led to need for storage of the products hence high cost. Further, some of the products are perishable thus; the company decides to sell the products at relatively lower prices. The exit barrier in any health related firms are high. This is because the costs of plants and machinery cannot be forgone thus the firm decides to keep competing no matter the state in the market. Though successful, GNLD has been forced to keep competing due to this factor (http://www.mlm-home-business-training.com/GNLD-Int-mlm-leaders-call-team-money-training-scheme-scam/secretsuccess.htm). Threats of Substitutes In a free market economy, restriction of entry into, and exit out of the market is not prohibited. This means that competitors with related commodities will venture in to the market. This threat will definitely occur since the demand of the products of GNLD has been affected by the prices changes in substitute product. For instance, a survey carried out in Kenya showed that GNLD pro ducts are highly affected by the prices from TIASHI, a competing food supplement company. From the research, it was found out that to become part of the marketing team in GNLD, a sum close to $36 is required then the individual should purchase products of high value. For TIASHI, a sum of $18 is required and the initial purchase is relatively lower. This determines the prices at which each the products are sold. Evidently, the close substitute products have constrained the ability of GNLD to raise prices (http://www.healthybusiness.co.za/GNLD%20Products%20Guide/introduction/i3.html). Buyers bargaining power This is the power potential buyers have on any industry that is producing commodities. In many market structures, the forces of demand and supply determine prices of commodities. It is obvious that buyers will expect such market structures. Since GNLD does not exist as a monopoly, the prices at which the food supplements are sold should be dependant of the market mechanisms. On th e contrary, the food supplements from GNLD have fixed prices. The only advantage extended to the buyer is the ability to buy smaller quantities. This means that the buyer does not have bargaining power. It is thus possible in such a case to shift to other substitutes which give the

Business Law (Interbational) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Law (Interbational) - Essay Example Schafer (31-46) explicitly describes the current rules applicable to the taxation of companies operating internationally. For examples, multinational companies or enterprises, and firms sited in another locality different from the residence of the people in charge of the companies’ administration. The following taxation principles are in operation: Establishment of framework for international taxation: Schafer (31) strongly believes that the first step in determining what kind of taxes to pay to which locality begins by establishing the framework for the taxation. The importance of the framework is to stipulate: one, whether a jurisdiction is entitled to tax income from an internationally run firm; two, the allocation formula among the entities that could claim the rights to the tax income; and, finally, preventive measures to avoid unduly double taxation. Jurisdiction issue: Schafer (33) defines a jurisdiction as the â€Å"company’s residence country where its main activities are concentrated, and the company utilizes the benefits provided by the residence country†. Some of the benefits the residence country (a tax haven, possibly) provides to the company may include economic resources, security or legal, financial, physical and social infrastructures that could be used at a cheaper cost compared with the expensiveness of such benefits at the company owners’ home countries, as in the case of the three friends from OECD countries (Schafer 33). And tax incomes are traditionally paid to the jurisdiction where is company is situated. Technically, a company’s jurisdiction could be described as the place where the company is registered or incorporated. In case it is unclear to ascertain the exact jurisdiction of a company based on its legal registration, the company’s place of economic allegiance, that is , where its main management structure and business operation reside could be taken as the

