Ben Franklin :: essays research papers fc

Ben Franklin was a man of many ideas. He was able to come up with hundreds of inventions which played big roles at that time and for the future. He greatly affected the lives of many people around the world at that time period and at this time period with the things that he had invented. One of Ben Franklin’s greatest inventions was the Franklin stove. He took the model of the old stove and made it even better and more energy sufficient. The people of Philadelphia wanted the Franklin stove for two main reasons. The first reason is it gave off two times more heat than the old wood burning stoves. The second reason is it used one half the energy required for the old wood burning stoves(Cousins 88). This means that people didn’t have to chop down as many trees and split as much wood. They were able to used the wood for more useful things than just burning it. Ben wrote, †Since wood has become so expensive, any new proposal for saving the wood may at least be worth c onsideration†(Parker 13). They could use wood to build house or any other kinds of building or structures. They could also used the extra wood to build furniture and other things for the inside of their houses. Also there would be a lot of extra wood because less wood was required for burning. It was also was a lot less dangerous because it was a closed flame rather than an open fire. Ben found out that the women in his family that stayed home each day, did not get as many cold and toothaches as they used to(Cousins 89). â€Å"Soon every women in Philadelphia wanted a Franklin stove†(Cousins 89). â€Å"The Pennsylvania authorities were very pleased. They offered Franklin the patent for his design of the stove. This meant that he could earn money for every Franklin stove made. He refused saying that he was glad to be able to serve others.† (Parker 13) This was a truly great inventions for the people of that time and the present. During that time, wood burning was everyone’s source of heat, now there are many sources of heat. People still burn wood and it is probably the cheapest way to heat a house. Many people also use it as their primary source of heat or just as back up heat just in case something happens.

Primary School Art Teaching Mission Statement

Mission Statement My main aims with teaching art to primary grades can be broken down to the following points: ) Experimentation (teaching them to overcome any fear of unfamiliar materials) b) Imagination (teaching them that the mind has no limits, allowing them to dream) c) Individualism (teaching them to think ‘ outside the box’ ) d) Freedom of expression (teaching them to not be afraid to show feelings and to do it in their own personal style) e) Problem solving (teaching them that there are no mistakes in art; that any error can be fixed if you go about it cleverly) f) Self-esteem (teaching them to be proud of their work and to never insult the work of others) g) Sharing (teaching them to share materials and ideas with the rest of the class) h) Recycling (teaching them to use, re-use and recycle objects one would normally throw away) i) Patience (teaching them that no good work of art can be rushed and that one has to follow a process and see it through to the end) j ) Respect (teaching them to have respect for the teacher, their classmates, materials and the opinions of others) My aim is to try and create a disciplined space for the children to work in.Art is often a subject that requires the teacher to allow the children a certain amount of fun and freedom, however, fun turns into chaos if it has no ordered structure and discipline. I try and allow the children to follow their own instincts, so the result becomes secondary to individual expression. I do not believe in â€Å"paint by numbers†, nor do I force the children to follow a formula. There are formal elements like colour, composition etc. that is imperative, but sometimes the formal elements have to be sacrificed to allow the child to freely create. The process is often more important than the end product. Through art, children learn a lot about themselves. Their inner discovery is more important than a â€Å"good† work of art.

