Essay about 06 13 LBO Model Quiz Questions Advanced

Investment Banking Interview Guide Access the Rest of the Interview Guide Investment Banking Interview Guide, Advanced LBO Model – Quiz Questions Answers in bold. Table of Contents: †¢ †¢ †¢ Types of Debt and Financing Methods Financial Statement Adjustments and Debt Schedules Calculating Returns Types of Debt and Financing Methods 1. All of the following types of debt are typically â€Å"floating-rate† instruments used to finance an LBO EXCEPT: a. Subordinated Notes b. Term Loan A c. Term Loan B d. Revolver e. None of the above i. Explanation: The correct answer choice is A. All of the answer choices listed above with the exception of A are floating-rate debt instruments, meaning that its interest rate is not fixed (e.g. 8% each year until†¦show more content†¦5. Which of the following represent typical differences between Subordinated Notes and Mezzanine? a. Subordinated Notes have floating interest rates, whereas Mezzanine has a fixed interest rate b. The PIK interest option tends to be more common for Mezzanine c. Mezzanine often includes an option for investors to receive warrants that allow them to share in some of the deal upside d. Subordinated Notes are secured, whereas Mezzanine is unsecured e. None of the above i. Explanation: A is false because both Subordinated Notes and Mezzanine are â€Å"High-Yield Debt† and therefore have fixed interest rates rather than floating interest rates. B is true because while PIK 3 / 15 Investment Banking Interview Guide Access the Rest of the Interview Guide may exist for Subordinated Notes, it is much more common for Mezzanine. C is also true because since Mezzanine is considered â€Å"Equity level† in terms of seniority, sometimes the option to receive equity in the company is attached to this type of Debt. D is false because both of these are Unsecured, as are most forms of HighYield Debt (with an exception for Senior Notes sometimes). 6. Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding Payment-In-Kind (PIK) debt? a. A PIK loan does not require cash interest payments, but instead has the interest accrue to the loan principal b. Certain Term Loans have a PIK option c. Often, Mezzanine

Kill everybody Free Essays

Thus, sleep is an essential for good health. Sleep is one of the most essential things a human body needs in order to function effectively. Even a short nap can benefit a tired body and give a weary mind a few minutes Of rest. We will write a custom essay sample on Kill everybody or any similar topic only for you Order Now A good niches sleep removes tiredness, stress, tensions and worries. Identified and correcting poor sleeping habits can help older adults to improve their well-being and quality of life. In addition, we must take in balance diet. For example, determine the food before we eat. We should plan our time to eat so that we will eat less. A lot of people ban certain foods from their diet such as chocolate and ice-cream. Doing so will only make them crave for more, therefore do not ban them but enjoy a small portion from time to time. A food diary will enable us to identify which food or drinks that we need to cut down on and whether we are getting a balanced diet with enough food and vegetable. Furthermore, regular exercise can prevent obesity. When we exercise, our bodies will burn up all the extra calories which would otherwise be converted into fat and then lead to unwanted bulges. Being overweight carry us With it a number of other lath problems. Hence exercising not only keeps us trim, but it also keeps away weight-related problems. However we spend most of our time in claustrophobic classrooms and homes. As a student with loads of homework, assignments and exams, exercise seems to be a monotonous chore. Nonetheless, healthy experts prescribe exercise as a prerequisite for a long healthy life, as saying goes, ‘a life free from diseases and ailments. Besides that, we should go to a clinic or hospital for regular medical check up. We also can check blood circulation, level of cholesterol, heart ache and others. If our blood circulation is in good condition, the capacity of blood to carry oxygen is increased. At the same time, payment of a clinic is cheap especially the 1 Malaysia Clinic. The clinic is really helpful for people who are not wealthy and the equipment of the clinic are satisfactory. Moreover, stay away from things that may harm us. For example, illegal racing, drugs, smoking and others. The killer thing that is very dangerous is drug because drug can kill everybody regardless of color and religion. So stay away from drug as drug is addictive. Becquerel about whom we mix with. Reuse a hobby, participate in sports and other co-curricular activities. Taking drug will not solve our problems but it will only increase them and make us a social misfit. We will end up being a burden to our own family, friend and society. In a nutshell, life is precious moment from God. It is the duty of every individual to value the moment. Keeping fit is therefore our responsibility Shirking from our responsibility indicates either we are ignorance or indifference. We have to get our priorities right before we become victims of our own careless habits. How to cite Kill everybody, Papers

Can Genetics Cause Crime Essay Example For Students

Can Genetics Cause Crime? Essay Can Genetics Cause Crime?Introduction to Criminal Justice SystemDr. Mike CarlieAre genetic factors more likely to make one person perform violent acts?Many doctors and researchers in the field of genetics have searched for a answerto this question. During 1989-93 one such researcher named Dr. Sullivan found someinteresting points about genetics and crime. Sullivan while working for the Bush administrations secretary of healthand human services during 1989-1993 was appalled by the epidemic of violentcrimes he saw taking place in American cities. According to Dr. Sullivan,more than 26,000 Americans were murdered,and six million violent crimes were committedwith young men and minorities falling victimmost frequently. Sullivan also reported that about one in every 27black men, compared to one in every 205 white men, died violently also 1 in 117black women met a untimely end as compared to white women which only 1 in 496were killed due to violent crimes. This is not surprising that young malescommit most of the serious crimes. According to an article in ScientificAmerican, only 12.5 percent of violent crime in the U.S. in 1992 was committedby females. What is also surprising according to W.W. Gibbs the author ofSeeking the Criminal Element, in Scientific American,(1995 March) pp 100-107,is that a very small number of criminals are responsi ble for the majority of theviolent crime. Sullivan who is now the president of the Morehouse School of Medicine inAtlanta wanted to try and address the violence as a public health issue. In aninterview after he left office in 1993, Dr. Sullivan explains that his rationalfor this was that the higher increases in violent crimes and specificallyhomicide in the young male population in large cities. Which was higher thanany other social group in America at this time. Dr. Sullivan then began to organize his departments research resourcesunder the banner of the so called Violence Initiative as he put it. With thepredominant thought of looking at unemployment, poverty, the use of drugs andany other factors that might help to contribute to the likelihood of causingviolence. Primarily Sullivans research was directed towards the psychologicaland sociological point of view. Sullivan primarily working with the beforementioned points and only worked lightly with the biological aspects, such asrace, gender, brain chemistry and genetic make up. Dr. Sullivans research, did find some links between aggressive behavior,and disturbances in the level of a chemical called Serotoin. Which is directlyrelated to certain genes. Although there was no conclusive proof that thisabnormal gene was completely responsible for a increases in violence, Anotherstudy in 1993 also found a link between genes and violence. The X chromosomemutation which was discovered in a certain Dutch family was found to beassociated with mild retardation and aggressive, sometimes violent criminalbehavior. The mutation causes complete deficiency of the enzyme monoamineoxidase also called (maoa), which metabolizes the neurotransmitters serotonin,dopamine, and noradrenaline. According to David Goldman, a geneticist at the National Institute ofAlcoholism and Alcohol Abuse points out,men who possess this abnormalgene may typically engage in impulsiveaggression, but the time, place, type, andseriousness of their crimes ( which includeexhibitionism, attempted rape, and arson)have been diverse and unpredictable.Although these are examples of gene related violence, geneticinformation so far has been fairly unpredictable. Finding a defect such as themaoa mutation is an exceedingly rare event. Also according to Margret McCarthyof the University of Maryland School of Medicine, what matters in not whethersomeone possesses a gene, but whether that gene is expressed. Contribution of Emily Dickinson in American Literature Essay Although seems that genetics is unlikely to tell us much of practical value about crime, other aspects of human biology may be more useful. Adrian Rain of the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, showed cat scans comparing brain activity in 42 murderers with that of an equal number of normal controls. The murderers tended to have less prefrontal activity, was consistent with Raines Hypothesis that a damaged prefrontal cortex can lead to impulsive aggressive behavior. But murderers, like the rest of us, are a heterogeneous group of people, Rain cautioned strongly against regarding such scans as diagnostic. And that you cant do brain scanning on everyone and tell if they will commit murder. In short applying this kind of research to crime control often raises ethical and political issues and the same can be expected of genetic scanning and other aspects of biological research when its related to controlling crime. It is possible .

Why do you wish to become an optometrist an Example by

Why do you wish to become an optometrist? Naive was I, when attending my first year in high school in America, thinking that besides receiving the best grades possible, participating into club activities, taking leadership roles, there was nothing else to think about. Students were already with their mind set into what university to apply to, what they will be when grown up. Everybody had a story of when they were a child how a firefighter saved his/her life and he/she eventually wanted to be one to. I was ashamed to say that no one saved my life, not a firefighter, not even a police man and the only heroes in my life were my parents. However, I did not want to do what they were involved in. I just knew that I like helping those in need, I like leading those that need to be led, and I thought it amazing to know that I can make people smile (in my own simple way). Need essay sample on "Why do you wish to become an optometrist?" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Students Often Tell EssayLab professionals: Who wants to write assignment for me? Specialists advise: Get professional assistance One day, during my English class, one of the school ESL teachers invited blind children to our classroom. She challenged us to walk around blindfolded for the whole day and experience their reality of the world. Besides realizing that it is almost impossible to do that for a few hours without feeling frustrated and mad, I could not understand how they do it. I wanted to help them, make a difference in their lives somehow. It seemed that out of all the senses, losing sense of sight is the hardest to endure. And yet they, the blind children, really were surviving and living as how more fortunate individuals do. From then on, I sought to find ways on how I can help not only blind people but those individuals who have eye defects. Eventually, I apprehended that there was really an effective way on how I can actualize such desired vocation and that is by undertaking a profession that would allow me to gain knowledge and skills in curing and treating people who have eye deficiencies. Of course I also have to earn money for my family and own sake but I would not be contented by such objective. I really want to help those people who have eye disorders and diseases. And so I decided to carry out these two ultimate goals by obtaining a degree in Optometry. And after finishing it, my vocation to help people would finally come true. Shadowing optometrists specializing in different areas like low vision, visual therapy, and contact lenses has provided me great insight into the, yet, unknown world of optometry. I have seen with what mutual joy doctors enlighten the patients' lives, and patients surprise of a new world the first time they put on a pair of glasses. For me, it is the most precious reward that a doctor can received; something that is more than money and luxury. The thought that I would be able to make people see what they do not see, or at least what is so hard for them to see, really inspires me to move towards what my vocation calls me. I prefer to call such as a mission given to me by God so I can truly say that somehow or at one point in my life I have given a selfless love, in its most authentic and truest sense. Moreover, I believe in what the New Testament says that whatever you do to other people is also the thing that you do to Him (Pennock, 2003). This also boosts my morale in pursuing my vocation because I know that by showing care and love to other people, mostly to those unfortunate ones, I also show how much I love God. Eyes are the windows of ones soul in which one could really see God in His most loving form. Being an optometrist is surely no easy task. One should be really knowledgeable, skilled and well-trained in diagnosing and treating eye disorders. Lots of patience, prudence, and wisdom are required to earn it. Well there is no easy job after all. Yet, if one truthfully loves what he does, then everything will be in its right place everything will be okay. I suppose that being an optometrist is one of the best areas of medicine that one could take and practice. God does not really inflict suffering to anyone (like the very idea of being blind or having eye defect). He only wants everyone to realize that in their simplest and modest ways, they can really become the blessings of God to those people (which in my case by allowing them to see how beautiful life is). Reference: Pennock, M. (2003). Encountering Jesus in the New Testament. Ave Maria Press.

