Thursday, December 26, 2019

Saying Could in Spanish Using Poder and Other Verbs

Although the English auxiliary verb could is typically thought of as the past tense of the verb can, it shouldnt always be translated to Spanish as a past tense of poder. Could usually can be translated as a form of poder (a verb typically meaning to be able), however. Following are some of the common ways that could is used in English and various ways the idea can be expressed in Spanish. Translating Could When It Means Was Able or Were Able Usually, you can use the preterite tense of poder if youre talking about a one-time event or a specific period in time, but the imperfect tense should be used if youre talking about an indefinite period. The miner couldnt leave the tunnel. El minero no pudo salir del tà ºnel. (The sentence refers to an ability that existed at a particular and limited time, so the preterite is used.)I couldnt leave the city more than once a year. Yo no podà ­a salir de la ciudad mà ¡s que una vez por aà ±o. (The sentence refers to a ability that existed over an indefiite time, so the imperfect is used.)We could always count on him for advice. Siempre podà ­amos contar con à ©l para sugerencias.After five hours I could finally do it. Despuà ©s de cinco horas por fin pude hacerlo.I thought I could do it better. Pensà © que yo podà ­a hacerlo mejor.Couldnt you see the solar eclipse?  ¿No pudiste ver el eclipse solar? Although the distinction isnt always a clear one, if by saying was able or were able you mean knew how to, the verb saber is often preferable, usually in the imperfect tense: Obviously, he thought I could drive. Obviamente, à ©l creà ­a que yo sabà ­a manejar.We could make fantastic sand castles. Sabà ­amos construir fantà ¡sticos castillos de arena. Translating Could as a Suggestion or Request In English we often use could as a substitute for can in order to be polite or to soften the tone of what were saying. You can do much the same thing in Spanish by using the conditional tense of poder, although often the present tense works just as well. For example, to say, You could come with me to fish for trout, you could say either Puedes ir conmigo a pescar truchas or Podrà ­as ir conmigo a pescar truchas. Translating Expressions Such as If I Could Expressions such as if I could usually use the imperfect subjunctive: If I could turn back time, I wouldnt have answered the telephone. Si yo pudiera regresar el tiempo, no habrà ­a contestado el telà ©fono.If he could eat cake instead of vegetables he would be very happy. Si à ©l pudiera comer el postre en vez de vegetales à ©l serà ­a muy feliz.If we could see it, we would buy it. Si pudià ©ramos verlo, lo comprarà ­amos. Discussing What Could Have Been A common way of saying that something could have been, but wasnt, is to use the preterite of poder followed by haber. If something might have occurred over an indefinite time, the imperfect might also be used. It could have been worse. Pudo haber sido peor.The team could have been much more aggressive. El equipo pudo haber sido mucho mà ¡s agresivo.With more time, we could have eliminated more of the mistakes. Con mà ¡s tiempo, pudià ©ramos haber eliminado algunos mà ¡s de los errores.They could have saved my son. Podà ­an haber a mi hijo. Translating Could in Expressions of Possibility Various expressions of possibility can often be used to translate could when it means that something is possible. Often the present tense of poder can be used as well. One way to translate sentences using could in that way is to think of an alternative way of expressing the idea in English, and then translating to Spanish. The following translations arent the only ones possible: They could be the same person. Es posible que sean las mismas personas. (Literally, it is possible that they are the same persons.)It could be my imagination. Posiblemente sea mi imaginacià ³n. (Literally, it is possible that it is my imagination.)I could leave now. Ahora puedo salir. (Literally, I can leave now.)If we want to, we could take a walk through the city. Si queremos, podemos dar un paseo por la ciudad. (Literally, if we want to, we can take a walk through the city.)