Groupe Ariel S.A. Essay

Abstract Groupe Ariel is a company that manufactures and sells printers, copiers and other document production equipment. The case focuses on an investment project in the company’s Mexican subsidiary that would expand operations into a new market, something it been slow to do in the past. Groupe Ariel believes its products have better durability for a lower after-sales service costs and markets it as a competitive advantage. The company is now considering replacing the manual equipment used for recycling in Mexico by new equipment that requires less material and labor costs. 1. Compute the incremental peso cash flows for the life of the project. The incremental cash flows of the next 10 years should be calculated. The initial cash outflow is the cost of investment in the new equipment (3,500,000 Pesos). Also, selling the manual equipment for cash value of 175,000 Pesos is subtracted from the cost of the new equipment to arrive at the initial net cash outlay of 3,325,000 Pesos. For the cash flows in the next 10 years, it is calculated by taking the difference of the cost of the manual method and the new automatic equipment. Next, to arrive at after-tax incremental cash flows we add back depreciation cost, which is non-cash expense (if total cost does include depreciation) and deduct tax. The new equipment would have a useful life of 10 years and would be depreciated under the straight-line method for both tax and financial reporting purposes. The corporate tax rate is 35%. 2. Compute the net present value of Ariel-Mexico’s recycling equipment in pesos by discounting the incremental peso cash flows at a peso discount rate. The present value of all these cash inflows and outflows can be calculated by discounting them at 8.5%, which was calculated by using real peso long-term borrowing rate of 2.2% and a real euro rate of 1.8%. The NPV can be calculated by taking the sum of present values of all the cash flows. This NPV comes out to be 3,754,474 Pesos. 3. Compute the NPV in Euros by translating the project’s future peso cash flows into Euros at the expected future spot rates. We translate the project’s future peso cash flows into Euros using the expected future spot rates estimated by the international business publication in the article—rise to 20.00 by 2011 from current 15.99 exchange rate and upwards of 25.00 in 2013-2018. We then discount the cash flows in Euros at 8% (the discount rate for similar projects in France) and get the NPV in Euros as 118,903 Euros. 4. Translate the NPV in pesos calculated in 2. To Euros and compare to the answer in 3. Comment on your findings. We translate the NPV in pesos calculated in 2 to Euros using the spot exchange rate on June 23 at MXN15.99/EUR. It gives an NPV of 234,801 in Euros, which is much higher than our number in question 3 as 118,903 Euros. The difference is driven by prediction of Pesos against Euros, and a slight different discount rate. From our analysis, we see that expectation of steep depreciation in pesos and a slightly higher discount rate in Mexico result in a much higher NPV value if we translate the pesos into Euros now.