Stop Consonant - Definition and Examples in Phonetics

Stop Consonant s in Phonetics In phonetics, a stop consonant is the sound made by completely blocking the flow of air and then releasing it. Also known as a plosive. Stop Consonants Explained In English, the sounds [p], [t], and [k] are voiceless stops (also called plosives). The sounds [b], [d], and [g] are voiced stops. Examples Of Stop Consonants We may describe the first sound in pit as a voiceless bilabial stop (transcribed as [p]) . . .. The consonant in abbey is also a bilabial stop, but differs from that in pit: it is voiced. This consonant (transcribed as [b]) is a voiced bilabial stop.The first sound in tin is a voiceless alveolar stop; it is transcribed as [t]. Its voiced counterpart is the consonant in ado. This sound, the voiced alveolar stop, is transcribed as [d].The first sound in cool is a voiceless velar stop; it is transcribed as [k]. Its voiced counterpart, the voiced velar stop, is transcribed as [g]; an example is the consonant in ago.We have now identified bilabial, alveolar and velar stops; stops may be made at many other places of articulation, but we will ignore those, as they are not relevant to the study of English. There is one further stop which we must mention, however, as it is very common in the speech of most speakers of English. This is the glottal stop . . .. It is made by forming a constricti on of complete closure between the vocal folds. This is the sound made instead of [t] in many Scottish and Cockney pronunciations of, for example, the word butter. We will see that it is present in the speech of almost every speaker of English, no matter what the accent. (Philip Carr, English Phonetics and Phonology: An Introduction. Blackwell, 1999) Anterior Stops The labial and alveolar stops, [p], [b], [t], [d], are also known as the anterior stops. Together, with the velar or back stops, they complete the American English set of phonemic stops. . . .The [p] and [b] occur at the front of the mouth and are grouped with the labials, sounds formed by the lips. The alveolar stops, [t] and [d], are made on the gum ridge behind the upper teeth. At the back of the mouth are [k] and [g]. These are the velar stops because the tongue makes a seal with the soft palate (or velum)...The variant forms for the stops, called allophones by phoneticians, are regularly tied to the phonetic contexts in which the sounds occur. For example, stops in initial position in words or at the start of stressed syllables are usually exploded, or heavily aspirated, whereas those at the ends of words may not even be released. (Harold T. Edwards, Applied Phonetics: The Sounds of American English, 3rd ed. Thomson, 2003) Nasal Stops Stop ​articulations without a velic closure and with nasal airflow are called nasal stops or, more simply, nasals. Nasals are sonorant sounds, because the airstream produced by the lungs can escape via the nasal cavity and there is no rise in air pressure inside the vocal tract. (Michael Ashby and John A. Maidment, Introducing Phonetic Science. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2005)

The History of the Valentines Day Origins

The History of the Valentines Day Origins St Valentines Day has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages. One of the earliest popular symbols of Valentines day is Cupid, the Roman god of love, who is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow. Several theories surround the history of Valentines Day. Was There a Real Valentine? Three hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, the Roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in the Roman gods. Valentine, a Christian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14, Valentine was beheaded, not only because he was a Christian, but also because he had performed a miracle. He supposedly cured the jailers daughter of her blindness. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailers daughter a farewell letter, signing it From Your Valentine. Another legend tells us that this same Valentine, well-loved by all, received notes to his jail cell from children and friends who missed him. Bishop Valentine? Another Valentine was an Italian bishop who lived at about the same time, AD 200. He was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the Roman emperor. Some legends say he was burned at the stake. Feast of Lupercalia The ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a spring festival, on the 15th of February, held in honor of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities. With the introduction of Christianity, the holiday moved to the 14th of February. The Christians had come to celebrate February 14 as the saint day that celebrated the several early Christian martyrs named Valentine. Choosing a Sweetheart on Valentines Day The custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through Europe in the Middle Ages, and then to the early American colonies. Throughout the ages, people also believed that birds picked their mates on February 14! In A.D. 496, Saint Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 as Valentines Day. Although its not an official holiday, most Americans observe this day. Whatever the odd mixture of origins, St. Valentines Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special and share a special song with them. Or you can send roses, the flower of love. Â  Most people send valentine a greeting card named after the notes that St. Valentine received in jail. Greeting Cards Probably the first greeting cards, handmade valentines, appeared in the 16th century. As early as 1800, companies began mass-producing cards. Initially, these cards were hand-colored by factory workers. By the early 20th century even fancy lace and ribbon strewn cards were created by machine.

The Primary Goal of the Military Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Primary Goal of the Military - Essay Example This has been necessitated by the tendency of terror organizations and individuals with ill intent to sabotage security systems internally. As such, it has become crucial for the military to authenticate the identity of every individual accessing its premises and systems (National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Biometrics, 2006). Whereas this has been happening through security tools such as access cards, passwords, and tokens, these systems have proven to be ineffective as they can be forgotten, duplicated, shared, or stolen (Weicheng Shen, 1999). There is, therefore, need for a system that cannot be easily compromised. The use of human features, biometrics comes in handy in the identification of individuals while keeping their privacy intact. These features may be physical or biological and may include characteristics such as skin color, height, eye color and weight. These features are unique to individuals and readily available; hence, making them ideal for the dev elopment of dependable authentication systems. If used together with traditional systems, such as password protection and fingerprint technology, the result is a security system that is complex, and yet very efficient and hard to manipulate. Role Based Access Control DoD could develop access control systems based on the roles individuals play. This control algorithm allows users access to premises and equipment that are relevant to their activities in the military. The system, therefore, limits the accessibility of information and critical equipment to people who are authorized to interact with them (Ferraiolo, Kuhn, & Chandramouli, 2007). DoD could decide to develop a system, costs notwithstanding. A lot of resources would be deployed in the project, as long as it guarantees that the role-based access control will be possible. Since it would be hard to develop systems that cater for individual staff, DoD can come up with an authentication system based on the roles people play. Staf f can be categorized into groups, depending on their ranks and responsibilities in the military and offered access rights relative to their statuses (Murrell, 2001). This would provide officers within the same ranks similar access rights while still providing exceptions for exceptional cases. Enterprise RBAC (ERBAC) DoD spends public funds as it endeavors to provide security to the county. Just like any other public institution, it is necessary for the department to account for its expenses. It is, therefore, necessary for DoD to make sure all its activities make business sense. Enterprise Role Based Access Control seeks to ensure that as DoD invests in role-based access control measures, the results of using the system are not only financially measurable but also provide an acceptable return on investment. Depending on the severity of the case at hand, DoD is at liberty to choose the role-based access control methodology it wants to deploy. Insensitive matters of national or intern ational security, DoD could develop authentication systems without considering costs and returns on investment (Ballad, Ballad, & Banks, 2010). However, this ought to be done with caution as it is important for DoD to appear to use public resources appropriately and in the best interest of the citizens of the United Kingdom. Alternative solutions i. Discretionary Access Control This access control mechanism restricts access based on subject identity.  

Battered Child Syndrome Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Battered Child Syndrome - Term Paper Example Once Battered child syndrome is identified, ensuring the child's well-being is of vital importance. Despite a large number of reports that are being made, there is an abundance of research demonstrating that mandated reporters fail to report child abuse even when required and that there is considerable variability of reporting rates among professionals. The research indicates that there is a range of factors influencing reporting. Factors such as gender and education level of the reporter, fear of damaging the therapeutic relationship, the wording of reporting laws, and incomplete descriptions of what defines abuse have all contributed to discrepancies in reporting. Moreover, professionals often believe that the legal standard of reasonable suspicion is insufficient to demonstrate that abuse has occurred and therefore refrain from reporting. By 1967, almost all states had adopted some type of mandated child abuse reporting laws. These early laws were aimed primarily at physicians who came in contact with children in their medical practices. They served to help physicians identify possible abuse victims and established reporting procedures. These early laws were later expanded to include a variety of other professionals who have contact with children. The adoption of mandated reporting laws by the states was seen as one of the major contributors to the increase in identifying cases of child maltreatment. It also increased public awareness of the gravity and magnitude of child abuse (NACC, 2011).... It also increased public awareness of the gravity and magnitude of child abuse (NACC, 2011). In 1974, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was passed by Congress, which established national definitions of child abuse and neglect. Under this act, individual states had to adopt the CAPT A definitions in order to receive federal funding for their child welfare programs. The funding provided states with new resources for investigation and prevention of child abuse. One significant part of the act was the creation of the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN). This organization compiled data on child abuse as well as providing information about child maltreatment and prevention (NACC, 2011). In 1991, the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 was passed by Congress, and served to advance efforts to investigate and prosecute cases involving child maltreatment. This act has been amended over the years (NACC, 2011). Following the initial enactment of this statute, in 1997 the Adoption and Safe Families Act (AFSA) was passed in an effort to provide more timely and focused assessment and services for children and families. AFSA set the time limit for reunification of children removed from their families to one year in an effort to protect children and promote attachment with caregivers. Reporting Behavior Research has addressed a number of criticisms professionals have made regarding challenges to reporting child maltreatment. Research reported that, the vagueness of statutes, although legally permissible, decreases professionals' ability to make consistent determinations about whether or not abuse has occurred. This inconsistency and uncertainty contributes to a subsequent lack of confidence about