The Neoclassical Synthesis Hicks Economics Essay

The Neoclassical Synthesis Hicks Economics Essay Those who are strongly wedded to what I shall call the classical theory, will fluctuate, I expect, between a belief that I am quite wrong and a belief that I am saying nothing new. It is for others to determine if either of these or the third alternative is right. (ÃŽÅ ¡eynes, General Theory, p. v) It is usually considered as one of the most important achievements of the Keynesian theory that it explains the consistency of economic equilibrium with the presence of involuntary unemployment. It is, however, not sufficiently recognized that, except in a limiting case to be considered later, this result is due entirely to the assumption of rigid wages and not to the Keynesian liquidity preference. (Modigliani, 1944, p. 65) 11.1 Introduction Many economists, soon after the publication of the General Theory (1936), set out to formulate and, at the same time, to clarify the difficult and often confusing content of the book. Among the first models that were specified was that of John Hicks (1937 and 1983), which was to constitute the backbone of what today came to be known as macroeconomics.  [1]  In his article Hicks sought to express the central propositions of the General Theory in terms of equations and graphs in the effort to illuminate the relation between the theory of effective demand and liquidity preference. Furthermore, Hicks clarified these relations with the aid of two curves the SI and the LL, which later became known as the IS-LM curves. Hickss model became particularly popular in the US through the work of Paul Samuelson (1948) initially and subsequently through Alvin Hansen (1953). These two economists contributed more than anybody else to the popularisation of the Keynesian analysis and way of thought. The IS-LM conceptual apparatus has displayed remarkable longevity and resilience to various critiques and since the late fifties or early sixties continues to be part of the formal education of economists. At the same time, the IS-LM model plays a significant role by virtue of the fact that macroeconomic analyses, regardless of the approach, are cast to a great extent, in terms of the IS-LM representation of the economy. This is not to imply that the IS-LM model is without its problems; on the contrary, many economists expressed scepticism on the validity of the IS-LM as a representation of the General Theory and the way in which the economy works.  [2]   In what follows we present and evaluatse the Hicksian IS-LM model and continue with Keyness reaction to the Hicksian restatement of the General Theory. Next, we introduce Modiglianis version of the Keynesian model and the chapter ends with some concluding remarks. 11.2 Hickss Analysis of IS-LM Hickss analysis focuses on the relation between savings and investment and seeks to establish the simultaneous determination of income and the rate of interest in both the real and monetary economy. According to Keyness analysis in General Theory income constitutes the principal variable in his analysis; nevertheless one would continue to be in the spirit of Keynes by considering the important role of the rate of interest. Thus, Hicks argued that investment (ÃŽâ„ ¢ ) is a function of the rate of interest (i ) and also income (Y). Formally, we write the following function: I=I(i, Y) Similarly, for the saving function (S ), we have: S=S(i, ÃŽÂ ¥) The equilibrium condition is: I=S From the above equality, we derive the following particular functional formalisation, which is called IS and it is defined as the locus of points that determine a relation between the rate of interest and the level of income, when investment and savings are equal to each other. The IS curved is formed in the way we show in Figure 1, where we have the saving and the investment functions for each income level. i i2 i2 i1 I1=S1 I2=S2 I, S Y1 Y2 Y i A A B B I(Y1) I(Y2) S(Y1) S(Y2) IS (a) (b) Figure 1. Equilibrium in the Goods Market and the IS Curve Let us suppose that we are in an initial equilibrium point such as A and let us further suppose that income increases from Y1 to ÃŽÂ ¥2. It follows that the savings and investment schedules-both have positive their first derivatives with respect to income-shift to the right and their intersection at point Î’ determines the new equilibrium point. It is important to stress that the savings function is much more sensitive to variations in income, and therefore it shifts to the right by more than the investment function.  [3]  The two equilibrium points (i1, Y1) and (i2, Y2) are portrayed in Figure 1(b). In a similar fashion, we generate a series of such points, which when connected form the IS curve.  [4]   Hicks furthermore incorporates in his analysis the money market, where the supply of money (M) is exogenously determined, i.e., ÃŽÅ“=ÃŽÅ“0 /P, where ÃŽÅ“0 is the exogenously given nominal money supply and P is the price level. The demand for money depends on income and the rate of interest, i.e., L=L(i, Y). By invoking the balancing condition M=L, we arrive at M0=L(i, Y ) Figure 2 illustrates the equilibrium position in the money market, where the supply of money, for reasons of simplicity and clarity of presentation, is depicted with a vertical line indicating its exogenous character.  [5]  The demand for money, as we know, is inversely related to the rate of interest, a relation whose details have been analysed in the previous chapter. When income increases it follows that much more liquidity is required for the needs of transactions and therefore the interest rate will increase for any given level of money supply. In terms of a graph we have: (a) (b) M=M0/P L1(Y1) L2(Y2) LM Y i i i1 i1 i2 i2 M/P Figure 2. Equilibrium in the Money Market and the LM Curve We observe that with the supply of money given the demand for money for transaction purposes is directly related to income. The crucial question here is that while we refer to the money market the discussion is in terms of the bond market. In particular, we know that the excess demand for any good leads to an increase in its price until excess demand becomes zero and thus we get the equilibrium point. Since in the case of money market the equilibrium interest rate is derived in the market for bonds (see ch. 9), then how can the same interest rate equilibrate the money market? In Keyness analysis it seems that there is an implicit portfolio stock exchange constraint, which can be written as follows: (L M ) + (Bd Bs) = 0 Where Î’ symbolises the bond market, while the superscripts d and s symbolise the demand for and the supply of bonds, respectively. Consequently, we have the total demand for wealth (L + B d) equal to its supply (M + Bs). If we, further, suppose Walrass Law, then the above equality necessarily holds and if the rate of interest brings equilibrium in the market for bonds then on the basis of Walrass Law we conclude that equilibrium will be also established in the money market, that is L = M. As a consequence, we can follow Keynes, who argued that interest rates are determined in the money market. Because of the Walras Law, equilibrium in the bond market and equilibrium in the money market is one and the same. If, for example, i > i*, then Bd > Bs and because of the stock constraint we get L Returning to the above equilibrium relations, we end up with a system of four equations and four unknowns: Y, i, I, S. The equations IS and LM represent the reduced form of the above system of simultaneous equations, whose solution gives the equilibrium income together with the equilibrium interest rate. In the same figure, we present the interest rate that corresponds to the liquidity trap (iLT), where the demand for money is infinitely elastic. Consequently, the LM curve is essentially the solid line. i IS LM Y iLT i* Y* A B S>I M S>I M S M>L I II IV III S M>L Figure 3. Equilibrium in the Market for Goods and Money The intersection of the two curves at point B determines the equilibrium pair of interest rate and income. Any point above the IS curve indicates excess supply of goods and every point below the IS curve indicates excess demand for goods. As for the LM curve, every point to the right indicates excess demand for money and every point left to the LM curve indicates excess supply of money. The intersection of the two curves defines four quadrants, which are portrayed in Figure 3 above and in each quadrant we indicate the excess demand or supply in the goods and money markets. The mechanism that establishes equilibrium in the economy works as follows: let us suppose that for some reason the economy is out of equilibrium at a point on the quadrant II. In such a case, savings exceed investment and thus income has a tendency to decrease, while the demand for money is greater than the supply and the interest rate tends to increase. The changes are expected to lead the economy towards equilib rium at point B. In an analogous way, we can describe the mechanism that restores equilibrium at points in the other quadrants and this is left as an exercise. 11.3 Hicks and Keynes Hickss article was published in 1937, eight months after the publication of the General Theory. Keynes already knew the content of the article since he was among the first that the article was given to for comments before its publication to the Economic Journal. Keynes never disapproved directly and explicitly the presentation in terms of the IS-LM apparatus. Don Patinkin (1922-1995) in a series of articles argues the fact that Keynes never said anything negative for the formalisation of his theory by Hicks and that this ipso facto implies an adoption of this presentation on his part (Patinkin, 1990). If Keynes disagreed then he would have every reason to emphatically express his disagreement. After all Hickss presentation in a sense was provocative, since Keyness General Theory in it was viewed as a special case of the neoclassical true general theory. Post Keynesian economists claim that the fact that Keynes did not exercise a negative critique can be attributed to his idiosyncrasy that would not pay attention to anyones writings which might concern his General Theory. On the other hand, Keynes did not have any reason, to express, at least in the beginning, his strong disagreement to Hickss presentation. It is possible that he did not think that Hickss article would meet the success that it finally met (Put footnote 6 here).  [6]  It is certain that he disagreed with Hickss view as this can be judged by a careful reading of his correspondence with Hicks and from the article that he wrote in the Quarterly Journal of Economics (1937), where he summarised his views. Specifically, he placed special emphasis, once again, on the fact that economies are characterised by uncertainty. Hickss approach, is characteristically different from that of Keyness. We know from Pasinetti (1973) that Keynes followed a sequential analysis starting from the marginal efficiency of capital, and then to the interest rate, to investment and through the investment multiplier to the equilibrium level of income. By contrast, in Hicks, all of the above take place simultaneously, as we show in Figure 3. Furthermore, Hicks in his formulation of the demand for money refers to a single interest rate. In the General Theory, however, we know that Keynes refers to two interest rates, the current and the expected in the long run. Consequently, Keyness analysis is in sharp contrast to Hickss and on top of all we have the issue of uncertainty that permeates the General Theory and is completely absent in Hickss presentation. Another important difference is that Hicks does not refer to the problem of unemployment equilibrium which is so central in Keynes-and really differentiates him from the classics-. Instead, Hicks locates the difference between Keynes and the classics to the interest rate and the issue of whether it increases with investment or not (Barens and Caspari, 1999, p. 219). According to Hicks, in periods of stagnation the interest rate is particularly low and under these circumstances speculators are not willing to hold non-liquid assets; consequently, their demand for money is so high that it absorbs whatever quantity of money is available. Thus, every increase in the supply of money is counterbalanced by a corresponding increase in the demand for money and the rate of interest remains constant. Monetary policy therefore is completely ineffective and it cannot restore the economy to full employment equilibrium. Hicks notes, there are conditions in which the interest-mechanism will not work. The special form in which this appears in the General Theory is the doctrine of a floor to the rate of interest [the liquidity trap] as Sir Dennis Robertson has called it. (Hicks, 1957, p.287) If we suppose that the economy is in the liquidity trap  [7]  , then a monetary policy, regardless of how active it might be, cannot shift the economy beyond the initial equilibrium point. In terms of Figure 4, if the economy is in equilibrium at point A, an expansionary monetary policy will shift the LM curve, for example to the position LM΄, with no consequence what so ever for the initial equilibrium position. LM LM A B C IS IS IS Y i iLT Figure 4. Equilibrium in the Markets for Goods and Money Consequently, Hicks in his model claims that the General Theory is not so general as Mr. Keynes thought, but rather a special case of the neoclassical theory, where the liquidity trap has a prominent position. The truth, however, is that the idea of the liquidity trap is very hard to pin point in the writings of Keynes; of course, there are some sporadic hints in the General Theory, as for example is the following: There is the possibility, for reasons discussed above, that, after the interest rate has fallen to a certain level, liquidity-preference may become virtually absolute in the sense that almost everyone prefers cash to holding a debt which yields so low a rate of interest. In this event the monetary authority would have lost effective control over the rate of interest. But whilst this limiting case might become practically important in future, I know of no example of it hitherto. (Keynes, 1936, p. 207)  [8]   However, Keynes does not discuss this case in any detail so as to claim that this is the hallmark of his theory. What is certain, however, is that the liquidity trap is more Hickss and subsequently Hansens (1953, pp. 122-3) idea rather than Keyness.  [9]  Consequently, the view that the liquidity trap is the essence of Keyness theory is due to the influence that the Hicksian model exerted on macroeconomics and much less to Keynes and his writings. Suppose, now, that for some reason investment increases, and then the increase in the rate of interest follows suit, a result which is consistent with neoclassical theory and with Hickss argument. It is true, that in Keynes the arrow of causality is different from that in neoclassical economics. However, it continues to be true that, under normal conditions, the interest rate increases when investment increases except for the case of the liquidity trap, where only income changes in every change in investment. The trouble, however, with Hickss view is that for Keynes the rate of interest is determined by monetary forces, while in the IS-LM framework the interest rate is determined by real forces. This is an issue that Keynes pointed out in his letter to Hicks. For example we read: From my point of view it is important to insist that my remark is to the effect that an increase in the inducement to invest need not raise the rate of interest. I should agree that, unless the monetary policy is appropriate, it is quite likely to. In this respect I consider that the difference between myself and the classicals lies in the fact that they regard the rate of interest as a no-monetary phenomenon, so that an increase in the inducement to invest would raise the rate of interest irrespective of monetary policy. (Keynes, 1973, p.80) A final point relates to the inclusion of current income in the investment function. Keynes objected to this idea for the reason that income was already included in the definition of the marginal efficiency of capital through the prospective yields. The following quotation from his letter to Hicks, shows that Keynes was not only acquainted with the IS-LM apparatus but also as a modern econometrician argued against the inclusion in the same specification of both income and interest rate. Specifically, Keynes notes: At one time I tried the equations, as you have done, with I in all of them. The objection to this is that it overemphasizes current income. In the case of the inducement to invest, expected income for the period of investment is the relevant variable. This I have attempted to take into account of in the definition of the marginal efficiency of capital. As soon as the prospective yields have been determined, account has been taken of income, actual and expected. But, whilst it may be true that entrepreneurs are over-influenced by present income, far too much stress is laid on the psychological influence, if present income is brought into such prominence. It is of course, all matter of degree. (Keynes, 1973, pp. 80-81). Barens and Caspar (1999) in their discussion of Hicks and Keynes note that while Hicks accepted all of Keyness points he nevertheless insisted in his own formulation for merely pedagogical reasons. 10.4 Modiglianis Synthesis Hickss model does not refer explicitly to the labour market; it is simply confined to demonstrating that there is equilibrium in only two markets that is the market for goods and the market for money. In his model, Hicks explicitly argues that the money wage as well as the general price level are exogenously given. Franco Modigliani (1944) extended Hickss model by including the labour market and the production function. Modigliani argued that the assumption of equilibrium with unemployment cannot be supported on the basis of the liquidity preference theory except for the particular case of the liquidity trap. In general, however, the Keynesian hypothesis can be supported on the assumption of the rigidity in the money wage. For Modigliani, the equilibrium in terms of the IS-LM model implies a pair of interest rate and money income that clears simultaneously the money and good markets. Consequently, we must take into account that the money income (ÃŽÂ ¥ ) is equal to the price level (P ) times the level of the real income (X ). As a result, we may write: Y=PX The level of real income (or output) is a function of the level of employment of labour (ÃŽÂ ). Consequently, we have: X=F(ÃŽÂ ) The level of employment in turn is determined at the point, where the marginal product of labour is equal to wage. Consequently, we have: w=PF-1 (ÃŽÂ ) Up until now we have a system of 7 equations (the three equations above together with the system of 4 simultaneous equations of the IS-LM) with 8 unknowns, that is I, S, i, Y, X, W, P. More specifically, we have the 4 equations of Hickss model: I=I(i, Y) S=S(i, Y) I=S M=L(i, Y) And the three new equations suggested by Modigliani: Y=PX X=F(ÃŽÂ ) w=P F -1(ÃŽÂ ) The system is overdetermined by one equation, the missing equation is the supply of labour. Modigliani in his article invokes Keyness assumption of the given money wage. More specifically, the money wage is given if, and only if, the economy is at a level of output less than full employment. We know that in the neoclassical analysis the supply of labour is a function of the real wage N=F(w/P) so the money wage can be written as w=F-1(N)P Formally, Modigliani stated his condition in the labour market in the following way: w=awo +bPF -1(ÃŽÂ ) Where, a=1, b=0 if ÃŽÂ  a=0, b=1 if ÃŽÂ  = ÃŽÂ f The last equation indicates that if the current employment in the economy is smaller than full employment (ÃŽÂ f ), then Keyness view for the rigidity of money wage holds indeed, that is we have (a=1 and b=0). Money wage is viewed as a datum a result of history or of economic policy or of both (Modigliani, 1944, p. 47). If, however, the economy is at full employment, then the money wage becomes flexible (a=0 and b=1) and the last equation becomes an ordinary supply of labour function. Consequently, the money wage will be determined from the supply of labour at the point of full employment. In Modiglianis presentation we find that the central assumption is the rigidity of the money wage, an assumption which, as with the liquidity trap does not really find any justification in the General Theory, where the nominal wage is being used simply to determine the price level. By contrast, in Modiglianis presentation the nominal wage has another important role to play. This is revealed if we express Modiglianis system of simultaneous equations in terms of wage units or alternatively in terms of labour commanded.  [10]  Thus, we have: investment is given in terms of labour commanded savings is given in terms of labour commanded equilibrium in the goods market equilibrium in the money market income given in terms of labour commanded the production function, which is by definition in real terms the real wage is equal to the marginal product of labour the supply of labour Hence, we have a system of 8 equations and 8 unknowns (I/w, S/w, i, Y/w, ÃŽ, N, w, P ). If, for a moment, we disregard the fourth equation and focus our attention on the remaining 7 equations, we observe that these can determine all the variables but one, that is the money wage. The result is that the supply of money determines the money wage; since this is the only variable that remains to close the system. Such a determination is due to the quantity theory of money. Consequently, Modiglianis system of equations is dichotomised into the real economy-which includes all the equations except the fourth one-and the money economy, that is the equation of equilibrium in the money market. The real economy gives solutions in real terms (7 equations with 7 unknowns, that is I/w, S/w, i, Y/w, X, N, w/P) while the money supply: determines the nominal wage, since the other variables are determined in the real economy. Consequently, the money supply determines the nominal wage and through the real wage it also determines the general price level. Thus, monetary policy may affect real magnitudes in the Keynesian model, contrary to Hickss reasoning according to which the money supply does affect the real economy. Modiglianis analysis leads to the conclusion that flexibility in prices and money wages establishes full employment in the economy. The mechanism that restores full employment works as follows: the existence of unemployment drives down nominal wages and therefore incomes fall. The demand for money for transaction purposes, being directly related to income, falls as well, and with a given supply of money the rate of interest falls as well. From thereon investment increases and the economy moves toward the full employment level of output. Modigliani managed to formalise Keyness argument about the results of the flexibility in money wages. It is important to stress that the pivotal variable in this formalisation of the theory of employment is the idea of inflexibility of money wage. A corollary of this theory is that the role of money is not neutral. For example, the increase in the supply of money affects the price level and reduces the interest rate and thus output and employment are increased. If the nominal wage were perfectly flexible, then moneys role would be neutral since it does not influence the interest rate i, or the liquidity preference L and output remains the same. Consequently, under conditions of a fully flexible nominal wage the increase in the supply of money leads only to an increase in the general price level. Consequently, ÃŽÅ“odigliani concludes that Keyness theory works only in case of inflexibility of the nominal wage. If, however, the money wage is flexible then we derive the usual neoclassical results, where the real economy determines the level of output and employment and the money economy determines the nominal variables of the economy. This does not imply a rejection of Keyness theory; on the contrary, economists accept the idea of inflexibility of the money wage as a stylised fact of modern economies and thus, Keynesian policy is viewed as both theoretically valid and necessary. The problem, however, relates to the theoretical consistency of the Keynesian system that once again became a special case of the general neoclassical model according to which the economy exhibits a sufficient flexibility in prices of commodities and the factors of production. 10.5 Summary and Conclusions In an overall evaluation of the two models we see that they both represent aspects or partial arguments of the General Theory. Nevertheless their major problem in terms of the General Theory is the simultaneity issue and also the treatment of uncertainty. In Hickss article we find an explanation of unemployment and recession as a result of the liquidity trap, which differentiates Keyness theory from the (neo)classical one. In Modigliani, by contrast, the recession is the result of the inflexibility of money wage and not of the lack of effective demand. Commenting on this kind of revision of the General Theory Paul Samuelson in the third edition of his popular text Economics, notes: In recent years 90 per cent of American economists have stopped being Keynesian economists or anti-Keynesian economists. Instead they have worked towards a synthesis of whatever is valuable in older economics and in modern theories of income determination. The result might be called neoclassical economics and is accepted in its broad outlines by all but about 5 per cent of extreme left-wing and right-wing writers. (Samuelson, 1955, p. 212). These efforts to cast Keynesian theory in terms of IS-LM, Samuelson called neoclassical synthesis, since it puts together the neoclassical analysis of investment and savings and the market for labour with the analysis of Keynes about the interaction between the money market and the real level of economic activity. The neoclassical synthesis became the dominant presentation of the General Theory. According to this view, when there is unemployment, then we have Modiglianis supply of labour function with a=1 and b=0, and as a result of the exercise of appropriate monetary and fiscal policy the economy approaches the level of full employment. When the economy approaches the level of output that corresponds to full employment, then once again the neoclassical theory becomes relevant. If our central controls succeed in establishing an aggregate volume of output corresponding to full employment as nearly as is practicable, the classical theory comes into its own again from this point onwards. (Keynes, 1936, p. 378) In general, economists of the neoclassical synthesis argue that although the economy returns to full employment through the price mechanism, nevertheless this is a long run process. Consequently, for immediate results active fiscal and monetary policies are necessary. Modiglianis ideas, which became the foundation of the neoclassical synthesis, and which essentially constitute a Marshallian partial equilibrium approach, became the object of criticism from Walrasian authors. They posited the following question: how is it possible to have equilibrium in all the markets but one? The protagonists of this critique of the neoclassical synthesis are Alex Lejonhufvund and Robert Clower, whose contributions we discuss in the next chapter. Other criticisms included the phenomena of unemployment and later of the stagflation in the late sixties or seventies. Some economists, the monetarists for example, tried to fix the weaknesses of the model and others such as the New Classical economists claimed that the premises on which the IS-LM framework is based are dubious, while New Keynesian economists in the 1980s revived the old Keynesian models by injecting realism and by basing them on microeconomic foundations which simply were not used in the initial models. Whatever happens to the current macroeconomic debates and the various criticisms launched against the IS-LM models, one thing is certain, that these will continue to be part of the formal education of future generations of economists. Questions for Discussion and Thought Write down the Hicksian system of equations. Draw a graph with the IS-LM system of equations and assuming a disequilibrium situation describe the dynamics of attaining equilibrium. To what extend does Hickss model represent Keyness General Theory? What was Keyness reaction to Hickss IS-LM representation of the General Theory? Discuss Modiglianis Neoclassical Synthesis. To what extent does his model differ from Keyness? What are the major similarities and differences between Hickss and Modiglianis models? Critically evaluate the following statement: I will assume all markets with the sole exception of the labour market are in equilibrium. Notes on Further Reading Hickss (1936) article is easy to follow, but the exposition of ideas (not visions) is really dry. The reader discerns an effort on the part of Hicks to express Keyness ideas in terms of equations and graphs without, however, the proper textual documentation. As we have mentioned, at the time that Hicks presented his article in the econometric society meeting at Oxford, two other related papers were presented in the same meeting by Meade and Harrod. Darity and Young (1995) present the details of these three articles a