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

My Thoughts On Reading And Writing Essay - 1307 Words

As I was sitting in the crowded classroom of a high school that I have never been to, I gathered my thoughts to write my essay for the SAT. When I finished my essay, I sat there staring at the ceiling waiting for the instructor to tell everyone to finish their last sentence. While spending some time alone with my own thoughts, I wondered if I had finished too fast. I looked around the classroom and saw that a majority of my peers were still writing their papers. After seeing that everyone was still working on their essays, I tried to proofread to see if I could add more details somewhere. However, nothing was coming to me. I gave up and told myself that the essay was at least decent. Although it wasn’t my best piece of writing, I couldn’t think of anything anymore and I ended up turning in the essay as it was. On that day, I finished the SATs feeling empty. When I was in the third grade, I had a passion for reading and writing. 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Monday, December 9, 2019

Report on GOGAL Designs Online Business

Question: Make a Report on GOGAL Designs Online Business. Answer: Introduction The report is giving the full detail to the GOGAL Designs to make online business by Moose Consulting. GOGAL Designs is a huge company which handles the business of clothes and it has near about 50 branches in the country. The GOGAL Designs does not have any online business yet and it wants to take first step in online business because its customers want the same. There are different types of online business models which are described in the report. These online business models are recommended to the GOGAL Designs for online business- Ecommerce Model Advertising Model Subscription Model Freemium Model The advice is given to the GOGAL Designs about the hardware and software used to make the online business. Every aspect regarding the online business for GOGAL Designs is mentioned in the report. All legal and ethics issues are also defined. Promotion and marketing strategy to enhance the business are also described in the report. Online Business Models There are different types of online business models which have been stated in the report. Following online business models are recommended to the GOGAL Designs for a successful online business- Ecommerce Model Advertising Model Subscription Model Freemium Model Ecommerce Model In Ecommerce model, a website gives chance to sell and buy products or services. There are so many websites which follows ecommerce model e.g. amazon.com, ebay.com. The Ecommerce model is very beneficial in the time essential fields. For example when the time is very less and very critical, the ecommerce is very beneficial in those cases. It is very beneficial from the consumer point of view as well as from the business point of view. E.g. in the banking system, the ecommerce takes few minutes in the transaction while the traditional commerce takes hours in the same transaction. So the ecommerce saves the time of both the business as well as consumers. Advertising Model In Advertising model, a website gets money by paid advertisements. There are so many websites which follows advertising model e.g. google.com, twitter.com. The website gets amount by companies for advertisements. Subscription Model In Subscription model, a company takes yearly or monthly charges from customers for the services used by them. This model is growing rapidly because there are so many companies which are following this model e.g. Netflix, Adobe. Freemium Model Freemium model is a free model initially. In Freemium model, first the company gives the free services but takes charges on upgrade and advanced features. Companies take yearly or monthly charges from customers for upgrade and advanced services. This model is growing rapidly because there are so many companies which are following this model e.g. Skype, Dropbox. The Ecommerce model suits best to the GOGAL Designs as it is the actual requirement of GOGAL Designs. The GOGAL Designs will sale their own products directly to their customer. Therefore Ecommerce model is the best model to start work on online business. Market Strategy Marketing and promotion is a major step in online business. There are different types of marketing and promotion strategies to increase the popularity in internet market- Advertising Sales Promotion Public Relations Direct Marketing Personal Selling Digital Marketing Following image is showing the promotion tactics- All activities described above are beneficial but advertising and Personal selling both are the best marketing and promotion strategies in the internet market for the designer clothing industry. Advertising is a mass media tactic for promotion in the internet world. The advertisement can be done by so many ways like- by radio, by television, by news channels, by magazines etc. While in personal selling there are so many factors like Salespersons, Exhibitions, sales activities in showrooms etc. Sales Promotion is also good but it cannot be applied all the time because in sales promotion there are factors like discount, coupons, incentives etc. So for the GOGAL Designs advertising and Personal selling is best in starting phase. Sales Promotion can be considered later. Legal and Ethics Issues in Online Business There are so many legal and ethics issues which