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Style Analysis Essay Example for Free

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Style Analysis Essay Macro: Plot:â€Å"Pretty soon he it was Miss Watson’s Jim! I bet I was glad to see him. I says: ‘Hello, Jim!’ and skipped out.† (Twain 40) â€Å"Who do you reckon ‘t is?† â€Å"I hain’t no idea. Who is it?† â€Å"It’s Tom Sawyer!† (Twain 203) Point of View: â€Å"It didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds.† (Twain 115) â€Å"Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it. † (Twain 6-7) Micro: Figurative Language: â€Å"I never see such an old ostrich for wanting to gobble everything and I a trusting you all the time, like you was my own father.† (Twain 189) â€Å"BOOM!† I see the white smoke squirt out of the ferry-boat’s side.† (Twain 36) Allusion:â€Å"ONe was â€Å"Pilgrim’s Progress,† about a man that left his family it didn’t say why.† (Twain 93) â€Å"Why, hain’t you ever read any books at all?† Baron Trenck, nor Casanova, nor Benvenuto Chel -getting a prisoner loose in such an old- maidy way as that? No;† (Twain 216) Imagery:â€Å"There was a clock in the middle of the mantel-piece, with a picture of a town painted on the bottom half of the glass front, and a round place in the middle of it for the sun, and you could see the pendulum swing behind it. It was beautiful to hear that clock tick.† (Twain 93) â€Å"and a streak of butter come a trickling down my forehead, and Aunt Sally she see it, and turns white as a sheet.† (Twain 245) Themes: In Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry FInn finding the truth yourself is wiser than believing what others tell you. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain he portrays how differences bring people closer together and make peace.

Lucid Dreaming Essays -- Reserach Dreaming Dreams Essays

Lucid Dreaming Austin based filmmaker Richard Linklater recently released a movie that is a dream. By that I mean both that it is about a dream, and that it is dreamlike. "Waking Life" received mixed reviews, but it also sparked new interest in an idea that has actually been around a long time: lucid dreaming. In this paper I intend to explore the concept of lucidity in dreams, and to concentrate on the research of Stanford University's Stephen LaBerge, who has used lucid dreaming as a tool to better understand the biological phenomena of sleep and dreams. Basically, "lucid dreaming" is being aware that you are dreaming(1). In the late 19th century, Frederik van Eeden published his observations about his own lucid dreams. He reported the sensation of "being able to freely remember the circumstances of waking life, to think clearly, and to act deliberately upon reflection, all while experiencing a dream world that seems vividly real(2) (3)." Lucid dreams are not reported often, although a 1988 study by Snyder and Gackenbach indicated that as many as 58 % of people report having had at least one lucid dream in their life time, with 21 % having them as regularly as once a month(2). LaBerge was the among first scientists to provide scientific evidence supporting the phenomena in the early 1980s(4). His research has shown several techniques to be successful tools to help an individual learn how to become lucid in a dream. Lucid Dreaming: Fact or Fiction? Scientific debate regarding the validity of lucid dreams has existed for some time. Some believed that so-called lucid dreams were not dreams at all, but brief arousals from the sleeping state analogous to day dreaming. As recently as 1985 David Foulkes ... ...ry, dream lucidity appears to be a valid phenomena and one many people hope to achieve for themselves. Whatever your interest in the topic, you are sure to find an outlet for it in the plethora of internet resources available on the topic. Internet Sources: 1)Lucidity For All http://www.ld4all.com/index.html 2)The Lucidity Institute Site: "Lucid Dreaming: Psychophysiological Studies of Consciousness during REM Sleep, by Stephen LaBerge, Ph. D. http://www.lucidity.com/SleepAndCognition.html 3) The Lucidity Institute: "A Study of Dreams" , by Frederik van Eeden http://www.lucidity.com/vanEeden.html 4) "Waking the Dreamer", Levity.com http://www.levity.com/mavericks/lab-int.htm 5) "Dreaming: Lucid and Non Lucid" , by David Foulkes http://www.sawka.com/spiritwatch/dreaming.htm 6) The Lucid Dreaming Guild http://www.geocities.com/lucidguild/

Arithmetic Q

Question 1: Consider the following graph G. [pic] 1. Give the adjacency matrix and adjacency list of the graph G. (5 marks) adjacency matrix: [pic] adjacency list: |a | | b | |c | | d | |e | |f | b d a c e b e f a e b c d f c e 2. Give the incidence matrix and incidence list of the graph G. (5 marks) [pic] incidence matrix [pic] incidence list |1 | | 2 | |3 | | 4 | |5 | |6 | a b a d b c b e c e c e |7 | 8 | d e e f Question 2: Consider the graph I. Starting at the vertex a and resolving ties by the vertex alphabetical order traverse the graph by breadth-first-search (BFS) and construct the corresponding BFS tree. (5 marks) [pic] The order is : a b e g f c d h II. Starting at the vertex a and resolving ties by the vertex alphabetical order traverse the graph by depth-first-search (DFS) and construct the corresponding BFS tree. (5 marks) [pic] The order is : a b f e g c d h Question 3: Consider the following graph G.The label of an edge is the cost of the edge. 1. Using Prim's algorith m, draw a minimum spanning tree (MST) of the graph Also write down the change of the priority queue step by step and the order in which the vertices are selected. Is the MST drawn unique? (i. e. , is it the one and only MST for the graph? ) [7 marks] Not unique [pic] 2. Using Kruskal’s algorithm, draw a minimum spanning tree (MST) of the graph G. Write down the order in which the edges are selected. Is the MST drawn unique? (i. e. , is it the one and only MST for the graph? ) (5 marks)Not unique [pic] 3. Referring to the same graph above, find the shortest paths from the vertex a to all other vertices in the graph G using Dijkstra’s algorithm. Show the changes of the priority queue step by step and give the order in which edges are selected. (8 marks) [pic] Order in which edges are selected: a-e, e-f, a-b, f-g, b-c, g-h, c-d the shortest paths from the vertex a to all other vertices: a. b: 4 a. c: 10 a. d:17 a. e:1 a. f:3 a. g:8 a. h: 16 N. B. There may be more than on e solution. You only need to give one of the solutions.

Testing the Principle of Proxemics

I went to a Tim Horton set beside a woman. I set in a casual distance of 2. 5 to 3 feet next to her without talking. She looked at me and smile. Without talking I started observing her. She had a quick and careful glance at me, a suspicious look. She seemed scared and not normal. By looking at her face, I felt that probably she takes drugs. Without saying anything, she just walked out. The way she walked out, it seemed like she got scared of me for some reason. Next day I went to the same place and set facing a man who was alone.Without talking to that man I started reading the newspaper (just to show him that I am reading newspaper, actually I was observing him). He looked at me multiple times and was smiling. Seemed like he wanted to start a conversation. The goal of interview is to gather information which typically designed to allow the interviewer to learn about the interviewee in a non-threatening way. On the other side an interrogation is a more aggressive interview, in the se nse that the same ultimate goal is present as with an interview, but the means of reaching that goal take on a slightly different feel.The role of proxemics in meeting these goals are very significant. Increasing the amount of eye contact, the feeling of comfort and the amount of verbal response by the interviewee have been goals of investigators in designing interview situations. There is less eye contact at closer distances and less eye contact when the interview is conducted in a large room. In one study, when the interview was performed at distances between the interviewer and interviewee of 2 feet, 4'/z feet, and 9 feet, the greatest amount of talking by the interviewee occurred at 9 feet.Rapport always affects the quality of the interviewing process. It is a productive interpersonal climate. By building report both parties in an interview get along with each other which makes the interview more successful. An interviewee is more likely to cooperate with someone with whom they feel comfortable and to bring this comfort rapport is an essential thing. Rapport-building establishes harmony in the interview, leads to free discussion and creates willingness in the mind of the interviewee.Some forms of non-verbal communications for developing rapport are given bellow: 1. Smile 2. Eye contract. 3. Good Posture. 4. Tone of Voice Good eye contact and confidence are the personal qualities of the interviewer that enable him or her to conduct successful interrogations. Also an interviewer should be able to listen what the interviewee is saying, and know how to engage them in an active conversation with encouragement, energy, and interest.