Invisible Man Comparative Essay -- essays research papers

Their Eyes Were Watching God and Invisible Man Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life has never been easy for African-Americans. Since this country's formation, the African-American culture has been scorned, disrespected and degraded. It wasn't until the middle of the 21st century that African-American culture began to be looked upon in a more tolerant light. This shift came about because of the many talented African-American writers, actors, speakers and activists who worked so hard to gain respect for themselves and their culture. Two writers were on the front lines of this movement, Zora Neale Hurston and Ralph Ellison. Their novels, Invisible Man and Their Eyes Were Watching God, probed deeply into the life and culture of the African-American, something that was practically unheard of. But not only did their novels shed light on the African culture, but they also shifted away from the traditional Romantic style of writing. Instead of focusing on religion or society, these novels focused on self-awareness, pride, and finding happiness. The merit of these novels pervades every page, but can especially be found in the themes, diction, and characterization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both novels shared two similar themes: the pursuit of happiness and self-actualization. These themes had to be dealt with tenderly in an intolerant, white-culture society. Both Hurston and Ellison did this beautifully, in that their stories were not forceful nor prea... Invisible Man Comparative Essay -- essays research papers Their Eyes Were Watching God and Invisible Man Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life has never been easy for African-Americans. Since this country's formation, the African-American culture has been scorned, disrespected and degraded. It wasn't until the middle of the 21st century that African-American culture began to be looked upon in a more tolerant light. This shift came about because of the many talented African-American writers, actors, speakers and activists who worked so hard to gain respect for themselves and their culture. Two writers were on the front lines of this movement, Zora Neale Hurston and Ralph Ellison. Their novels, Invisible Man and Their Eyes Were Watching God, probed deeply into the life and culture of the African-American, something that was practically unheard of. But not only did their novels shed light on the African culture, but they also shifted away from the traditional Romantic style of writing. Instead of focusing on religion or society, these novels focused on self-awareness, pride, and finding happiness. The merit of these novels pervades every page, but can especially be found in the themes, diction, and characterization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both novels shared two similar themes: the pursuit of happiness and self-actualization. These themes had to be dealt with tenderly in an intolerant, white-culture society. Both Hurston and Ellison did this beautifully, in that their stories were not forceful nor prea...