should be considered before starting online business. Following legal and ethics issues should be definitely used in online business- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Intellectual Property Email Correspondence Copy Rights Survey Scams Online Transaction Security Domain Name Scams and Registration Issues Privacy Policy Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Search Engine Optimization is very useful for online business. There should be proper search engine optimization in the website to make best online business. Search Engine Optimization makes the website on top in the browser so that more users can access the website. Search Engine Optimization implemented by using so many factors like website content, images, keywords, Meta tags etc. All should be unique for best Search Engine Optimization. Intellectual Property Intellectual Property is the major issue in online business. Everything on the website about the product or company should be factual. There should be high degree trust between users and website owner and business owner. Every person connected with the website should have trust and faith upon each other. Email Correspondence Email Correspondence is also one of the major issues in online business. In online transaction or order, there are so many email messages sent by the business owner or website owner. Sometimes users get passwords through emails. Therefore, there should be high degree privacy and confidentiality in email servers. Copy Rights Copyright is the major crime now a day. Most people copy the content of the website or URL to mislead users. Survey Scams There are so many survey scams now a day. People take survey and took important data from users and can misuse that. They offer money to take survey but most of the time that is fraud. Online Transaction Security Online Transaction Security is one of the major issues in online business. The transaction system should be very safe and secure. It is the most critical part in the online business. There should be proper firewall and proper authentication on the online transaction. There are so many threats which stole the important data of users and misuse that. There should be proper security to escape from such type of threats. Domain Name Scams and Registration Issues The domain name of the website should be registered and verified. There are so many scams now a day where people stole the URL of others or take similar URL and misguide to users. Therefore the URL should be unique and different. Privacy Policy Every company has some policy and that should be obeyed by all website users. There should be proper link of privacy policy on the website and each user should be asked to read the privacy policy before start work on the website. Technology Infrastructure The MS SQL Server is one of the best options for the GOGAL Designs. The cost of running the SQL Server database is very less as compare to Oracle and IBM DB2 databases. The licencing fee is very less approximately 1 tenth of licencing fee of other databases. Software Components Requirement for MS SQL Server Database System The minimum software requirements for MS SQL Server 2008 database system are as follows- Framework The Microsoft SQL Server setup installs the following components Dot Net Framework 3.5 SQL Server Native Client SQL Server Setup Support Files Software The Microsoft SQL Server setup needs the following software Microsoft Windows Installer 4.5 / later version of Microsoft Windows Installer MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Component) 2.8 SP1 or later version of MDAC Internet Software Internet Explorer 6 SP1 or later version of Internet Explorer Display The graphical tools of Microsoft SQL Server requires the VGA or higher resolutions 1024x768 or higher pixel resolution Hardware Components Requirement for MS SQL Server Database System The minimum hardware requirements for MS SQL Server 2008 database system are as follows- Processor Processor: Pentium III compatible process or faster Processor Speed: Minimum 1.0 GHz, 2.0 GHz recommended Operating System Windows XP Professional SP2 All versions of Windows XP All versions of Windows Server 2003 All versions of Windows Server Vista All versions of Windows Server 2008 Memory RAM Minimum: 512 MB Recommended: 2.048 GB or more Maximum: Operating system maximum Disk Space Database Engine and Data Files, Replication, Full Text Search: 280 MB Analysis Services and Data Files: 90 MB Reporting Services and Report Manager: 120 MB Integration Services: 120 MB Client Components: 850 MB SQL Server Books Online and SQL Server Compact Books Online: 240 MB (pinaldave 2008) Implementation Cost of Microsoft SQL Server Database Enterprise Edition Base Licence: $24,999 Management Tools Add-on: Included OLAP Server and Data Mining Add-on: Included Enterprise ETL Add-on: Included Partitioning Add-on: Included Advanced Security Add-on: Included Total Cost: $24,999 (Darmadi Komo 2007) Purpose and Function of Required Software The MS SQL Server is one of the best options for the GOGAL Designs. The cost of running the SQL Server database is very less as compare to Oracle and IBM DB2 databases. The licencing fee is very less approximately 1 tenth of licencing fee of other databases. But the MS SQL Server is the leader of the database for medium organizations because it is very user friendly, easy to install and easy to administer. The data size in MS SQL Server