The Justice Game Essays

The Justice Game Essays The Justice Game Essay The Justice Game Essay To what extent has textual form shaped your understanding of conflicting perspectives? In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing. Representations of divergent viewpoints using different textual forms leads to a greater understanding of conflicting perspectives and the multi-layered nature of complicated issues. By comparing conflicting perspectives, we come to understand the complexity of a certain issue and also that despite the textual form, a texts purpose is to promote the composers perspective. This has been achieved through my study of Geoffrey Robertsons 1998 memoir The Justice Game, which discourages involving emotion in the Justice system and suggests that the current system is effective, the conflicting 2013 7. 30 Report episode Jill Mashers husband calls her killers sentence a disgrace which uses emotion to communicate the flaws in the justice system. , and the Michael Lending 2013 cartoon Julian Ganges from The Age, which supports Robertsons view that the courtroom must be impartial and not biased by personal emotion. In the chapter Afterward in The Justice Game, Robertson enforces the importance of excluding emotion and personal opinion from the courtroom. Robertsons perspective of the Justice system is that Justice is not a result conforming to popular expectation, but is rather an objective Judgment. The audience is positioned to accept his opinion because of the use of non-fiction memoir as the textual form. Non- fiction is perceived as fact or truth, hence the audience is positioned to view his opinion as truth. The medium of production adds to his credibility because rotationally, print is also perceived as a reliable source as it has been repeatedly edited and scrutinized, again giving credibility to Robertsons view that the Justice system should be objective. In Diana on the Dock, the inclusion of l was the author of a textbook apprises to the audience that he is intelligent and qualified because a textbook is seen as being written by an expert in their field. In contrast to Robertson favoring objectivity in the Justice system, the 7. 30 Report presents a highly emotional perspective on the system. The interview is with Tom Meager, husband of rape and murder victim Jill Meager, to discuss the sentencing of Sills attacker, Adrian Bailey, and his opinion of the Justice system. The focus is on the emotional effects of Sills murder on Tom, in stark contrast to Robertsons view that emotion should be excluded from the Justice system. The presenters introduction Baileys crimes have had profound and terrible effects on many, many lives uses highly emotive language and repetition of many to emphasis the devastating emotional consequences of murder, thus the audience takes an opinion of the case eased on emotion. When asked about what sort of person Jill was, a close up of Toms answer, such as you would have met Sorry, sorry and um, she was the Um, she just brightened up any room further highlight his pain. Photographs of Jill smiling fade in and out of the screen, such as her with family and at a fancy dress party, and the Juxtaposition of the happy, fun photographs with Tom Mashers current suffering position the audience to feel disgust towards Bailey as we witness the harsh effects of his crimes. Therefore, the BBC goes against Robertsons view and rings emotion into the issue of what the punishment should be for a rapist and murderer. Despite the difference in textual form, BBC uses textual form to position the audience to accept the emotional perspective by including this interview in their prime-time slot, suggesting that it is highly important because it is during one of the most viewed times. The presenter also gives credibility to the reporter by including Our reporter, Louise Mulligan, covered the murder and the trial, suggesting that Mulligan is knowledgeable and a reliable source as she knows this case. The different actual forms used by Robertson and the 7. 0 Report give rise to extremely different representations on whether emotion should be involved in the Justice system, revealing the complex nature of the issue. In contrast to the view presented by the 7. 30 Report, Leanings cartoon from The Age, Julian Ganges, supports Robertsons view by suggesting that when the Justice system tries to protect one party, it fails. The cartoon reflects Leanings view that the government is doing harm to the Justice sys tem by trying to protect themselves against Julian Ganges, who exposed their war crimes. The irony of the two pictures of Julian Ganges being identical, despite one saying Wanted and the other Needed, suggests that the Justice system is incorrect in punishing Ganges, as his exposure of criminal activity maintains fairness in the Justice system. Lending creates a somber tone when describing the government deceive the world about their dark crusade through the gloomy imagery dark crusade and the word choice of deceive, something sneaky and unfair, thus positioning the audience to take Gangues side and be against the governments abuse of power, enabled by the justice system. The cartoon, the chapters of The Justice Game and the Tom Meager interview all focus on completely different issues, yet present overall conclusions that either support each other of conflict on whether the Justice system should remain impartial or use emotion to favor one particular side, revealing the complexity and vastness of complicated issues. Overall, different composers have used different textual forms, thus different techniques, to shape my understanding of how conflicting perspectives are represented, and the multi-layered nature of complex issues.

Babel-Fish Earbud Translators

Babel-Fish Earbud Translators Abstract This paper explores published articles from online resources (internet) that depict a probable solution to near real-time language translation in support of targeting, situational understanding, and/or information collection. As technology shrinks the distance between nationalities and cultures, language remains a barrier that still prevents a shared understanding between the pair. This paper will examine how emerging technology can be leveraged to address language barriers in urban and isolated areas where a translator may not be available. Keywords: Babel-Fish (the first online translator) Emerging Technology: Babel-Fish Earbud Translators The purpose of this paper is to address a problem that most intelligence units face concerning targeting, situational understanding, and information collection. Most intelligence units have 35 series military occupational specialties (MOS) that either require a language or have the ability to learn a language at the Defense Language Institute (DLI), Monterey, California. Intelligence Soldiers in these MOS use their languages for various intelligence tasks to produce and disseminate timely, relevant, accurate, predictive, and tailored intelligence to decision-makers. Cryptologic Linguists (35P) are responsible for identifying foreign communications using signals equipment. Their role is crucial as the nation’s defense depends largely on information that comes from foreign languages. Many Cryptologic Linguists are assigned to units who do not have the correct coded billet for their specific foreign language. An impact to mission command could be a degrade in timely reporting as reports would need to be transmitted to an inorganic unit for processing. Human Intelligence Collectors (35M) are responsible for information collection operations. They provide Army personnel with information about the enemy force’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential battle areas. Their role is often dependent on the use of a foreign language. Human Intelligence Collectors are often deployed abroad to locations outside their respective foreign languages. An impact to mission command could be a reliance on interpreters to assist Human Intelligence Collectors and a degrade in timely reporting. Interpreter/Translators (09L) are responsible for interpreting and preparing translations between English and a foreign language. These Soldiers are more likely to be assigned to an area abroad where their foreign language would be of benefit. However, they often struggle with varying dialects. An impact to mission command could be from interpreters misinterpreting intent and meaning from key-leader engagements and/or communicating with foreign allies. Additionally, any Soldier abroad may require the use of a foreign language in order to accomplish their mission. Often, these Soldiers do not have the necessary language to do so. An impact to mission command again could be from misinterpreting intent and meaning from key-leader engagements, communicating with foreign allies, providing humanitarian assistance, etc. The problem that is ever apparent is having the correct language for every mission. Units are now deployed to or support operations in various countries utilizing Soldiers who do not have the correct language for that region and/or country. Currently, there are no technological solutions within the Intelligence Warfighting Function (IWfF) to address this issue. However, with advances in technology this could be a problem of the past. Babel-Fish Earbud Translators. Google and various smaller companies unveiled new products between fall 2017 and spring 2018 that could be adapted to address current language barriers Soldiers currently face abroad during their operations. These products consist of a set of Bluetooth earbuds that use babel-fish software that assists in translating between 15 to 40 different languages depending on the company. All of these products have a conversation feature, on both iOS and Android, and let two users speak as the software automatically translates the spoken languages and allows each user to respond to their counterpart. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are working behind the scenes in making the systems more intelligent by creating huge databases with possible word fragments to reduce processing time. Current issues with this technology consist of background noise interference, current language database, and conversational coloquisms. While these are apparent issues, soft ware engineers are making advances in order to improve this product. This technology is still in its infancy and will require additional development until it can be used abroad in austere environments. Analysis on the Problem. Military units with required language billets are not always filled with Soldiers possessing the correct language for that billet. Crytologic Linguists and Human Intelligence Collecters are prime examples of this. Additionally, interpreters run into dialect issues due to differences in slang or the pronunciation of words on mulitple occasions. Further, Soldiers throughout the world operating in various countries do not always have access to Soldiers or interpreters with the necessary language to assist them in their missions. Ultimately as intelligence professionals, we strive to improve intelligence support to situational awareness, information collection, and targeting. Often, intelligence support to these tasks require data translation. This translation is often slow and does not support timely decisions for a commander. Babel-fish earbud translators could be used in future austere environments to assist 35 series Soldiers (35P and 35M) or interpreters translate data in near real-time on the battlefield without necessarily having the correct foreign language or dialect. Soldiers who require language skills to translate data into intelligence could use this device and/or software in these austere environments to translate that data in near real-time and disseminate that information in order to assist in intelligence support to targeting and situational awareness. Additionally, MOS 09L could utilize this device/software to assist in their role as a translator. Further, any Soldier could use this device/software to support their mission through intelligence support to information collection, targeting, and situational understanding. Ultimately, this device/software would speed up processing time for analysts as they would receive the reports from the field at a faster rate. Thus, commanders at all echel ons could target the enemy faster, decreasing processing time between sensors and shooters. Additionally, this would assist in the overall situational understanding not just from an enemy perspective but also in regards to working with multinational partners. Voice data could then be translated in multiple languages assisting unit commanders at all echelons. Further, intelligence collectors could use this emerging technology to derive enemy intent at a quicker rate providing the commander necessary time to process the information and make decisions. Conclusion This paper explored published articles from online resources (internet) that depicted a possible solution to language barriers that Crytologic Linguists, Human Intelligence Collectors, interpreters, and Soldiers face every day throughout the world in various situations and countries. This challenge is often apparent in the IWfF where successful intelligence criteria requires timely, relevant, accurate, predictive, and tailored data. Data in its raw form is often delivered in a foreign language. When language capabilities are sparse, this data is transmitted to outside organizations for translation. This process is far too slow and requires a solution. The babel-fish earbud translator could be the Army’s solution to this problem. Recommendations. The unit should reach out to the private sector, particuarly the companies who produce babel-fish earbud translators, including Google, Company, Company, and Etc for further information. Addtionally, the unit should request hardware and software demonstrations. The unit could submit an ONS for the best product determined from unit requirements and the previous hardware/software demonstration. Further, the unit IWfF should engage TCM-F with their requirements in order to elevate their needs to the Army.

Controversies Surrounding Pink Slime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Controversies Surrounding Pink Slime - Essay Example The term pink slime was coined a biologist called Gerald Zirnstein in 2002 due to the use of ammonium hydroxide in processing of this product. Initially the term was only used publicly in reference to food packaged for dogs. However, the media outlets created a phobia throughout United States when they made a claim that almost all meat products comprised some amount of Pink Slime. Following this media disclosure, a good number of beef processing industries have been forced to shut their business due to the controversy. Individuals as well as institutions such as schools have raised several arguments over the quality and appropriateness of the pink slime consumption (Drahl Web). Currently, the phrase pink slime is used to define a different type of ground meat different from the habitual ground meat in that it was prepared from fatty crumbs, connective tissue and hides, which were remnants of beef carcasses after steaks and roasts, had been extracted. The issue of slime mould caused many questions among the American particularly on the role of government in protecting the quality and safety of their food (â€Å"A Fight About Beef: Why to Avoid 'Pink Slime’† Web; Drahl Web). The American have a reason and the right to know the security of product that they consumer. However, the deliberations on slime meat have been stuffed with distortions and propaganda, which could be either true or fictitious.