Night Essay: Examples of Night

â€Å"I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name. † (42) Elie Wiesel’s Night is about a young Jewish boy and his experiences through the Holocaust in the 1940’s. Any human being should never experience the hell-like terror that Elie had to go through. He is separated from his mother and his sister and is deported to Auschwitz, one of Hitler’s most depressing concentration camps. Wiesel uses night not only as the title but also as a symbol of time, a world without God, and man’s inhumanity to man. Night is defined as a time of day when the sun is dormant, but for Elie Wiesel, night is eternal.While stuck inside the camp, hope is quickly diminished in Elie’s mind, overtaken by the deep darkness that night brings. This can be clearly seen when Ellie explains his last night in Buna. â€Å"Yet another last night. The last night at home, the last night in the ghetto, the last night in the train, and, now the last night in Buna. How much lo nger were our lives to be dragged out from one ‘last night’ to another? †(79) The question that Elie repeats shows that light in the camp can be seen as sign of hope, but sadly no light shines in the gloomy, depressing place.Elie explains how he encounters a complete darkness, no matter what time of day it is, when he enters Auschwitz. â€Å"Never shall I forget the night, the first night in the camp, which has turned my life into one long night. †(32) The horrid sights he has to live through in the camp can be seen as the scary, evil, eerie feeling that you get when nightfall arrives, almost like a time of day were there is no presence of God. When forced to evacuate the camp, Elie explains how the darkness swallowed people’s lives as they were marched to death. â€Å"Pitch darkness. Every now and then, an explosion in the night.They had orders to fire on any who could not keep up. †(81) With the sound of gunshots and people dying, night hove red over every single one of them marching for their own lives. The gloomy, dark, fright-filled nighttime can be closely related to the horrid journey of Elie Wiesel in Auschwitz were no light can be seen, even in the daytime. If God could be seen as light, then the loss of faith is his darkness. On page 60, Elie experiences a young boy being hanged as a punishment inside the camp. From witnessing the awful sight it reminds Elie of the harsh reality of the Nazi’s and how they have deteriorated his faith, a vital omponent for staying alive in the camp. Elie then hears a question come from behind him. â€Å"Where is god now? And I heard a voice within me answer him: Where is he? Here he is- He is hanging here on his gallows . . . † (62) Elie felt as though God no longer had his support and that he had lost faith within him. He explains the young, innocent boy dying in front of him as his faith slowly slipping away. Elie began to doubt the support from God. â€Å"I did n ot deny God’s existence, but I doubted His absolute justice. †(42) God was no longer meaningful and helpful towards Wiesel’s struggles; he had nothing to turn to when deeply in need.Nighttime can be seen as a time when God is no longer there, when the evil emerges from their dwellings in which they hid from the light in. Auschwitz is an eternal night, where evil doesn’t need to hide because no light is visible. The horror and inhumanity of the Nazi’s left million of innocent people trapped in a place of darkness without the slightest sign of light or hope. This can be seen numerous times throughout the whole book. Disturbing sights that Ellie experienced will remain with him and haunt him forever because of how brutal they are.The Nazi just threw out the dead corpses. They undressed him, the survivors avidly sharing out his clothes, then two ‘gravediggers’ took him, one by the head and one by the feet, and threw him out of the wagon lik e a sack of flour. † The way they just threw around the dead as though they were useless, inanimate objects was something no normal minded person could do. As they made their evacuation, the SS screamed and yelled at the poor people saying things like, â€Å"Faster, you swine, you filthy sons of bitches! †(81) The Nazi’s showed little to no sympathy towards the people that were different from them.They felt superior to all and dehumanized those who weren’t. When finally being released from imprisonment, Ellie wanted to see what he had looked like. â€Å"I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror, a corpse glazed back at me. †(109) The fact that Ellie had not seen himself since he had entered the ghetto is unreal. He barely recognized his standing ‘corpse’. Dehumanization does extremely awful things to people and the Nazis did a textbook job of doing so. Leaving people suffering under the wrath of the horror an d inhumanity with a result of innocent people dying.Man’s inhumanity to man, a world without God, ad night as a symbol of the time of day, symbolizes night in Ellie Wiesel’s novel. In additions to the time of day, night can be seen as an everlasting darkness Elie has to endure while stuck inside the camp with no sign of light or hope in sight. Elie Wiesel shares his story to educate the world of the harsh reality of dehumanization. Sadly this is still active in our world today. They say that knowledge is power; ignorance is bliss, so hopefully Elie’s story will reach the souls of humanity and potentially keep history from repeating itself in the near future.

Betta Value Stores

Betta value stores meeting report: The first issue in the meeting that we discussed was that at the store enterance, there are too few shopping baskets, and any available trolleys are of the wrong type. The store has problems with persuading shoppers to return them to the trolley park at the main entrance of the store. We had quite a debate on this issue as Zara and Ahmed had quite strong ideas. Ahmed had the idea of nectar points and that every time you put your trolley back you will get points on your card. And in the end you can trade your points for a item sold in the store.In the end we decided that this would be too much of a hassle so instead we went with Zara’s idea. Which was to firstly buy more trolleys so there are plenty available but to buy the ones you have to put a pound in. This way people will return their trolleys so they can have their pound back. We thought a disadvantage for this would be that we would have to replace all existing trolleys with ones which have slots for moneys. In the end we decided this would be a good thing to invest in as it will be very beneficial in the end. The second issue that we discussed was that staff are seen to be unhelpful.That checkout operators do not know the location of items, people are still seen to be stacking shelves after the store has opened for the public and that younger employees are offhand with dealing with the public. For the solution of this first problem about people carry on stacking the shelves we came to a clean conclusion of started stacking shelves earlier and for them to train to stack the shelves faster. The solution to the checkout operators we were torn between two. One idea was that we give a sheet of paper to the checkout operators outlining where most of the goods in the store are located.The other idea we had was that we have a touch screen computer in which you type in the key words of the item and it will tell you its location. We said that initially it would cost quite a bit but in the end it well be very beneficial. Thirdly we discussed the fact that most customers suggested that we should offer a lot more services rather then just selling household goods and groceries. Some services and facilities they suggested included having lottery kiosks, newspaper stalls, shoe repairs, cash points etc.We had quite a debate about this but one thing we all agreed at was that we would offer some of these services rather all of them and we agreed that this would be a top priority as we would not want to lose customers to other businesses who provide these services. In the end we all agreed on the fact that we should for now work towards getting a lottery kiosks and stand for newspaper. We would see if this would improve the business as a whole and meet customer needs after assessing this we would re-evaluate of what other services we should provide for customers.Another important issue that was on the minds of a lot of customers was that no allowances are made for shoppers who have mobility problems or small children or who speak little English. At first we were lost as to solve this problem and could not generate many solutions. In the end though we decided that we would employ some employees that were bilingual and maybe put signs up that are in other languages as well as English for all to understand. We also decided that a ramp out side of the building would be appropriate.

Medieval Weapons essays

Medieval Weapons essays In the medieval times there were many kinds of weapons used in battle, competitions, and just for practice. Swords were the most common weapons in the medieval times. Some swords could penetrate armor and kill the person that they were striking. Some swords however could not pierce armor and were just used for sword fights. Swords contained two parts the blade and the handle. The blade was metal with at least one side sharpened and a pointed tip for thrusting. The handle was usually wooden covered with leather, although it could have been made of metal. Their were many kinds of swords but most seemed to have the same fundamentals. One of the most popular was the claymore, it was a heavy broad sword developed in Scotland though slow most warriors liked it because of its swinging power. Another kind of sword was the short sword it was probably the most common. Knights could easily carry it with a sheath attached to their armor it was much easier to swing compared to the claymore even though it did not have as much swinging power it could be swung faster to gain momentum. The other basic sword was the long sword it was a mix between the short sword and the claymore. The long sword was long like the claymore long range and swinging power. It was like the short sword it was not as heavy or broad as the claymore, allowing stronger knights could carry and swing it with one arm. There were also famous kinds of swords that many people may know about for example king Arthur wielded a sword by the name of the Excalibur. Vikings usually used axes. Vikings would raid peoples houses to steel any thing they could. They would kill anyone that got in their way. There were many types of axes in the medieval period. There was a battle-axe that was different from other axes because this one had removable shafts and heads. A regular axe was used to chop wood and not to fight with. Almost only Vikings could use axes but well trained knigh...

Brave New World1 essays

Brave New World1 essays The book that I read was Brave New World. It was written by Aldous Huxley. Huxley was born in England on July 26, 1894. He came to the States in 1937. Throughout his writing career he wrote many types of things. His works included novels, poetry, and essays.Huxley had established himself as a prestigious writer by the time that he was thirty.He also received the Award of Merit for his novel Island., from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He died Nov. 22 1963. I want to give you some background about the book before I get into the theme.The book itself takes place in a futuristic London. The entire Western Europe is controlled by one man, the Ford. The Ford's name is Mustapha Mond. In this society all of the people are hatched. The idea of people Giving birth is repulsive as well as is the idea of anyone wanting to be alone. Every persons future is predetermined. They are made to fit a cast system And they can never break away from that cast. Some people are smart and well respected and others are looked at like they are the scum of the earth. The primary objective of This society is to be social. To have fun, and to have sex with no commitment. Dealing with problems is no problem for these people because of a drug called Soma. Soma is like a tranquilizer that puts you in a place that you want to be and has no side-effects. So they never have to face reality. The book is centered around four main Characters The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning, a scientist named Lenina , another scientist Bernard and the Savage,John. The theme of the book is that people need to be looked as an individual with specific needs and concerns and feelings not that we should all be the same way all of the time The theme of the book starts with John. John is a young man that has lived his entire life on an Indian reservation. And has had no contact ...