Computerization of Public Sector Essay

Introduction In the midst of the Global Financial Crisis we found the Mediterranean states, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, being troubled by serious fiscal issues, great deficit on their balance sheets, characterized by low competitiveness and enormous public debt. Over the last year of the GFC the policies that had been followed for those countries are mainly focused around the creation of fiscal surpass by using horizontal and cross cutting methods. The results of those tactics after almost 4 years of austerity measures are far from favorable. One reason for that is that the IMF and EU were unable to look deep into the problem. Their primary target was to found a swift and superficial solution, mainly because of the pressure from the markets and political factors. On this research we will focus our interest deeper into the problem and attempt reaching the core of it. One very important aspect of the crisis that the mentioned organizations have not taken into account is the efficiency of the pu blic sector on the problematic countries. If the public sector lacks on efficiency then the results would be phenomenon like corruption, unorganized departments, tax evasion and absence of communication between agencies. One great factor that determines the efficiency of a state is the computerization of its public sector. And that is what our research will be focused on. Main literature used on the research To reach the needed results we have to find the proper literature, we have to use that as a base for our research and to help us on extracting our conclusions. We need to analyze the structure of the Public Sector Management on those countries and to learn how important the role of computerization is on an efficient government. That is exactly what (Dunleavy, 2006) tried to show us. How vital computerization is for the public administrator and its role on key factors like taxation, decentralization, bureaucracy and public corruption. Another aspect we have to use on our literature research is the quality on public sector. What is its relation with a computerized state how is affected by that. Quality is an important element of a successful computerization process, their bonds are strong, quality is considered fundamental for a public sector to become more efficient and to increase its performance (Pollitt and Bouckaert, 1995). Performance is another important factor that has a crucial role on a healthy public sector. It helps to increase its effectiveness, that leads to a more transparent and innovative system (Bruijn, 2006). After we successfully incorporate those components into the public administration we would be able to observe the impact of computerization on the economic stability of a country (Snellen et al., 1989). Advantages of a computerized public sector If we look into the literature we will see that the Mediterranean states that are deadlocked, actually apart from their deficit they have one more common thing, their corruption ratings (Transparency international, 2011; OECD, 2011). Therefore we observe a great proportion of tax evasion, and restrict bureaucracy (World Bank, 2012) and low competitiveness against other states (Klaus Schwab, 2012). The advantage of a computerized public sector, apart from the efficiency (Pollitt and Bouckaert, 1995), is the addition on effectiveness too (Willcocks and Harrow, 1992). Moreover we survey a great improvement on transparency (OECD, 2011) and on accessibility of the services as well as on productivity (Hayes, 1977). All the previews factors are on a sequence, first of all the immediate reaction of a computerized sector is to improve its quality (Pollitt and Bouckaert, 1995), that is conceivable through an â€Å"adaption† of new public management standards (Hood, 1998), next step is the improvement of performance (Margetts, 1999);(Dunleavy, 2006). Moreover after we succeed on adapting quality and performance into the public sector, the effectiveness (GAO,1991) and the efficiency occurs (Willcocks and Harrow, 1992). As a result an economic stability will commence (HMSO, 1983);(Klein, 1988). All the above have shown that will result on a better tax administrator (Snellen et al., 1989);(Naur, 1974) and have as an outcome the better taxation (Margetts, 1999). Still the most important thing that gets neutralized is the political interception (Herring, 1967). Arguments The main arguments about computerization of the public sector directs from the employees. A factor is the poverty of knowledge about the use of new technologies and their lack of interest on learning them. Another important factor is the political and union interests (Transparency international, 2011). On the above mentioned countries, unions and political parties have a â€Å"client† relationship. This suggests a major concern for an improvement effort of public sector’s administration. Managers lack the will to adapt innovative ideas into their departments. And the corrupted bureaucratic state’s roots are so deep that ought great effort to overcome those obstacles. (Jorma, 1988). Other arguments come from the cost of a computerization update (Dunleavy, 2006). Furthermore, arguments about the part that computerization had on the instability of the Mediterranean States are expressed from organizations like IMF, on their monthly reports they do not take into account the individuality and the complexity of the public sector on those countries (IMF, 2012). Methodology For the research to be conducted we have to use a combination of quantitative, by using the â€Å"N† data sets and qualitative methods by the use of enquiries. Because of the nature of the research some factors cannot be properly valued by quantitative methods (Weber et al., 1946) And some information are results from qualitative research (Ragin and Amoroso, 2011);(Ragin, 1987). Also we have to take into account the external factors that affect the computerization process. Thus the research will not be â€Å"immune† to external elements. Conclusion To conclude we have reached a point on introducing austerity measures on the Mediterranean Countries, where we should be very careful of our actions. Especially when the EU is on a dense position because of political rivalries, unwillingness and antagonism amongst union states. And portray a lack of focus to the core of the issue. If we do not act more carefully and if we do not try to find the right questions for the problem the situation will become irreversible. The question should not be how to stop the deficit, instead should be how those problematic countries can improve their public sector? And more specifically at what extend the computerization of public sector in Mediterranean Nations â€Å"affect† their economic stability? It should be appropriate to close with a quote from Simon H. A â€Å"is the resistance it evokes from those who refuse to see in it anything more than an enlarged desk calculator. Not since the Darwinian controversy of the past century we have seen such a passionate defense of the uniqueness of man [sic] against claims of kinship by systems that don’t belong to his species.† (Simon H.A, 1973: 503) References BRUIJN, J. A. D. 2006. Managing performance in the public sector, New York, NY, Routledge. DUNLEAVY, P. 2006. Digital era governance : IT corporations, the state, and E-government, Oxford, Oxford University Press. GAO. 1991a. SSA: Computers Long Rans Vision Needed to Guide future systems modernization efforts, GAO/IMTEC – P1- 44, Washington DC. HAYES, F. O. R. 1977. Productivity in local government, Lexington, Mass., Lexington Books. HERRING, P. 1967. Public administration and the public interest, New York,, Russell & Russell. HMSO. 1983a. Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Civil Service, HMSO, London HOOD, C. 1998. The art of the state : culture, rhetoric, and public management, Oxford ; New York, Clarendon Press. IMF. DECEMBER 2011. IMF Country Report No. 11/351, Greece: Fifth Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement, Rephasing and Request for Waivers of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Greece., Washington, D.C. IMF. JULY 2012. IMF Country Report No. 12/168, Italy: Selected Issues, Washington, D.C. IMF. JUNE 2012. IMF Country Report No. 12/137, Spain: Financial Stability Assessment, Washington, D.C. KLAUS SCHWAB. 2012. WEF: Global Competitiveness 2012-2013, Geneva, World Economic Forum. KLEIN, R & CARTER, N. 1988. Performance Measurement a review of concepts and issues. Discussion Paper No 18, Public Finance Foundation KUOPUS, JORMA. 1988. Hallinnon lainalaisuus ja automatisoitu verohalliuto, Jyuaskyla, Finnish Lawyers Publishing Company MARGETTS, H. 1999. Information technology in government : Britain and America, London ; New York, Routledge. NAUR, P. 1974. Concise survey of computer methods, New York, Petrocelli Books. OECD. 2011. OECD: Working on Bribery, Annual Report 2011 POLLITT, C. & BOUCKAERT, G. 1995. Quality improvement in European public services : concepts, cases and commentary, London ; Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage. RAGIN, C. C. & AMOROSO, L. M. 2011. Constructing social research : the unity and diversity of method, Los Angeles, SAGE Publications. RAGIN, C. C. 1987. The comparative method : moving beyond qualitative and quantitative strategies, Berkeley, University of California Press. SIMON H,A . 1973. Applying Information technology to organization Design, Public Administration Review, 33: 268-78 SNELLEN, I. T. M., DONK, W. B. H. J. V. D. & BAQUIAST, J.-P. 1989. Expert systems in public administration : evolving practices and norms, Amsterdam ; New York, Elsevier Science Publishers. TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL. 2011. Corruption Perception Index 2011 WEBER, M., GERTH, H. H. & MILLS, C. W. 1946. From Max Weber: Essays in sociology, New York,, Oxford university press. WILLCOCKS, L. & HARROW, J. 1992. Rediscovering public services management, Lond on, McGraw-Hill. WORLD BANK. 2008. WORLD BANK: Doing Business 2012, http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings, last checked 29/10/2012