Which branch of government should be making the decisions on Essay

Which branch of government should be making the decisions on immigration - Essay Example Since September 11th the debate on immigration has heated up with the congress discussing how to amend the policy that is to allow foreigners to reside in the US. According to Reuters it is estimated that 11 million immigrants are in the US illegally. Based on this fact, some feel that politicians in Washington are at a slower pace on the issue and whatever measures they are proposing are not effective enough. Due to this some states such as Alabama Arizona, Georgia, Indiana and Utah have gone ahead to enact their own laws in regards to immigration. This has sparked an intense debate on who should make policy decisions on immigration whether it should be the affair of the states or the federal government (Vettese). The federal immigration policy of the United States is based on the plenary power doctrine. As a fundamental characteristic of sovereignty, the legislative and the executive (political branches) enjoy great power and authority, in relation to immigration issues1. The courts in several occasions have affirmed the plenary power doctrine from the 19th century to-date, despite this, there are attempts to reduce control by the other branches of government on immigration and uphold a judicial administration system founded on the premise that foreigners have a right to migrate. The constitution does not give directions to any government branch in regards to immigration but it does put power of neutralization on the congress2. Immigration policies being a national affair as immigrants do not only go to one state but to every state, must be uniform and to make policy decisions on the subject takes a national body. This body must be able to make the laws, enforces them in a national and uniform scale. This body must also be in a position to counter check if the laws made are in line with the constitution. There is no better side of the government that can fulfill this uniformity at a national scale than the federal government. The federal government

Cockpit display visual Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cockpit display visual - Research Paper Example The cockpit will inform them the positions to be in order to avoid any encounter (Weber, 2011). However, proper information has to be fed to the pilots for them to make accurate decisions. Cockpit visual display systems rely solely on highly reliable and accurate mathematical algorithms that correctly tell the cockpit the right air path that the pilot should maintain in order to avoid collisions. Despite the many lives that the cockpit has already and is still saving, the problem lies with the vision of the pilots. Does the lighting system of the cockpit affect the eyes of the pilots? The human visual sense has so many limitations that make it had to adapt to the complex environment in the air. The three dimensional movements and high speeds present in the air are too demanding for the human eye. Furthermore, the human vision is prone to illusions especially at night or when there is poor lighting. Since the human eyes cannot be relied upon to safely navigate through the air, the best substitute is automatically the cockpit. However, the cockpit system should not be a hazard to the pilots because as the eyes’ performance keeps waning, the higher the risks of accidents occurring (Aviationknowledge, 2012). The human eye has two color receptors: Rods and Cones. The cones are found at the center of the Retina while the rods are found at the periphery of the retina. Cones are responsible for photopic vision used when there is light while Rods are responsible for Scotopic vision used in darkness or when there is poor illumination. During the post World War II era, all aircrafts utilized the red light for the cockpit lighting since it did not degrade adaption of the eye to darkness (American Optometric Association, 2011). Nowadays, cockpits are made up of white light that is poor at preserving visual sensitivity for viewing. White light cockpits are being used today because they do not distort the true color of objects. Furthermore, red lighting