Turkey (Meleagris gallapavo) History

Turkey (Meleagris gallapavo) History The turkey (Meleagris gallapavo) was inarguably domesticated in the North American continent, but its specific origins are somewhat problematic. Archaeological specimens of wild turkey have been found in North America that date to the Pleistocene, and turkeys were emblematic of many indigenous groups in North America as seen at sites such as the Mississippian capital of Etowah (Itaba) in Georgia. But the earliest signs of domesticated turkeys found to date appear in Maya sites such as Cob beginning about 100 BCE–100 CE. All modern turkeys are descended from M. gallapavo, the wild turkey having been exported from the Americas to Europe during the 16th century. Turkey Species The wild turkey (M. gallopavo) is indigenous to much of the eastern and southwestern US, northern Mexico, and southeastern Canada. Six subspecies are recognized by biologists: eastern (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), Florida (M. g. osceola), Rio Grande (M.g. intermedia), Merriams (M.g. merriami), Goulds (M.g. mexicana), and southern Mexican (M.g. gallopavo). The differences among them are primarily the habitat in which the turkey is found, but there are minor differences in body size and plumage coloration. Oscellated Turkey (Agriocharis ocellata or Meleagris ocellata). Corbis Documentary / Getty Images The ocellated turkey (Agriocharis ocellata or Meleagris ocellata) is considerably different in size and coloration and thought by some researchers to be a completely separate species. The ocellated turkey has iridescent bronze, green, and blue body feathers, deep red legs, and bright blue heads and necks covered with large orange and red nodules. It is native to the Yucatn peninsula of Mexico and into northern Belize and Guatemala- in a completely different range than wild turkeys- and is today often found wandering in Maya ruins such as Tikal. The ocellated turkey is more resistant to domestication but was among the turkeys kept in pens by the Aztecs as described by the Spanish. Before the Spanish arrived, both wild and ocellated turkeys were brought into co-existence in the Maya region by the extensive trade network.   Turkeys were used by precolumbian North American societies for a number of things: meat and eggs for food, and feathers for decorative objects and clothing. The hollow long bones of turkeys were also adapted for use as musical instruments and bone tools. Hunting wild turkeys could furnish these things as well as domesticated ones, and scholars are attempting to pinpoint the domestication period as when the nice to have became need to have. Turkey Domestication At the time of the Spanish colonization, there were domesticated turkeys both in Mexico among the Aztecs, and in the Ancestral Pueblo Societies (Anasazi) of the southwestern United States. Evidence suggests that the turkeys from the U.S. southwest were imported from Mexico about 300 CE, and perhaps re-domesticated in the southwest about 1100 CE when turkey husbandry intensified. Wild turkeys were found by the European colonists throughout the eastern woodlands. Variations in coloration were noted in the 16th century, and many turkeys were brought back to Europe for their plumage and meat. Archaeological evidence for turkey domestication accepted by scholars includes the presence of turkeys outside of their original habitats, evidence for the construction of pens, and whole turkey burials. Studies of the bones of turkeys found in archaeological sites can also provide evidence. The demography of a turkey bone assemblage, whether the bones include old, juvenile, male, and female turkeys and in what proportion, is key to understanding what a turkey flock might have looked like. Turkey bones with healed long bone fractures and the presence of quantities of eggshell also indicate that turkeys were kept at a site, rather than hunted and consumed. Chemical analyses have been added to the traditional methods of study: stable isotope analysis of both turkey and human bones from a site can assist in identifying the diets of both. Patterned calcium absorption in eggshell has been used to identify when the broken shell came from hatched birds or from raw egg consumption. Turkey Pens: What Does Domestication Mean? Pens to keep turkeys have been identified at Ancestral Pueblo Society Basketmaker sites in Utah, such as Cedar Mesa, an archaeological site which was occupied between 100 BCE and 200 CE (Cooper and colleagues 2016). Such evidence has been used in the past to implicate the domestication of the animals- certainly, such evidence has been used to identify larger mammals such as horses and reindeer. Turkey coprolites indicate that the turkeys at Cedar Mesa were fed maize, but there are few if any cut marks on turkey skeletal material and turkey bones are often found as complete animals. A recent study (Lipe and colleagues 2016) looked at multiple strands of evidence for tending, care, and diet of birds in the US southwest. Their evidence suggests that although a mutual relationship was begun as early as Basketmaker II (about 1 CE), the birds were likely used solely for feathers and not fully domesticated. It wasnt until the Pueblo II period (ca. 1050–1280 CE) that turkeys became an important food source. Trade These ocellated turkeys (Agriocharis ocellata) dont seem very interested in the Maya ruins at Tikal, Guatemala. Christian Kober / robertharding / Getty Images A possible explanation for the presence of turkeys in Basketmaker sites is the long-distance trade system, that captive turkeys were kept within their original habitats in Mesoamerican communities for feathers and may have been traded up into the United States southwest and Mexican northwest, as has been identified for macaws, albeit much later. It is also possible that the Basketmakers decided to keep wild turkeys for their feathers independent of whatever was going on in Mesoamerica. As with many other animal and plant species, domesticating the turkey was a long, drawn-out process, beginning very gradually. Full domestication might have been completed in the US southwest/Mexican northwest only after turkeys became a food source, rather than simply a feather source. Sources Cooper, C., et al. Short-Term Variability of Human Diet at Basketmaker Ii Turkey Pen Ruins, Utah: Insights from Bulk and Single Amino Acid Isotope Analysis of Ha. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 5 (2016): 10-18. Print.Lipe, William D., et al. Cultural and Genetic Contexts for Early Turkey Domestication in the Northern Southwest. American Antiquity 81.1 (2016): 97-113. Print.Sharpe, Ashley E., et al. Earliest Isotopic Evidence in the Maya Region for Animal Management and Long-Distance Trade at the Site of Ceibal, Guatemala. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115.14 (2018): 3605-10. Print.Speller, Camilla F., et al. Ancient Mitochondrial DNA Analysis Reveals Complexity of Indigenous North American Turkey Domestication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107.7 (2010): 2807-12. Print.Thornton, Erin, Kitty F. Emery, and Camilla Speller. Ancient Maya Turkey Husbandry: Testing Theories through Stable Isotope Analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science: R eports 10 (2016): 584-95. Print. Thornton, Erin Kennedy. Introduction to the Special Issue - Turkey Husbandry and Domestication: Recent Scientific Advances. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 10 (2016): 514-19. Print.Thornton, Erin Kennedy, and Kitty F. Emery. The Uncertain Origins of Mesoamerican Turkey Domestication. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 24.2 (2015): 328-51. Print.

FIFA Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

FIFA - Case Study Example Football is normally governed by a worldwide body. This is called the FIFA. In the year 1930, the first world cup finals were held. This was done in Uruguay. After this the next world cup finals were held in the year 1994.This was held in the United States of America. In the past, FIFA never used to allocate the world cup finals evenly. Recently FIFA decided to give equal considerations to every FIFA confederations. FIFA has got 204 members who are quite ambitious who have highly contributed to this. This organisation has really expanded in the resent past. In the year 2006, the word cup finals were held in Germany after the members voting. 1 FIFA usually has presidential elections and the aspirants are the ones that that offer this improvements. The one that was in Germany was supposed to have been held in South Africa but it brought in many accusations concerning intimidation. There is a high probability that the finals will not be held in Europe any soon, maybe until the year 2020.It was noted that there were huge costs incurred in hosting the 32 national teams when the world cup final were held in Korea and Japan. FIFA increased the amount of money it is offering to world cup winners .This was by 70% increased. This was effective in the year 1998 when this amount was paid to France after winning the world cup finals. ... There is a high probability that the finals will not be held in Europe any soon, maybe until the year 2020.It was noted that there were huge costs incurred in hosting the 32 national teams when the world cup final were held in Korea and Japan. FIFA increased the amount of money it is offering to world cup winners .This was by 70% increased. This was effective in the year 1998 when this amount was paid to France after winning the world cup finals. Initially, each team that participated in the world cup finals used to be paid 400,000. Each game that is played in the tournament was attracting 550,000.FIFA is now paying 2m to each team that participates in the world cup games even if it doesn't succeed in the initial group games. There are chances that FIFA could pay the winners an amount of 5m.This will depend on several factors. It includes the number of sponsorships that the world cups will attract and the amount rose by these finals in general. World cup finals were in the past hosted by Japan and Korea. This was tricky because the two nations have their own differences and have tense relations. These differences are in the social development, cultural and economic sectors. Regional discord could very much be promoted by the world cup finals in the two nations. 2.0 FIFA This organisation was founded in May 1904.It is the Federation International de Football Association in full. The nations that signed the act of foundation include; Sweden, Spain, Denmark, France, Belgium, Switzerland and France. At the start of the twenty first century, the first official matches under this organisation took place in Europe. The intention of starting up this organisation was to understand the role played by English in the matches. Netherlands Football Association's secretary got

Human Rights in Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Rights in Politics - Essay Example An obsessive fear for national security and fear about infiltration of the Government, lead to the intensified scrutiny of CPUSA and other radical political groups. In 1947 President, Harry Truman was instrumental in ushering in a law that permitted authorities to investigate and prosecute federal employees found to be disloyal to the Government. In 1949, 11 top leaders of the CPUSA were convicted under Alien Registration Act (South Act of 1940.), which made it illegal to advocate the violent overthrow of the American Government. In 1950 the Internal Security Act, was promulgated. This act required the registration of communist and communist front organizations. From 1950 to 1954 senator Joseph Mc McCarthy of Wisconsin used congressional investigations to persecute communists. This assumed the proportions of the Salem Witch Craft Trials and grave travesties of justice took place. Even Charlie Chaplin was not spared in this attack on those suspected to be either communists or communis t supporters. This had the effect of producing a drastic reduction in the number of members in the CPUSA. (Microsoft Corporation Encarta Encyclopaedia , Communism. Timothy. J Colton.). On the 11th of September 2001, a most dastardly attack was conducted on the innocent civilians of the USA by Al Qaeda terrorists under the demoniac guidance of their fiendish leader Osama Bin Laden.