is 524,258 TB, which is sufficient for the medium organizations. The MS SQL Server database system supports only the Microsoft Windows operating system. The one more advantage to adopt the MS SQL Server database is that it provides integration with Microsoft Office and provides tools for business intelligence. (Microsoft Corporation 2013) The distributed replay facility of MS SQL Server database system is very less expensive and this distributed replay facility allows the user to capture the full workload on the production server and replay the same on another machine. This helps to solve all the problems and done changes in the hardware or software under production conditions. (Media Inc. 2013) Advantage and Challenges for Online Global Design Online business helps the Global Designs to fulfil all the objectives of the business in the following ways- Market Share Market share is increased by the online business because it helps to increase the business area throughout the world. Maximize Sales Online business helps in maximizing the sale of the Global Designs. Customer can access the website of the Global Designs from anywhere. In this way, it is very helpful in maximizing the sale of the Global Designs. Growth The growth of the Global Designs will increase very rapidly by the online business. Customer Satisfaction By online business, Global Designs can serve the consumers on the whole day and that is the reason; the business is focusing on the customer satisfaction more in comparison to production and profit and if the consumer is satisfied, the production and profit will be increased automatically. The global internet consumers are growing rapidly and the range of the internet consumers is very high in comparison to the traditional non internet consumers. The growing range of the consumers demand very high quality of service and this is the main goal of the online business. There are some challenges also in making online business. Some of them are following- Human Factor The human factor also contributes more in the trends and developments of the online business. The human factor is the main factor in the development of online business. The human works on the web development create the websites and it is the human only who use the online websites. Security Factor There are so many threats which may affect the computers and may damage the software, hardware of the computer systems. Every threat has different kind of features like some threat only harm the files in the computer systems but some may harm the havoc of the computer system. So the threat is very dangerous for any organization because it may loss the very important data of the organization. It may be very dangerous sometimes. Recommendations for Online Business The report is describing the all advantages and issues of online business. In all aspects, online business is very good for the growth of the company. GOGAL Designs should follow following steps before starting online business- Research and Analysis on the Market and Competitors The research on the market and competitors should be done first before making the e-Commerce solution. In this the competitors strategy should be analysed very carefully to compete the competitors and to increase the business in the market. The competitors websites should be analysed and the scale of the competitors websites and business should also be analysed very carefully and the websites related to our business should be analysed and the keywords used by the customers related to our e-Commerce solution should be understand clearly to get the top rank in the internet market. Evaluate the Business Process of the e-Commerce Solution The business process of the e-Commerce Solution should be evaluated very carefully to win from competitors in the internet world. Following things should be kept in mind while evaluating the business process The strategy of the quality and the price of the products evaluate carefully. Evaluate the product information. Like discounts, category of the products etc. Evaluate the inventory system management of the business process, sales order process of the business. Account system should be clearly understood in mind before starting the e-Commerce Solution. Planning, Designing and Development of the e-Commerce Solution The Planning, Designing and Development of the e-Commerce Solution should be evaluated very carefully, to win from competitors in the internet world. Following things should be kept in mind while Planning, Designing and Development the e-Commerce Solution The features and the design of the websites should decide very clearly by analysing another competitors websites and by analysing the market requirements. Decide the best model to create the best e-Commerce solution within the time period and with the limited number of resources. Allocate the proper best resources, time frame and the budget to complete the e-Commerce solution. Now start implementation of the e-Commerce solution and done in the decided time frame. Now configure the e-Commerce solution after implementation. Now integrate the payment systems for the e-Commerce solution. Now host the web site on the proper web hosting server of the best reliable web hosting company. (Vinsign 2005) Marketing the e-Commerce Solution Now start marketing the e-Commerce solution to compete the competitors in the internet world. Following things should be kept while marketing the e-Commerce