A Casestudy Of First Bank Nigeria Marketing Essay

A Casestudy Of First Bank Nigeria Marketing Essay Nigeria is among the developing countries in the World today. In the 1980s, several developing countries pursued some form of financial liberalization program or other, in order to boost the development of their countries. (Ayadi and Hyman, 2006). In achieving this financial liberalization, the First Bank of Nigeria Plc played a major role since the development and maintenance of the Nigerian economy. Being the first of its kind in Nigeria. The Nigerian Banking system started its history as far back as 1892 with the establishment of the African Banking in Lagos, the Capital of Nigeria as at then; it was taken over by the Bank of British West Africa (BBWA) in 1894 and was later acquired by Standard Bank of West Africa in 1965. In 1969, Standard Bank of West Africa incorporated its Nigerian operations under the name Standard Bank of Nigeria. In 1971, Standard Bank of Nigeria listed its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and placed 13% of its share capital with Nigerian investors. The bank changed its name to First Bank of Nigeria in 1979. (The journalof African society). Now, First Bank is the biggest bank in Nigeria out of the 25 banks, it has been rated as the largest RETAIL lender in the country. FBN has a subsidiary in London, UK which started its operation in year 2002 having a branch in Paris. The bank as at 2009 December had a total asset of N2,172 billion (USD14,718 million). (First Bank Financial Highlights 2009). Being the first of its kind in Nigeria, it has made a large clientele base and this has given the management so much confidence and a sense of satisfaction which has led to the neglect of customers satisfaction maximizations and feelings. There are 25 banks in Nigeria, although FBN Plc has been rated has the largest retailer bank, other banks are improving on the loop holes of their products and services and using that medium to sap their customers. The Nigerian populace has come to realise that they own the money (capital) of the bank and because of that; they should get the best products and services possible. Doole et al, (2005) says In the fast moving competitive environment it is vital for organisations to provide customer satisfaction otherwise they risk losing their customers to competitors. The penalty for not providing customer satisfaction can be a steep decline in the organisations performance, as Marks Spencer, McDonalds and British Airways (BA) have recently found. Integrated marketing communication consists of varieties of medium of communication all in the name of satisfying customers in order to get new customer and to retain existing customers. Zeithaml et al (2006) says, marketing communication is more complex today than it used to be. In the past customers received marketing information about goods and services from a limited number of sources, usually mass communication sources such as network television and news papers. With a limited number of sources, marketers could easily convey a uniform brand image and coordinate promises. However, todays consumer of both goods and services receive communications from a far richer variety of advertising vehicles- targeted magazines, websites, direct mail, movie theatre advertising, e-mail socialisation and a host of sales promotion. Consumers of services receive additional communication from services capes, customer service departments, and everyday service encounter with employees. FBN Plc is the biggest bank in Nigeria in terms of asset and clientele base but lacks a proper integrated marketing communication system. It has so much relied on the facts that it is the first bank ever in the country and the Nigerian populace believe strongly in the bank because of its strong asset base and because it has stood the test of times. Despite their strong clientele base, FBN can single handled own 90% of the customer population in the country if it adopts IMC. Chris Fill (2009) IMC has emerged partially as a reaction to this inadequacy and to the realisation by clients that their communication needs can (and should) be achieved more efficiently and effectively than previously. The FBN customers are yearning for qualitative and uniform information about their funds and interest. The Nigerian government created a monetary policy reform that was geared to stabilize the economy in short-run and to introduce a market system for effective allocation of resources. The efforts were directed at promoting financial savings, reducing distortions in investment decisions and inducing an effective intermediation between savers, investors and their financial institutions. (Ayadi and Hyman, 2006). Integrated marketing communication build a strong brand identity in the market place by tying together and reinforcing all your images and messages. IMC means that all your corporate messages, positioning and images, and identity are coordinated across all venues. It means that your PR materials say the same things as your direct mail campaign and advertising has the same look and feel as your website. (Zeithaml et al 2006). Thus this research work aims to explore the opportunities awaiting FBN Plc after adopting a well integrated marketing communications system to boost its customer satisfaction. Research Questions and Objectives: Identify the need, want and demand of the market. Identify the causes of lack of customer satisfaction Identify and evaluate the market opportunities for FBN Plc. Analyse the FBNs competitive advantage over its rivals Develop a well qualitative and quantitative integrated marketing communication system for FBN Plc. Methodology: Conceptual Framework and Design Fisher (2010) says conceptual framework is formed of patterns of concepts and their interconnections. It is usually based on cause and effect relationships which are often the basis of hypotheses that such research seeks to test. It has also been noted by Easterby- smith et al (2002) that conceptual framework helps to take a more informed decision about the research approach, decide which method(s) are appropriate for the piece of research, and also to think about constraints which may impinge on the research. FBN Plc being a bank and with diverse staff and customers spread all over the country, it is therefore advisable from the understanding of methodology (conceptual framework) to go by positivism approach which is linked to quantitative method. Yates (2004) states that other approaches (quantitative methods) within the social sciences may come from the fact that natural science methods appear to be successful in their field of use. Most research texts have categorised research into two parts; quantitative and qualitative approaches. (Knox 2004) notes that this is mostly done for ease of explanation or to reflect differences in style or marketing, (for structural reasons or for addressing alternative research disciplines) or simply differences in approach is in hindsight for the research. It is said by Yates (2004) that from research texts, the relationship between positivism and quantitative method is almost a law or truth. He then further highlights (with other authors) that quantitat ive methods can be used with other areas of examples within the social sciences. Also that one can argue clearly that positivist thinking has influenced quantitative or numeric research. This could be as a result from the justification that quantitative methods are just as appropriate within an interpretivist piece of research. Ticehurst and Veal (2000, p15) support this linkage between quantitative and positivism by stating that the quantitative approach to research is also known as management science or operations research. Therefore linking discipline with philosophy. Saunders et al (2003) sees research process as an onion. Adapted from Knox (2004, P.123) Within this onion the second layer refers to the subject of the research approach that flows from ones research philosophy. Therefore linking the philosophy of positivism with different approaches. This onion has now explained that ones research could make do with Deductive Approach: develop a theory and hypothesis or hypotheses and design a research strategy to test the hypothesis. Inductive Approach: in which data will be collected and a theory will be developed as a result of data analysis. (Saunders et al (2003). Deductive approach is a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is validly inferred from some premises and must be true if those premises are true. And Induction is a form of reasoning that usually involves the inference that an instance or repeated combination of events may be universally generalised. (Malhotra, 2003). From the above, I as a researcher in the case of FBN Plc have chosen to use from the Onion; Positivism approach which will lead me to deductive approach (quantitative method). I am expected to use this approach to identify an area of enquiry which is the customers and members of staff of FBN Plc to be able to have a good background of developed theory, which is seen as crucial for, guide me. The issues to focus an enquiry upon emerge from the established theoretical framework i.e., the customer service procedure, products and services and information given to customers about their funds. Specific variables are identified that the researchers deem should be measured, i.e., hypotheses are set. An instrument to measure specific variables is developed. Respondents give answers to set and specific questions with a consistent language and logic. The response to the set questions are analysed in terms of a prior established theoretical framework. The researcher tests theory according to whether their hypotheses are accepted or rejected. (Malhotra,2003). Knox (2004) concludes that positivist paradigm is majorly used by marketing researchers (positivism = deduction =quantitative methods); in aligning methods with philosophical stances. It also helps to form the nature of techniques that are applicable by researchers. Alternative Paradigm Names Positivist Interpretivist Quantitative Objectivist Scientific Experimentalist Traditionalist Qualitative Subjectivist Humanistic Phenomenological Revolutionist Adapted from Malhotra(2003 p.138). Easterby-Smith et al (2002 p28) argue that the key idea of positivism is that the World exists externally, and that its properties should be measured through objective methods. This infers that only knowledge, which is observable, is in fact valid. This then brings together the epistemology of positivism with quantitative methods i.e. methods which are essentially numerical evidence, following a very natural science approach to the research in hand. In reference to the Onion diagram, the third layers consists of six Research Strategies which include; Experiment, Survey, Case study, Grounded theory, Ethnography and Action result. This research is to make use of all these strategies to know the expectation of customers and what the management and staff are ready to deliver to their customers. Saunders et al (2003) further expatiated on data collection to be by the following which will be the means of my gathering of information; Case study (questionnaires, interviews, observations) and Documentary analysis. Expected data collection: Collection of primary data will be conducted majorly in Nigeria through personal interviews (observations), questionnaires for customers and staff of FBN Plc, and customers and staff of other banks. A major interview will be conducted with the Head of Department of the following units; Retail, Human Capital and Social and Welfare (customer service) at the Regional office. Secondary data will be collected through the customer and staff complaint boxes, financial news and reports and other related websites. Resources: This deals with how to find things out by research than discovering things by reading literature. Fisher et al., (2010). In gathering information for the research work, survey research will be adopted to have accurate and generalised views. In having a successful research work, one needs to make use of several resources in the survey approach which includes the following: Questionnaire: a question is a method of obtaining specific information about a defined problem so that the data, after analysis and interpretation, result in a better appreciation of the problem. In this research work, the questionnaire must have these set of information inclusive Facts and knowledge Opinions Past behaviour Future behaviour (chisnall 2005). Pilot testing questionnaire: chinall (2005) notes that, it is vitally important to make sure that questionnaire are piloted through all the stages of development. He further explains that it contains question which are specific, clearly understandable, capable of being answered by particular population sampled and free from bias. Webb (2002) confirms that piloting of questionnaire helps to evade participants biased answer. Personal interviews: helps with structured questions like rating question in self-response instruments and open-ended questions. These are orally presented, with the advantage that there is the opportunity for the interviewer to interpret questions, clear up misunderstanding, or gather data from those not fully literate from the designers language. (Black, 1999). It also helps observe and quantify the respondents attitude when interviewed. Documentary analysis: this is analysing the news originating from the financial sector of the country, news about the general views of customers and staff and complaints of staff and customers. Ethical issues: this poses as a problem in gathering information from staff and customers when there is a restriction on privacy, customers and staff that believe they should be loyal to their bank and employer and this can be done by keeping some things secret. Research bias: Saunders et al.,(2009) says to avoid research being bias, questionnaires and interviews must be designed and tested before being put to use. Time: a time frame must be set to achieve the expected result for the research. Literature Review To appreciate the importance of integrated marketing communication (IMC) it is useful to understand its origin and the major elements that have helped in its development. For many years agencies and clients believed that to deliver messages to particular audiences it was necessary to use specific tools of the communication mix. At the time it was a common belief that to achieve specific communication effects on buyers it was necessary to use particular tools. (Chris Fill,2009). Schultz et al.,(1993) says the practice of integrated marketing communication is emerging as one of the most valuable magic bullets companies can use to gain competitive advantage. Advertising, sales promotion, direct response marketing, and public relations practitioners are busy finding common ground to meet the coming challenge of selling to customers rather than market. This explains that integrated marketing is not out to increase profitability alone but also to achieve maximum customer satisfaction. IMC has now emerged as the response to this structural shortfall and the realisation by customers that their communication needs can (and should) be achieved more efficiently and effectively than the way it was in the past. IMC develops and extends the notion and value as a communications process targeting a firms external market. By directing Internal Integrated Marketing Communications (IIMC) towards their employees, firms are able to promote employee satisfaction, trust and commitment, thereby strengthening the firm-employee relationship and ultimately affecting profitability by enhancing customer satisfaction (Herington, Johnson and Scott 2006). By achieving employees satisfaction, trust and commitment, it results in employees dedication and putting in their best at their duties and this helps increase customer satisfaction. Gummenson (2002) confirms this, that previous studies have shown that employees who are familiar with and committed to an organisations market orientation and brand values play a critical role as part-time marketers. All customer oriented employees, not just those associated with marketing, help to deliver the brand promise. They can influence relations, increase customer satisfaction, customer perceived quality and ultimately revenue. Therefore, directing integrated marketing communications towards a firms internal market is itself a critical part of achieving sustainability and profitability. (Ferdous, 2006). Schultz et al., (1993) have produces a lively, no-nonsense critique of this fast moving marketing trend in integrated marketing communications. Taken alone, the early chapters documenting the shift from mass production to mass marketing are worth the price of the book. Yet the real meat of the text is revealed as the authors analyze the emerging reality of true one-on-one marketing to individuals, a reality made possible by the power of information technology to develop this ultimate consumer segmentation approach. The fundamental reasons offered for the popularity of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) among marketers is that it is good for the bottom line and a necessity in todays fractured market place. Nonetheless, despite the evolution and increased critical evaluation of IMC, it remains neither universally understood nor universally accepted as a useful construct. Furthermore, IMC is not consistently applied as a marketing principle and according to Hutton à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦has resulted in superficiality, ambiguity and blurred focusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Hutton 1997, p. 8). It is high time financial institutions realised that they all offer the same products and services and the only thing that can put a major distinctive difference to their services and product is by going extra mile to adopt IMC. Financial products are controlled by regulatory authorities in an economy. It includes administrative tinkering by governments with financial prices such as interest rates and exchange rates. McKinnon and Shaw (1973) further agrees that financial institutions are generally offering the same services and are controlled by government, and this is hindered in a repressed financial system by the low level of savings, it responds in a positive way to real rates of interest on deposits as well as the real rate of growth in output. Moreover, investment is negatively related to the effective real rate of interest on loans, but positively related to the growth rate of the economy. However, if it is proven that the basic financial practices of a bank is solely dependent of government policies, it is only a good thing for the bank(s) to look for best opportunities to improve on their services to survive and sustain their stand in the highly competitive market. This is further proven by Ferdous (2008) that the fundamental reasons offered for the popularity of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) among marketers is that it is good for the bottom line and a necessity in todays fractured market place. IMC has been able to achieve what other marketing processes have not been able to by breaking down corporate, geographic, and political borders to reach into customers homes and offices in a matter of weeks or days through the use of worldwide networks created by computer and communications technology that have been inculcated into the process of IMC. (Schultz et al., 1993). Integrated Marketing Communication Integrated marketing communication plan. PLACE Distribution strategy CHANNEL/MEDIUM CHOICE C OTHERS (PR, POS, etc.) Objectives Strategy ELECTRONIC Objectives Strategy PERSONAL CONTACT Objectives Strategy TELEPHONE Objectives Strategy DIRECT MAIL Objectives Strategy MASS MEDIA Objectives Message strategy Media strategy Adapted from McDonald and Dunbar (2004, p.19). Ferdous (2006) describes IMC to have been variously described in terms of a process, a marketing orientation, an organisational structure, a set of marketing tools, a basis for accountability and a philosophy. In fact it is all of these. However according to Robert Lauterborn who helped coin the IMC label, What IMC has come to mean to too many people is little more than two-from-column A, one-from-column B media selection process (Lauterborn 2003, p.14). Schultz (1997) agrees that the focus has been one of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Trying to integrate discipline rather than customer or prospects communications. In addition, focusing IMC efforts on the integration of a firms external marketing communications disciplines ignores the gains in competitive advantage to be had from a horizontal integration across a firms total communications effort including that of its internal market. The need for integration is the notion that some aspects of marketing communication should be integrated. The origin of IMC can be found in the prevailing structural conditions and the needs of particular industry participants, an understanding of what elements should be integrated in order to achieve IMC needs to be established. The elements to be integrated are; relationships, structures, brands, communication tools, messages, employees, technology, agencies and IMC strategy. (Chris Fill, 2009). The integrated elements are applicable to understanding IMC as a customer oriented process in creating a common understanding of its principles and core values. It is known that the primary aim of any business is profitability which can only be achieved when customers are satisfied. Profitability as defined by Ferdous (2006) is the function of customer behaviour, and then customer orientation is not only logical but essential. IMC integrates everything that impacts customer behaviour, not just the organisations conscious outgoing marketing messages. It begins with product development and includes packaging (branding), selection of distribution channels (communication tools), channel management (agencies), customer behaviour (relationship), customer relationship management and total quality management. It involves the multi-dimensional, interactive, continuously measured communication that connects brands or products and the customer. Lauterborn (2003 p. 15). Furthermore, Cravens et al. (2003) identifies four attributes that set IMC apart from traditional promotional strategies. They are comprehensive, drawing on all of the media, tools and technologies available to affect behaviour; unified execution of all the components of the organisation; and IMC programs em phasise productivity in reaching the designated targets when selecting communication channels and allocating resources to marketing media. Before considering the delivery of values of IMC, the communication channels will be given further attention, the channels are generally complex, and they involve various media for different communication with the same set of target market or customers. Ferdous (2006), these views about IMC values share three key attributes which are fundamental to its values as a marketing concept. They recognise that IMC is about the connection between the brand and the customer and that communication in all its forms facilitates this relationship. Implicit is the understanding that marketing is the whole business from the point of view of its final result, which is from the customers point of view, marketing today is not a function, but a way of doing business; marketing is everything and everything is marketing. (Harris 1993,p.13). Most importantly in this approach is the recognition that purposeful and coordinated management of customers and their relationship with the organisation is at the heart of building brand equity, which at a time of brand proliferation is critical to success. (Ferdous 2006). The Role of Communication. Communication is the greatest use of language. John Locke has seen the use of communication as the clue to an analysis of the notion of linguistic meaning. Customer communication completes the marketing cycle, linking customer with product, service and availability. At a societal level, in order to connect to mass production and consumption there simply must be mass communications. At its best, commercial communication engages in real dialogue, transmitting value and meaning, while responding to feedback and remaining close to the external customer. Communication has the role to announce, inform, promise, persuade and influence customers to buy in by communicating and delivering customer satisfaction. ( Doole et al.,2005). Communication is the best instrument for sustaining a good relationship between a business and its customers if well understood. In as much as communication is essential between a business and its customers, so also a communication feedback is also very crucial. This because; if a wrong interpretation has been gotten from the information passed by an organisation and a feed back is not received from the customer, the customer retains the wrong information , the organisation might be repeating the same information again at great expense. But when a feedback is in place, the organisation has an opportunity to correct the misinterpreted information and pass the right information across which makes the customer a happy one. Communication when used in the right context strengthens relationships. Doole et al.,(2005) recognising that employees deliver quality, internal communication encourages affiliation with organisational values as well as providing everyday working information. He further explains that communication to both external and internal customers is central to both marketing transactions and relationships. LEVEL OF COMMUNIVATION CORPORATE BUSINESS UNIT MARKETING DEPARTMENT Product Price Promotion Place Price packaging BRAND MANAGEMENT People Sales Advertising Public relations Merchandising Direct Adapted from Doole et al., (2005p.249) This explains the level of communication and how uniquely they have their level of importance to the whole communication process of an organisation. If one malfunctions, it invariably affects the whole system. This helps to increase the value and credibility of brand communication. At this stage, it should be clearly noted that commercial communication should be based on clear intent as noted by Doole et al., (2005), a communication campaign generally seeks to both push product on to and pull products off the shelf and position the offer competitively in the mind of the consumer. Its components parts need to hang together as a cohesive whole and remain consistent with core brand values. It is further noted that during the process of product life cycle, communications have very different roles to play; Introducing new products: the role to play at this initial stage is getting target market attention, also getting the market to test the product or service and the major task at this initial stage is acceptance of the product or service. Product maturity: at this stage, the product has been accepted and needs to proceed to the next stage, the task here includes sustaining the brand identity, maintaining the loyalty, defending the market share and adding value to the product or service is the major task at this level. In a situation where the products or services face rejection or losing market share, the need to improve on the product is essential (revitalise and reposition) or direct customers towards alternative, perhaps reducing communications to bare bones dominates. With the aid of product or service campaign, messages can be charged with differentiating, reminding, informing or persuading (DRIP) or sequentially securing attention, arousing interest, building desire and promoting action (AIDA) and moving a customer from unawareness through purchase to brand loyalty. The Communication Process. The communication process of IMC is between internal external customers. This research work is based on the evaluation of IMC between the employees (internal) of FBN Plc. and its customers (external). Groonroos (1985) explained internal marketing as an instrumental behavioural strategy for developing the state of mind that allows customer service effectiveness and building of relationship marketing. Ferdous (2006), in recent times, marketing professional and scholars have given considerable importance and attention to Internl Marketing (IM). According to Lings (2004) much of the literature on internal marketing, contains a variety of interpretations of the domain of internal marketing, it aim and focus. This means, treating employees as customers, understanding and attending to their wants and views which will help achieve a positive change in employees attitudes and on the long run affecting customer (external) satisfaction positively. Chernatony ( 2001 as cited in Ferdous 2006) suggested that in order to coherently transfer brand values to the companys stakeholders, employees must develop a shared understanding of what the brand stands for, through implementation of a unified communication approach. Today, the way organisations communicate with their internal markets, better known as internal communication (IC) (Tansuhaj et al., 1998; Thompson and Hecker 2000; Ahmed and Rafiq 2003; Kong 2007) is considered one of the most essential internal marketing considerations. Ahmed and Rafiq (2003) attempted to give a more acceptable and holistic explanation of internal marketing through the use of internal communication as a cultural framework and instrument for achieving strategic alignment while building customer service competence. This is reveals the importance attached to internal (employees) communication in operationalising internal marketing concepts/activities and achieving organisational competitive advantage and success. (Ferdous 2006). External customers are the major component of a business or an organisation. Customers determine the existence and longevity of a business. It is therefore important to understand how to carefully communicate information across such that it would not be misinterpreted. Organisations should understand how they receive, process and respond to the feedbacks gotten from customers. (Doole et al., 2005). If quality is meeting and influencing customer expectation (Doole et al., 2005) and even delighting clients, then managing expectations matters. It is very crucial that employees (internal customers) do not promise more than what they can deliver. Communicating with customers regularly is critical, keeping in touch with them, comprehending their expectations, apologising and explaining the limits of service possibilities can influence their expectations and may expand their zone of tolerance. Ferdous (2006) emphasises on viewing IMC as a process that focuses on both internal and external customers is the first step to developing a c