Private Security Companies of Hostile Countries Coursework

Private Security Companies of Hostile Countries - Coursework Example Though overall security responsibility of people is taken up by occupying forces, the militants target the private and government organisations that help in development of infrastructure and organisations that help in economic development. Thus they try to distort the development activities that help in rebuilding the country. The important objectives of the expatriate security companies are to offer training for local police and to give security for private and governmental organisations as the police and military forces in Iraq are not in adequate number to protect them. Even the international organisations like UN offices that are helping in rebuilding of Iraq, voluntary organisations and MNC companies need security from the militants. To meet the above-mentioned requirements, the expatriate security companies have to train local police and maintain security personnel for the protection of private as well as government and international facilities. The important issue is about rec ruiting personnel that can provide security to the organisations, who are clients of the security companies. The recruitment will be of two types. Recruiting expatriates (westerners) and recruiting local people. However, both the above options have their own drawbacks. The recruitment of westerners costs more for the company but assures efficient services. In the contrast, the recruitment of the locals may result in less expenditure for the company regarding salaries but may not result in adequate security as the locals are more prone to the relations with militants as well as they are more familiar with the surroundings. Consequently, the recruitment of locals in to the security companies in countries like Iraq and their reliability in security operations is the point of discussion in this paper. Hence, the recruitment of expatriates comes to the fore when the security companies find that there are no sufficient locals fit for the security operations. Research Hypothesis: Do expatriates can fill the security vacuum in countries like Iraq by recruiting local personnel Do the training given by the companies to local police is enough in providing the much needed security to people, organisations and the companies in countries like Iraq Methodology The information necessary for the assignment

Expanding Your Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Expanding Your Business - Essay Example Further, the company, The Coffee Shop, pricing for breakfast, lunch, and diner dish is pegged at an average of  £10 per meal, including coffee. Coffee and other beverage prices include  £ 2.60 for Espresso,  £ 2.20 for Americano,  £2.20 for Macciato,  £2.20 for Cortado,  £2.65 for Flat White,  £ 2.65 for Latte,  £ 2.60 for Cappuccino,  £ 2.90 for Mocha,  £ 290 for Hot Chocolate,  £ 2.90 for Iced tea, and  £ 2.90 for Iced Chocolate. The English breakfast prices include  £ 7 bacon sandwich,  £ 3.70 poached egg,  £ 8 for has browns,  £ 11 full breakfast,  £ 7 Scottish smoked salmon and scrambled egg, and  £ 10 Omelette meal. The breakfast menu includes  £ 3 porridge,  £ 4 strawberries and pears,  £4 fruit mix breakfast,  £ 2.50 grapefruit, and  £ toasted bread  £ 1.70. The customers can also savor the  £ 12 hamburger or the stomach filling Longhorn Beef hamburger for  £ 19. Furthermore, the average cost of each menu choice is only 30 percent of the total menu price. The remaining 70 percent represents the amount allocated to paying for the expenses of running the business. The expenses include amount paid for electricity, water, and telephone expenses. The expenses also include the amount paid for the salaries of the coffee shop crew of five persons (Warren, 2009). The company is expected to borrow funds to realize the dream of setting up a residential coffee shop. The amount of loan is twenty percent of the total business capital. With a total business investment of  £ 60,000 pounds, the amount to be loaned is only  £ 20,000. Consequently, the company will pay  £ 1,000 interest per year for the use of the loan amount. The amount  £ 60,000 will be used to prepare the residential unit for the coffee business. The total investment is composed of  £ 40,000 investment by the sole proprietor and  £ 20,000 loan amount (Noreen, 2008). The balance sheet shows that the company uses the loan and the owner’s

Mars Reconnaissance orbiter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Mars Reconnaissance orbiter - Essay Example In this particular essay, the mission, roles along with the responsibilities of MRO would be discussed in order to determine the effectiveness of the activities performed by MRO. Moreover, the instruments through which MRO has been assisted in order to seek evidences regarding the persistence of water on Mars surface for several years would also be discussed in the essay. In addition, the discoveries and related snapshots would also be depicted in the essay. While determining the mission, roles along with responsibilities and the scope of MRO, it can be apparently observed that the aspect of MRO comprises certain effective scientific instruments for the purpose of analyzing the stratigraphy, landforms, ice and minerals present in Mars. In this similar concern, the instruments can be observed as radars, cameras, sensors and spectrometers among others. Specially mentioning, the above discussed instruments assist future spacecraft in terms of scrutinizing the prevailing surface as well as weather conditions in Mars. Moreover, the instruments aid in studying effectively the prospective landing sites and most importantly hosting an innovative telecommunications system. Notably, MRO is regarded as a mission, which has been designed by NASA in order to analyze the atmosphere, weather and geology prevailing in Mars. The studies conducted by MRO reveal the identification of the deposits of minerals that had formed specifically in water in Mars o ver longer period of time and the evidences of shorelines of prehistoric lakes and seas. Moreover, the studies of MRO indicated the amount of deposits in layers that took place due to flow of water in Mars. After acquiring a brief idea about the studies conducted by MRO and its focus upon seeking evidences concerning the prevalence of water in Mars, it can be affirmed that it might attract the viewers or the individuals towards acquiring a brief idea about the above

Understanding Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding Argument - Essay Example The author’s argument can be summarised in one sentence as follows; Guns should be banned for civilians in the United States because they are too dangerous and kill too many people to be safe for non-professionals to use. She goes about supporting this point firstly by arguing that the Second Amendment of the American constitution does not confer upon American civilians the right to own a gun. Ivins quotes from the Second amendment, which states that guns can be kept by ‘members of a well regulated militia’. (4) This, she argues, does not mean that the average man on the street automatically has the right to own a gun, but rather that this right is specifically limited by the Second Amendment to the police and security forces. In Ivins’ view, ‘fourteen-year-old boys are not part of a well regulated militia. Wacky members of a religious cult are not members of a well regulated militia.’ (4) The licensing of guns to members of the public, therefo re, goes against the Second Amendment. Thomas Jefferson, quips Ivins, surely wasn’t aiming to uphold the right of gangs to kill innocent members of the public in drive-by shootings. Ivins then moves on to the argument that things other than guns kill people, but they are not made illegal. Her example is the car. A car, so the pro-gun lobby argument goes, is just as likely to kill you as a gun. There are many irresponsible drivers who kill people in traffic accidents, just like there are irresponsible gun owners who go out and shoot people, but the car hasn’t been outlawed. Ivins’ response to this line of attack is that we ‘licence them [i.e. cars] and their owners, restrict their use to presumably sane and sober adults and keep track of who sells them to whom’. (8) She argues that at the very least the same should be done for guns. In Ivins’ argument

Mars Reconnaissance orbiter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Mars Reconnaissance orbiter - Essay Example In this particular essay, the mission, roles along with the responsibilities of MRO would be discussed in order to determine the effectiveness of the activities performed by MRO. Moreover, the instruments through which MRO has been assisted in order to seek evidences regarding the persistence of water on Mars surface for several years would also be discussed in the essay. In addition, the discoveries and related snapshots would also be depicted in the essay. While determining the mission, roles along with responsibilities and the scope of MRO, it can be apparently observed that the aspect of MRO comprises certain effective scientific instruments for the purpose of analyzing the stratigraphy, landforms, ice and minerals present in Mars. In this similar concern, the instruments can be observed as radars, cameras, sensors and spectrometers among others. Specially mentioning, the above discussed instruments assist future spacecraft in terms of scrutinizing the prevailing surface as well as weather conditions in Mars. Moreover, the instruments aid in studying effectively the prospective landing sites and most importantly hosting an innovative telecommunications system. Notably, MRO is regarded as a mission, which has been designed by NASA in order to analyze the atmosphere, weather and geology prevailing in Mars. The studies conducted by MRO reveal the identification of the deposits of minerals that had formed specifically in water in Mars o ver longer period of time and the evidences of shorelines of prehistoric lakes and seas. Moreover, the studies of MRO indicated the amount of deposits in layers that took place due to flow of water in Mars. After acquiring a brief idea about the studies conducted by MRO and its focus upon seeking evidences concerning the prevalence of water in Mars, it can be affirmed that it might attract the viewers or the individuals towards acquiring a brief idea about the above