To Investigate How iPhone Maker Apple Competes across the Smartphone Essay

To Investigate How iPhone Maker Apple Competes across the Smartphone Market - Essay Example There are many iconic products in the world, but few have had the power and impact that has been witnessed in the iPhone. The way in which Apple creates a mythology about its brands and the effect that this mythology has upon the perception of the products made by Apple is of great interest. Many companies would want to mimic or surpass this type of powerful branding. Therefore, studying the way in which the product has been marketed to the public is a powerful tool for understanding how such a phenomenon can occur. 4. Research Design Two types of data contribute to the further understanding of the topic of this research study. Primary and secondary researches were explored in order to more fully understand the objectives of the study as they have been framed by the research questions. Primary data was determined through the use of a questionnaire that would be distributed to appropriate participants. The secondary data was taken from resources that have information that would add pe rspective to the topic of this study. This data was taken from internet resources as well as books and journal articles. The secondary research was conducted through the lens of exploratory research, defined by Beri (2008) as creating a focus on ideas that pertain to the concepts within the study. In researching the previously established concepts that pertain to the topic, new ideas can be generated towards discovering new aspects to the study. The data was approached through the grounded theory for qualitative research. The research was coded for its commonalities from which memos will be created in order to organize the discovery into concepts that can be analyzed for their content. In comparing the contents of the research, a hypothesis will then be considered as it is revealed through the data. Although this methodology seems backwards, it provides for the emergence of themes, rather than forcing a preconceived idea and then seeking data to prove or disprove the concept (Straus s 1999, p. vii). 5. Research Resources Analysis The research methodology is essentially qualitative in nature. It does not involve a statistical analysis of the success rate of the marketing campaign of Apple for iPhone. The research is focused on the qualitative understanding of the marketing technique employed by Apple and the effectiveness of this technique expressed in terms of customer feedback and views, and the level of customer satisfaction. To this end, the resources utilized would be in the form of questionnaires sent via email, and filled out in person by customers selected randomly in a marketplace. The second part of the study involves a review of the existing research on the topic through the examination of published journals and articles. Through a cognitive analysis of results obtained from this two-pronged study, and comparison of the established and new research on the subject, a conclusion would be drawn about the marketing methodology and its effectiveness of App le for iPhone. The questionnaires designed for this purpose will have to be open-ended so that they present flexibility to the volunteers to fully express their views. Questions that reflect preconceived ideas about the marketing strategy will be discarded. To this end, a list of all the possible questions will be prepared, from which only