Flawless Heroes? :: essays research papers

Flawless Heroes? It is important for youth to have heroes but society cannot ignore the facts and only report on the good side of those heroes. Everyone is human, and they are going to make mistakes. Hopefully they learn from those mistakes, and if those mistakes are brought to light and conveyed to the young people then they too learn from those mistakes. History has a duty to report on the entire story. To report anything less would be wrong. To just simply say that Columbus was a perfect man who never did anything wrong would paint an unrealistic picture of the past. Mr. Gibbon, the author of this article seems to think that reality is a bad thing and should not be taught in our classrooms. Today's youth however need to be prepared for life in some way. They cannot be fed everything with a sugar coated spoon. If they were given everything on a silver platter like that then when they walked out into the real world for the first time they would not be able to adjust and become a productive part of society. Today's young people are in search of heroes as Mr. Gibbon suggests, but every person is going to have some skeletons in their closet, hero or no hero. To ask society to ignore the facts just so young people can feel that these people are perfectly squeaky clean is wrong. Society cannot lie to them. There is some value to teaching reality even though Mr. Gibbon doesn't seem to think so. Mr. Gibbon mentions that there is some sort of "tradition of exemplary lives" in society's heroes that used to exist but no longer does. However there never was such a tradition of wonderfully perfect people with perfect lives. Back then people ignored the facts and decided to believe that these people were perfect when the fact was that they were not perfect, they were just human. You cannot shield today's young people. You can't just cover their eyes to reality. Reality must be exposed and studied so they can try to understand the world. I agree with Gibbon that parents are the first and most important educators and they must try to make their lives exemplary so their children will

Winter Sonata as the pioneer of Hanryu

I agree that Winter Sonata is the pioneer of Henrys. Like the article describes, Winter Sonata contain different elements which catch the eyeballs of middle aged women. The ‘pure love' plots, the romantic and slow-paced scenes and the choice of actors blended and created a chemistry action which provide rooms for the audience to fantasize and envision themselves in the scenes of the drama. Winter Sonata not only fulfills the sensational needs of the middle aged women, but also fulfills their psychological needs.While they are enjoying the beautiful scenery in the television screen, at the same time they can be satisfied with their hidden desire, as the writer pointed out. I think this is the largest attraction to the audience, as the drama triggers their imagination. They can feel excited but comfortable when imagining their own stories in their safety zone, where they can forget the reality. Freshness is also an important element of Korean dramas that attracts Japanese. I thin k that this can be also applied to Hong Kong audience.As the plots and themes of local Hong Kong mainstream drama are always alike, audiences can easily predict the flow and ending of the dramas. While Hong Kong audiences are bored by the similar stories, Korea dramas provide them with different themes, scenes and cinematographic techniques, which can increase their interest in these foreign dramas. Besides freshness, the original Watching dramas' habit of Hong Kong people also help enhancing the import of Korean dramas to Hong Kong.Knowing that many Hong Kong audiences are addicted to dramas, paid television companies have set up many channels which are specially for playing different dramas day and night. Therefore, there are great demands for buying dramas from other countries, as there are not enough local drama productions to fulfill the request of different audiences. Teenagers build forums and groups for particular drama through internet in order to provide platforms for disc ussing and sharing with other audiences.However middle aged women seldom take the initiative to act like the teenagers, as they may not be good users of computer. But still, I think the avid middle aged women fans can give an impetus to promotion of Korean drama, by creating a frenzy of watching Korea drama day and night and discussing the content with their neighbor. The mania of diddle aged women rise the attention by the mass media successfully, which help Winter Sonata gain famous and increase the interest of other people to discover the fascination of it by watching this drama.The products related to Korea entertainment industry also help expanding the Henrys. The products like, photos, calendar and key chains of popular idols and props which were used in famous dramas were purchased by the fervent fans all over the world. Stores were set up in Monks in Hong Kong which were specialized in selling these Henrys products and Shin-Kobo in Japan become ‘a small Korean city, wh ich is famous for the Korean assistants and the stores selling idol products. These reflect that people in most of the East Asian countries are putting their focus on the Korean trend.Fans are pursuing fast and new idol products while merchandisers are finding the commercial potential in Korea entertainment industry in order to make profit. Henrys becomes more important in some of the people's living. Using Winter Sonata' as the example, the article brings out that the sweeping of Korean popular culture through East Asian countries can improve the inter-country relationships. The research pointed out that he perceptions of Korean by Japanese can be changed after watching a Korean drama, as they can know more about the recent Korea imperceptibly.Becoming more familiar with Korean things, they are more willing to take the initiative to learn more about Korea. For example, they search the Korea places where scenes of drama were took place through internet, and they plan their own trip to Korea, in order to collect first-hand information about Korea by their own experiences. Thus, the blank parts of Korean in Japanese's mind are replaced with different new and trendy Korean knowledge, which may learn from different Korean culture.The research also spotted that though the image of South Korea is growing more positive, there is no change on the perception to North Korea. Besides the negative news reported in Japanese media, I think the settings in South Korean drama may also contribute on imputing bad images of North Korea in Japanese mind. North Korea is often playing an evil- doer in most South Korea drama, for example in a popular drama ‘Iris', the secret organization which aim to destroy South Korea by nuclear weapon is started by North Korea government.By the exaggeration in mass media, Japanese have an even worse impression on North Korea. After reading this article, I think the soft power of South Korea give much contribution to her raising world status . Not only has she had flourishing Korean entertainment, her technology development on gadgets are also widely adopted in many countries, like Samsung products and mobile applications. All these Korean pop culture are penetrating through many countries by different forms, entering many people's daily life, thus building up favorable impression to other countries.Under the globalizes world, local culture can easily passed to other countries by internet or international companies. For example, Sys and Girl's Generation's music videos are always being played on the Samsung television in many electric appliance selling stores. Therefore, Korea popular culture is more exposed to the world and increases her acceptance by other countries. Undoubtedly, Henrys has improved the mutual understating between Korea and other countries, like increasing the mutual understanding between Japan and Korea.However, though South Korea now is having a great soft power, I think it can only influence other countries culturally and economically, but not politically. A good cultural relationship between two countries may not be able to improve the political relationship of them as well. Take the dispute on Tasmania between Japan and Korea, both countries are having normal cultural relationship, but when tackling conflict which affect their sovereignty and own interests, the advantage of having good cultural relationship is Just negligible. Both countries will defend their own interest and cultural relationship will not be under their consideration.