Peasants DBQ Essay Example for Free

Peasants DBQ Essay This revolt lasted from 1524 till 1526, it began in the German states, and the main reason for the revolt was new Lutheran ideas that were beginning to go against the traditional Catholicism ideas. Documents 1,4 and 5 give insight on the views those who were on the nobility side, Documents 2 and 3 give more specific details over the views of peasants and finally for Documents 7,8 and 12 explain how the mainly how the revolt didnt have much meaning behind it. Documents 1, 4, and 5 explained the point of view of the nobility which mostly all of the nobility agreed it was negative. In Document 1the Chancellor of Bavaria wrote how he believed that the revolt was simply the belief of the time and thats why so many peasants were following the same belief. Yet the chancellor doesnt realize the side of the peasant who strive for a better life for themselves, they simply want to have more rights for the individuality. In document 4 it explains how they have not reach any religious achievements, so for their freedom they must give a large amount of money to buy their freedom. As for document 5 a pope explains how the peasants are more like salvages and act very ruthless during their revolt. All 3 of these documents are more than likely extremely biased since the nobility only wanted to better themselves and nobody else. Document 2 and 3 explained how the peasants felt during the revolt which they unlike the nobility believed their actions were going to a positive cause. In document 2 a local craftsperson explain how the lords been cruel to all peasants. He is stating the lords and nobles should offer payment for their services not simply force them to do task like slaves. This relates to Luthers knowledge and ideas instead peasants apply it not only to the church but outside of the church. In document 3 they explain the wrong doing of the lord by controlling peasant, they continue into saying that the rulers set by god would be the only one peasants would follow, but that they should still be set free and not be under so many restrictions. Both sides will not be entirely correct since they both strive to better themselves,  which of course they would maintain bias to their sides. Documents 7, 8, and 12 explain the negative side of the revolt from a 3rd person point of view. Document 7 comes from Martin Luther saying how the revolt from the peasants contradicts what they said; he goes on explaining that their actions are under the devils order. Although the actions they may have taken wasnt the best response they did fight for what they believed in and all throughout history this has occurred many times fighting for what you think is right. Document 8 explains how if they all are brothers then the rich should share their wealth with the peasants, yet many would have trouble with this, because the one persons wealth is every wealthy person wealth. Document 12 explains how the peasants forgot their place in the revolt, how they do not have the power to de3ciede for themselves. It truly shows how the peasants have absolutely no word in their treatment.