Civil liberties Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Civil liberties - Term Paper Example The movement led to the irresistible transformation of the American political, social, and cultural life. Amendments on the prevailing notions concerning the citizenship rights of the blacks, for example, together with a redefinition courts and government’s role in protecting people’s rights, continued to strengthen the human rights of all American citizens, regardless of the color of their skin (Bryant, 2009, p. 1). The word civil-right often conjures people like Martin Luther delivering the soul-stirring â€Å"I have a dream† speech on the nation’s capital. The civil rights movements are believed to have started earlier in the 18th century when the blacks who were enslaved demanded their elementary citizenship rights. From 1955 to 1970, the blacks’ effort to bring their cause to attention met some success. The Congress approved the Civil Rights Act to create a civil rights partition in the Justice Department which would implement voting and other rights. In 1951, Thurgood Marshall and the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) resolved to fight for the rights of the African American children who were forced to join completely segregated schools yet considered to be equal as those used by the whites. They assumed that the segregation in schools dehumanized the African Americans just as slavery affected them. ... This court ruling sent a message that segregation was intolerable in the country (Spungin, 2007, p. 1). In 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a crowded Alabama city bus and sat near the front. Rosa declined the request to take the back seats and was arrested by the Montgomery police. Rosa’s actions stimulated the black community to support the civil rights movement by arranging boycotts. Their decision as a large group would make the bus companies incur losses and stress the point that segregation in busses was unjust and would not be endured. The protests were not only successful, gathering worldwide sympathy, but also attracted Martin Luther, an eloquent and inspiring leader, a clergy at the Baptist Church. Luther’s emergence as the movement’s leader using non-violent tactics such as those used by Mohandas Gandhi, an Indian nationalist, characterized the entire movement inspiring participation from many blacks as well as whites (Elliott, 2012, p. 1). As the blacks living in the South grew more confident with sympathy from the outside world, their protests increased. In 1960, four black college scholars staged ‘sit-ins’ at restaurants which served whites only. In the face of the arising challenges, the whites responded by arresting, and attacking the Protestants. However, the leaders of the movement refused to be deterred by threats of prison: Luther was jailed more than 12 times, but still fought for the rights of the people. Important People Associated with the Civil Rights Movement (Fairclough, 2011, p. 1) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Luther is one of the significant figures in the Civil Rights movement. Being a college educated preacher, he was an essential character in arranging the bus boycott in

Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Motivation - Essay Example There is also Ray, the hot sandwich server, who has also helped Ann to take up the slack as well as Peter, who works the hot entrees spot and interacts well with Lenny, who also entertain an expectancy of gaining the job based upon the efforts they have put into their work so far. Moreover, in arriving at a replacement, when Artie is restricting himself to Averil and Gloria as choices, he has failed to take into account the Lenny factor. Since Lenny is a temperamental sort and Artie already has problems with him, he must ensure that the candidate who is finally selected is one that can get along with Lenny as well as Ann did, in order to ensure that the kitchen functions smoothly without extra temperamental outbursts from Lenny, who is a very important employee. The key to successfully selecting the right candidate will involve a current identification of the expectancies of each employee. The Expectancy theory suggests that individuals, acting on the basis of their own self interest, will adopt those courses of action at work which are likely to maximize the probability of desirable outcomes for themselves.(Pitt, 2001:1). The theory is based on the assumption that valence, expectancy and force are the three determinants that influence a person’s motivation in choosing one decision over another. (Vroom, 1995). For example, factors that motivate employees to perform better is better wages, how their time is spent or how much appreciation they receive, or even how well they interact socially with other employees. Applying this in Lenny’s case, the expectancy model suggests that Lenny is not comfortable with changes. He is unlikely to respond well to an unknown employee such as Gloria for example. A desirable outcome for Lenny would be to maintain the status quo as far as possible, therefore an employee like Peter may be acceptable to him because he knows he can control