Employees’ Perception of Selection Systems

Introduction This paper summarises the views of two authors on how job applicants or potential employees perceive selection procedures. Both articles focus on employees’ perceptions of selection methods. Article 1: â€Å"Applicants Perceptions of Selection Procedures and Decisions: A Critical Review and Agenda for the Future†. The first article is written by Ryan and Plolyhart (2000) and is titled â€Å"Applicants’ Perceptions of Selection Procedures and Decisions: A Critical Review and Agenda for the Future†. This article is motivated by the fact that low unemployment rates have increased the competition for employees, which has forced organisations to review the various components used in selecting job applicants and how job applicants’ perceptions of those procedures can affect the attractiveness of the organisation to potential employees. Another motivation for this study is the fact that there is lack of better research on applicant perspectives. Thirdly, the article notes that social justice theorists are looking for ways to apply social justice theory concepts to applicants’ perceptions of selection methods. Moreover, there is an increasing diversity in the workforce as well as racial differences in perception of selection procedures which can affect the manner in which j ob applicants perceive organisations and thus the attractiveness of those organisations to potential employees. The article notes that one of the main assumptions of most research in this area is that the manner in which job applicants perceive selection procedures and processes affects the manner in which the applicant views the organisation and thus the decision on whether to apply for a job vacancy to that organisation or not. The article also suggests that differences in perceptions between minority and majority groups on certain selection procedures can account for some of the differences in job performance that is often observed between these two groups. The article begins by reviewing the works of Schimittand Gilliland (1992) and Gilliland (1993). These studies develop a model which provides a link between between applicants’ perceptions of selection systems and situational factors and their subsequent â€Å"attitudes and behaviours† towards those organisations. The model postulates that applicants’ perceptions of the procedural justice system are influenced by situational characteristics. These characteristics include the type of test administered during the selection process, the human resource policy of the organisation and the behaviour of the human resource staff of the organisation. The overall fairness of the selection system is influenced by the degree to which the applicants’ perceptions of the procedural justice of the selection system meet the expectations of applicants. The framework further stipulates that applicants’ prior experiences with a selection system would affect the evaluatio n of the system. Distributive justice rules of equity, equality, and need have an impact on the perceptions of the distributive fairness of the final decision reached through the selection system. Distributive justice rules are in turn influenced by performance expectations and the salience of discrimination. In a nutshell, the framework concludes that there should be a relationship between outcomes such as â€Å"job application decisions, test motivation, self-esteem, self-efficacy, endorsement of the company’s products, job acceptance decisions, job satisfaction, and performance among others† and applicants’ perceptions of fairness of the selection process. After reviewing the framework, the authors then move on to provide a critical review of the empirical literature and evaluating how they conform to the framework. The review focuses on four key areas including: The perceptions that have been studied; The factors that determine applicants’ perceptions; The consequences of holding more positive or negative perceptions; and The theoretical frameworks that have been presented. With respect to the applicants’ perceptions that have been studied, the article notes that the most commonly researched perceptions include applicants’ feelings regarding degree to which the selection system is related to the job, feelings about the fairness of various aspects of the selection system and its associated outcomes, as well as feelings about test taking motivation. The authors provide a critical review in this area and conclude that a major concern with most of these studies is that their constructs are imprecise with respect to the manner in which they are defined as well as the variability with which they are operationalised. As a result, the authors conclude that a better conceptualisation of research on test behaviours and on fairness is required to improve understanding. The authors however, admit that the work of Chan et al (1998) to a certain extent provides a link between test attitudes and perception of fairness although the study focused only on two concepts from each line of research. According to the authors, lack of an improved integration of studies on test attitudes on fairness and test attitudes makes understanding difficult. For example, it is difficult to determine whether potential employees who are more anxious perceive procedures are more unfair as opposed to those who are less anxious. In addition, it is difficult to deter mine whether beliefs about testing have a higher impact on perceptions of fairness of a procedure than characteristics of the procedure and selection situation itself. The author notes that notes that most test-taking attitude measures are perceptions of oneself (including motivation, anxiety, etc) while justice-related perceptions typically focus on the fairness of the test used in making hiring or rejection decisions. The authors argue that there should be a relationship between applicants’ motivation and anxiety and the justice-related perceptions. The authors also suggest that it is important for other perceptions to be tested. Basically most of the studies under review focus on how the motivation or perceptions of applicants influence their perceptions of fairness. This approach neglects the impact of other perceptions of fairness that may be critical for the improvement of selection systems. Article 2: â€Å"Fairness Reactions to Selection Methods: An Italian Study†. This article is written by Bertolino and Steiner (2007). Like the first article, this article begins by reviewing the works of other authors who provide different conceptual frameworks on the relationship between applicants’ perceptions of fairness of selection systems and their attitudes and behaviours towards the organisations. This article cites the work of Schuler (1993) whose framework suggests that the reaction of applicants to a selection process is a function of the key characteristics of the selection techniques employed. In addition, the article reviews the work of Anderson and Ostroff (1997) who focus on the socialisation impact of selection methods. Like the first article, the second article also reviews the work of Gilliland (1993) who employ organisational justice theory to comprehend the reaction of applicants to selection systems. Unlike the first article, which is based solely on a critical review of empirical literature on the reaction of applicants to selection systems as well as the underlying models of selection systems, the second article is based on both primary and secondary information. It begins by reviewing literature, and then conducts and exploratory study on the reaction of applicants to selection systems using a sample of 137 Italian students. The study is motivated by the fact that despite the presence of evidence on selection systems, most of the studies have been conducted in other countries with no attention given to Italy. The article notes that cultural differences may play an important role in the manner in which applicants perceive selection systems and thus their reaction to those systems as well as their attitudes towards the organisation. Based on the four dimensions of culture proposed by Hofstede (1980, 1991) (individualism vs collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity vs femi ninity, and power distance), the article suggests that it is possible for selection systems to be avoided by these four dimensions. For example, the article reviews the work of Ryan et al. (1999) who show that uncertainty avoidance can affect the selection practices of many countries. In addition, the study reviews the work of Triandis (1990) who argue that people from countries with high uncertainty avoidance prefer predictability, knowing what others will do, and having clear instructions and expectations. This means that employees who work in countries with high uncertainty avoidance should be more inclined towards engaging in structuring activities, including the standardisation of practices. On the contrary, those in countries with low uncertainty avoidance should be less committed to formal structures and should be prepared to accept spontaneous changes in practices. The study employed a survey questionnaire to study the reaction of Italian student to selection systems. The questionnaire used in the study is the one developed by Steiner and Gilliland (1996) which presents 10 different selection methods used in the U.S or Europe. The questionnaire asked students to think about a job they would apply for upon completion of their course Using a within-subject analysis of variance (ANOVA) the ratings of process favourability was compared across 10 selection methods. The evidence suggests that there are significant differences across the 10 selection methods. The selection method that received the most favoured rating was â€Å"work-sample test†. Resumes, written ability tests, interviews and personal preferences had the second favourable rating. Personality tests and biographical information blanks received a neutral rating while honesty tests and personal contacts received negative ratings. The authors conclude that their results are similar to those obtained from other countries. In particular, they observe that employer’s right, opportunity to perform and face validity are the procedural dimensions that had a high correlation with process favourability for all four countries that were studied. The two articles are similar in that they both begin by providing a theoretical framework on selection methods. Both articles provide the same theory which shows that there is a relationship between applicants’ perceptions and their reactions to selection systems. However, the first article differs from the second one in that it is based solely on the review of secondary literature. The article does not arrive on any conclusions with respect applicants reactions to selection systems. Rather, it identifies weaknesses in the literature and provides recommended procedures for improvement in future studies. On the contrary, the second article employs primary data to study how employees’ perceptions of selection systems affect their reactions to those systems. It compares findings to previous studies and concludes that culture has no significant impact on employees’ reaction to selection systems in Western countries. The study observes that the findings from France, I taly and other Western countries are similar to those obtained in studies from the United States. This shows that the different cultural dimensions mentioned in Hofstede (1981, 1990) do not influence the manner in which employees perceive selection systems which means that it does not affect the manner in which the react to those systems. The foregoing suggests that other factors may be affecting employees’ perceptions rather than culture. Conclusions and Recommendations Based on the discussion of the two articles above, one can conclude that employees’ perception of selection procedures influences the manner in which they behave towards the organisation and the decision to accept or reject an offer to work for a particular company. These perceptions may even influence the applicants other interactions with the company such as deciding to buy or not to buy the company’s products. The main difference between the two articles is that one focuses on criticising research on selection systems while one focuses on understanding how employees perceive selection systems across countries and how those systems affect their reaction. Based on this conclusion, it is important for organisations to note that the manner in which they design their selection system can affect the perception of applicants and as such affect the attractiveness of vacancies to potential applicants. Selection systems can even influence the ability of a company to attract qu alified applicants. If employees have a negative perception about a particular company, they may not be motivated to apply for a vacancy in that company and this may make it difficult for the company to fill the vacancy with a qualified applicant. Consequently, employers should seek the most favourable selection systems so as to increase their ability to attract qualified applicants to their jobs. The first article shows that research on selection systems is limited. Therefore, this paper recommends that more research should be conducted on selection systems and how employees perceive those systems. By so doing one can provide better recommendations to employers to aid them in designing their selection systems. References Bertolino, M., Steiner, D. D. (2007) â€Å"Fairness Reactions to Selection Methods: An Italian study†, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 15, Number 2 Ryan, A. N., Ployhart R. E. (2000) â€Å"Applicants Perceptions of Selection Procedures and Decisions: A Critical Review and Agenda for the Future†, Journal of Management, 26, 565-606