The Green Revolution: History, Impact and Future

The Green Revolution: History, Impact and Future Plants are an essential part of lives on the planet and a crucial source of economic prosperity for almost every country. They provide directly or indirectly almost all the food of man and animals. They also supply industrial raw material, for instance, timber, paper, rubber, products for the chemical industries such as starch, sugars, oils and fats, energy in the form of fuel wood, starch and sugars which are sources of ethanol, methanol, etc., and massive numerous valuable drugs, fragrances and other fine chemicals. Plant growth also has a massive influence on environment. Because of all these roles, Policymakers should be continually developing policies for the use of plants to protect the earths environment and to feed the growing populations.(1) The Historical Phenomenon (Green revolution) The term Green Revolution has begun to be used in 1960s refers to the renovation of agricultural practices by some Third World countries, particularly in Asia and Latin America, beginning in Mexico in the 1940s. Because of the use of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of wheat and rice which increase food crop production. Green revolution technologies spread worldwide in different terms as agricultural revolution and seed-fertilizer revolution, which led to a substantial increase in the amount of calories produced per acre of agriculture in 1960s.(light green, H2) The green days of the Green Revolution (History and Development) In 1970 the American botanist, Norman Borlaug, Director of the Division for Wheat Cultivation at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center or CIMMYT in Mexico, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was honoured for having set in motion a worldwide agricultural development, later to be called the Green Revolution (light green). In the 1940s, N. Borlaug began conducting research in Mexico and developed new disease resistance high-yield varieties of wheat. By combining Borlaugs wheat varieties with new mechanized agricultural technologies, Mexico was able to produce more wheat than was needed by its own citizens, leading to its becoming an exporter of wheat by the 1960s. Prior to the use of these varieties, the country was importing almost half of its wheat supply.(net) Due to the success of the Green Revolution in Mexico, its technologies spread worldwide in the 1950s and 1960s. The United States for instance, imported about half of its wheat in the 1940s but after using Green Revolution technologies, it became self-sufficient in the 1950s and became an exporter by the 1960s.(net) A renovation of the history of the Green Revolution shows that the international agricultural research institutes played an important role in progressing of using Green Revolution technologies. Such as, in 1959, the CIMMYT instituted in Mexico, which was founded by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, and the Mexican government provided the land. Also, in 1960, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Manila, which was joint effort of the Ford and Rockefeller Foundation Several more international institutes were established and funded by government agencies as the World Bank and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). After that, in 1971, all the international agricultural research institutes were brought under the umbrella of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).(4) The development was based on the genetic improvement of particularly productive plants. Borlaugs so-called miracle wheat doubled and tripled yields in short period of time. Similar increases were soon achieved with maize and, at the (IRRI), with rice (IR8) that produced more grain per plant when grown with irrigation and fertilizers.(2) The success of the newly developed strains appeared limitless. They were introduced in several Asian countries in 1965, and, by 1970, these strains were being cultivated over an area of 10 million hectares. Within three years, Pakistan ceased to be dependent wheat imports from the United States. Sir Lanka, the Philippines, and number of African and South American countries achieved record harvests. India, which had just avoided a severe famine in 1967, produced enough grain within five years to support its population, and became one of the worlds leading rice producers.(2) Despite the success of the Green Revolution in increasing yields per hectare in India, this success has largely bypassed Africa. The reasons for this include the fact that both wheat and rice are relatively unimportant staple crops in Africa; that Africas main staples of maize, sorghum, millet, and cassava have experienced only modest productivity gains; and that Africas infrastructure is not sufficiently well deve loped to support significant agricultural change The witness of the Green Revolution (Plant Technologies) Agricultural technology development can be characterised as passing from primarily land-related technologies, through mechanisation to bio-chemical technologies (associated with new varieties and relatively large amount of agro-chemicals). It is now moving towards a bio-technology phase. (green p 72) The crops developed throughout the Green Revolution were high yield varieties (HYVs), which means they were domesticated plants in high response to chemical fertilizers and produce more grain per plant when grown with irrigation.( H2) They were insensitive to photoperiodicity and matured in about 110 days rather than 180 days; it was thus possible to grow two or even three crops in a year. The yield potential of these varieties was greater in the temperate regions of Asia and in the dry season in the monsoon region than in the humid tropics, because of the longer hours of sunshine and hence the greater potential photosynthesis available to the plant. (H2) The terms often used with these plants that make them successful are harvest index, photosynthate allocation, and insensitivity to day length. The harvest index refers to the above ground weight of the plant. During the Green Revolution, plants that had the largest seeds were selected to create the most production possible. After selectively breeding these plants, they evolved to all have the characteristic of larger seeds. These larger seeds then created more grain yield and a heavier above ground weight. This larger above ground weight then led to an increased photosynthetic allocation. By maximizing the seed or food portion of the plant, it was able to use photosynthesis more efficiently because the energy produced during this process went directly to the food portion of the plant. Finally, by selectively breeding plants that were not sensitive to day length, researchers like Borlaug were able to double a crops production because the plants were not limited to certain areas of the globe based solely on the amount of light available to them. Benefits Criticism (Consequences of the Green Revolution) Agricultural development thinking in the 1960s and 1970s was preoccupied with the problem of feeding a rapidly increasing world population. Then, the obvious solution was to increase per capita food production. The resulting green revolution has had a dramatic impact on the Third World, particularly in terms of increasing the yields of the staple cereals wheat, rice, and maize. However, despite impressive success, it also suffers from problems of equity and failures in achieving stability and sustainability of production.( 5 After) Since the 1940s, the fossil fuel-based Green Revolution has greatly increased the production of a few selected commodity grain crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans and rice, achieved through high-input, monoculture cropping practices. The unintended consequence of this Green Revolution experiment is that the focus on chemical crop fertility inputs, pest protection, and weed control has increased toxicity in the environment and degraded the planets finite soil and water resources (Khan et al. 2007). Worldwide, 1.9 billion hectares are significantly degraded. Soils are less fertile, erosion has greatly increased, and breakdowns in agro-ecological functions have resulted in poor crop yields, land abandonment, and deforestation. (IAASTD 2008) Furthermore, chemically-based conventional farming methods lead to human health risks. Pesticides have damaged wildlife, poisoned farm workers, and created long-term health problems such as cancers and birth defects (Lichtenberg, 1992). Even in the U.S., more than half of the nations drinking water wells contained detectable amounts of nitrate and seven percent have detectable amounts of pesticides. (US EPA 1992) There is a significant health risk from pesticide residue on the foods we eat. Conventionally grown food in the heavily regulated United States has 2/3 more pesticide residue than organically grown food. As soils on organic farming systems continually rid themselves of pesticides from prior industrial agricultural practices,  the pesticide residue gap between conventional and organic will grow even larger. (Delate et al. 2006; Baker et al. 2002). Preschool children in the Pacific Northwest eating a conventional food diet had eight times the organophosphorus pesticide exposure compared to children of parents who provided organic diets. (Curl et  al. 2003; Lu et al. 2005) In countries with little or no regulatory enforcement, the situation of people eating food contaminated with pesticide residue can be m uch worse. A 2008 research review commissioned in partnership with the United Nations and prepared by 400 world experts and signed by 57 nations strongly rejects industrial farming as a viable approach to address problems of soaring food prices, hunger, social injustice and environmental degradation in the developing world. (IAASTD 2008). Around the world, one- to five-million farm workers are estimated to suffer pesticide poisoning every year, and at least 20,000 die annually from exposure, many of them in developing countries. (World Bank: Bangladesh: Overusing Pesticides in Farming January 9, 2007) The United States is burdened with an estimated $12 billion annual health and environmental cost from pesticide  use, (Pimentel et al. 2005) and estimated annual public and environmental health costs related to soil erosion of about $45 billion (Pimentel et al. 1995). But the damage transcends environmental soil loss. What cannot be economically calculated is the cost of destroying future generations ability to produce enough food for their survival. When all costs are calculated the Green Revolution is not cost-efficient. While centralized, industrial agricultural methods reduce labor costs by substituting herbicides, insecticides and synthetically-produced fertilizers as well as farm machinery for application and crop maintenance, the energy costs are much higher than in organic farming systems. The negative consequences of the Green Revolution led the 2008 United Nations research review to strongly reject industrial farming as a viable approach to address problems of soaring food prices, hunger, social injustice and environmental degradation in the developing world. (IAASTD 2008) Second Green revolution New biotechnology can affect every stage of plant life. Rapid biotechnology tests for contamination by crop disease organisms and for seed and crop quality controls allow for safer and more efficient crop breeding is likely to play an important role in securing the future supply of food. Crop germplasm improvement by the addition of new genes has been the goal of plant breeding since the beginning of agriculture. New efficient genetic modification methods could aim at increasing plant performance and plant resistance to virus and other disease, as well as to drought, salt, cold, heat, etc. They could also enlarge the land resource basis available for agriculture. Genetic modification might become the most important contribution of biotechnology to plants. From 1982, when the first single gene was successfully transferred, progress has been rapid; several dozen plants have since been modified in the laboratory.(1) Broad-scale implementation of innovative technologies, such as hybrid breeding and plant biotechnology, would go a long way towards increasing and securing the harvests of our most important crops. For example, varieties of crop plants whose resistance to drought or extreme temperatures has been strengthened through gene technology or by other means could contribute to securing the harvest in the face of climate change. Researchers in the Australian state of Victoria have run successful field trials of genetically manipulated wheat lines that are capable of delivering stable yields under conditions of water stress. In the 2006/07 season, drought in Victoria destroyed an estimated 70 percent of the wheat harvest. The German Association of Biotechnology Industries (DIB) expects the first drought-tolerant wheat variety to be brought onto the market in five to ten years. For maize, this could happen in two to five years. Authorities in the USA have already received a registration appli cation for drought-tolerant maize. Plant biotechnology is also likely to contribute to a resource-efficient increase in the productivity of food from animal husbandry. In future, ruminants might be fed more easily-digestible grasses with modified fructan and lignin contents. This would reduce the amount of climate-damaging digestive gases they produce, and at the same time, increase energy yield. Increasing income levels in developing countries mean that more and more people expect to be able to consume animal-derived foods, so this type of efficiency gain is essential if the environmental and climatic impacts of animal husbandry are to be kept under control. The twin pressures of climate change and dwindling fossil energy resources will propel agriculture to the forefront in supplying the worlds population with renewable energy and sustainable supplies of raw materials. Forecasts indicate that between 20 and 30 percent of the agricultural surface might be dedicated to producing biomass by 2025. It follows then that this area will either be lost to food production or at best only available to a limited extent. This means that biomass production also desperately needs innovative approaches if the conflict between the tank and the plate is to be relieved. Need of another revolution The challenge facing the world today is to provide food, fibre and industrial raw materials for an ever growing world population without degenerating the environment or affecting the future productivity of natural resources. This challenge is even more pressing in developing countries, where FAO estimates that a total of 925 million people are undernourished in 2010 (FAO SOFI report 2010). The industrial Green Revolution has not, and cannot, feed the world. Instead of helping people feed themselves, it has created a cycle of dependency. In a world of 6.5 billion people, experts project that the world food supply will need to double again over the next 40 years to feed our planets population. Based upon the heavy use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation, the industrial Green Revolution worked only as long as fuel was cheap and water was abundant. The transitory benefits of increased short-term food production have come at too great an ecological price as carbon is extracted from the soil and emitted as global-warming carbon dioxide in our air instead of remaining in the soil to nurture crops. Petroleum-based fertilizers and chemical pesticides have also polluted our water and poisoned our environment, food, and people. Conclusion It is sometimes said that the Gene Revolution will replace the Green Revolution. But this will not happen until and unless this mechanism enables breeders to produce dynamic gains in generations of varieties. Until such time, the Gene Revolutions GM products can only complement conventional Green Revolution breeding. This complementarily takes the form of installing static GM products on the dynamic generations of varieties produced by conventional Green Revolution methods.^ * The Roundup Ready product produced by Monsanto has been installed on approximately 1,500 soybean varieties produced by 150 seed production companies Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been introduced in the agricultural system and on the market of consumer goods in the last 10-20 years, initially in the USA but also increasingly in developing countries. Since the discovery of genetic engineering, with its potential to modify DNA of living organisms, discussion and controversy have been abundant [1,2] both cited in [3]. Europe has witnessed a particularly strong resistance to the introduction of GMOs in agriculture and for consumer food products, both from consumers, national governments and from the EU. The public objections had numerous causes, including the concerns about the risk assessment, the ethics and equity issues, power relations and the mistrust of technocrats and public authorities. The resistance in Asia, Latin America and North America has been generally weaker than in Europe, although some authors have voiced scathing criticism of the US governments and the industrial lobby for abusing famine in Africa to f oster the spread of GM food to developing countries [4].In response to the criticism, the European governments have attempted to improve the risk assessment methods and its scientific basis, and to tailor public policies to the growing demand for transparency, accountability, and public participation.( second revo ref2) Major issues Concerns about the introduction of GMOs in crops and in food concentrate on four mutually overlapping areas: environmental concerns; public health concerns; ethical concerns about tampering with nature and individual choice; and a combination of ethical and socio-conomic concerns related to the issues of patenting C) Improving plant breeding In vitro and other biotechnologies help to reduce the time-consuming and expensive process of producing, growing and evaluating large numbers of plants. Included are molecular genetics for paid identification of valuable genes, new methods for hybrid seed production, and plant propagation and tissue culture. D) Improving plant production Crop performance in the field, defined as yield, depends upon numerous factors, including environment, soil type, agronomy, external factors such as pests and disease and the plant properties themselves. Genetic modification of plants or micro-organisms can modify these factors, leading, for example, to better plant morphology , stress resistance, and biological fertilisation, as well as pest and disease control, which reduce chemical inputs into agriculture. Improving Plant Production Crop performance in the field, defined as yield, is a very complex character and is affected strongly by environmental factors, soil type, external agents such as pests and diseases, by the quality of agronomy and husbandry as well as by the properties of the plants themselves. Biotechnological methods can lead to increased yield by creating plants with attributes that optimise exploitation of specific environments. Plant characters frequently in need of improvement by exploitation of new genes in breeding programmes Increase drought tolerance, Increase salt tolerance, Increase cold tolerance, Increase heat tolerance, Increase disease resistance, Increase pest resistance, Herbicide tolerance, Increase nitrogen utilisation, Increase acid/alkali tolerance, Increase metal tolerance, Modified day length responses, Modified vernalisation responses, Increase photosynthesis/respiration efficiency.

Multiple Regression :: Gender

Introduction For this study researchers were interested in assessing whether self-reported health behaviours and health literacy are able to predict self-rated physical health, after controlling for the effects of gender and age. They are further interested in knowing which of the variables provide a statistically significant contribution to the equation. Also of interest to the researches was the interaction between gender and health literacy, that is, the degree to which individuals are able to obtain, process and understand the information needed to make appropriate decisions about their health, and the impact of this interaction on health. Data was collected from 350 people randomly selected from a dataset from a population-based study of health and health determinants. Health was measured on a scale of 1 to 10, where higher scores represent better health. Health behaviours include healthy diet, physical activity and relaxation and are measured on a scale from 1 to 15. Health literacy is measured on a scale from 10 to 45. Gender and age in years were also collected from the respondents. Data Screening & Assumption Testing The initial step in this data analysis involved screening the data for possible missing values, out of range values, univariate and multivariate outliers and multicollinearity. Three variables used for this study contained missing values; both system and identified missing. These variables were health literacy, physical activity and age in years, one case for each of these variables. Each of these missing values were recoded with a missing value code of 999. Descriptive statistics produced for each of the variables used for the analysis revealed out of range values for the variables healthy diet, physical activity and relaxation. These values were also recoded to the missing value code 999. Testing for the presence of outliers was done by generating a scatterplot matrix for all variables (Figure 1), and plots of Cook’s distances (Figure 2) and Mahalanobis distances (Figure 3). There are no cases which indicate a particular cause for concern. On the Mahalanobis distance chart there are no cases that is substantially larger than the rest and on the Cook’s distance there is no case with a distance above 1 which would indicate an influential point. Multicollinearity was tested and there were no variables with a tolerance of less than 0.3. It is also necessary to check the regression assumptions to ensure that any results from analysis are valid. The first assumption is that all variables are measured on a metric scale or that categorical variables are dichotomously coded. This is true for the data in this study. The second assumption is that each observation in the sample is independent of the other observations, the