Solution- Add the Google feeds, shopping feeds etc. on the website. Add search engine optimization (SEO) keywords to get the high rank in the internet search. Add another high target websites advertisement on the website to get the internet traffic on the website. Use the pay per click agents on the website to get the high internet traffic on the website. Enhancement of the Website The enhancement of the website should be done on regular basis. Following things can be done under the enhancement of the website Create the admin part of the website to give the proper functionality to the website and to add the proper data in the proper manner on the website. Create the monthly reports of the products of the website. Sends the newsletter related to the website to the regular customers of the website. Conclusion The report is giving the complete and full detail about the proposed online business of GOGAL Designs. The GOGAL Designs can easily understand the issues which can occur in making the online business by studying this report. Every aspect related to GOGAL Design is clearly visible in the report. Software cost is also mentioned. Now it is the time for GOGAL Design to take a big step towards the internet market. There are more than 50 per cent people who buy online. That is why it is the need of time to start work on online business and to enhance the productivity and growth of the company. Online business is very beneficial in the time essential fields. That is the reason that e-Commerce plays a very big role in the Garment Industry. The e-Commerce is very cost effective system. It saves the cost of the middle person that is hired in the traditional business to deliver the products at the customer end or the sales person that is hired in the traditional business to display the products of the organization. E.g. in the shopping e-Commerce website, there is no need of the middle person to display the products and there is no need of the middle person to deliver the products at the customer end. The e-Commerce solution is affecting more on the low level and high level business also. The business level is increasing very rapidly because of the e-Commerce. The business is increasing with very ease and comfort, because the internet gives a big space to the business and it is not easy to increase the business in the world wide using the traditional manner. By implementing the good design approach in making the e-Commerce solution, we can defeat the competitors in the internet world. The customers can find the best product very easily. By analysing these things, the e-Commerce is the best option to increase the business world-wide. But there are some disadvantages of the e-Commerce also. There is very tough competition on the internet because in the traditional business, there is competition only in the local shops while in the e-Commerce the competition is world-wide. References [1] Hearst Newspaper, LLC 2015, Top Ten Promotional Strategies, Viewed on 26th Jan 2015 https://smallbusiness.chron.com/top-ten-promotional-strategies-10193.html [2] Media Inc. 2013, Top 12 Features of SQL Server 2012, Viewed on 26th Jan 2015 https://mcpmag.com/articles/2012/03/14/top-12-features-of-sql-server-2012.aspx [3] pinaldave 2008, SQL Server Journey with SQL Authority, 26th Jan 2015 https://blog.sqlauthority.com/2008/09/02/sql-server-hardware-and-software-requirements-for-installing-sql-server-2008/ [4] Microsoft Corporation 2013, Compare Oracle and SQL Server 2008 R2, Viewed on 26th Jan 2015 https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/sqlserver/product-info/competitor-compare.aspx [5] Darmadi Komo 2007, Understanding Database Pricing and Licensing, Viewed on 26th Jan 2015 [6] Vinsign 2005, What is E-Commerce and Importance of E-Commerce, Viewed on 26th Jan 2015https://webdesign.vinsign.com/what-is-ecommerce-importance.html

Monday, December 2, 2019

Racial Difference In Intelligence Essays - Intelligence,

Racial Difference In Intelligence Is there a racial difference in Intelligence? Is There a Racial Difference in Intelligence? Starting with birth, most Americans are consistently measured and their abilities consistently assessed. While no clear definition of intelligence has been adopted universally, in general, definitions stress either an ability to adapt to environment, the capacity to learn, or the ability to think abstractly. Like the word love, intelligence remains a term we all have a feel for but cannot quite pin down. Today, this undefined ability has become one of the most controversial topics in psychology. Psychological researchers have resisted racism by denying the existence of innate differences between races, such as intelligence. Many argue that this debate has dire consequences for both the scientific and psychological fields and needs to be based on objective empirical evidence versus political agendas. Blacks are born stupid, even dumber than Poles,Jews are smart,Country hicks are easily taken by city common, Women cant handle mathematics well enough to be good scientists. Sound familiar? They should. Society has shot through with tons of prejudices about the comparative intellectual capacities of different groups. And science has tried hard to confirm or disprove many of these folk conclusions. Why should group comparisons be made at all? What differences have been observed? Are the IQ differences observed best interpreted as being caused by genetic or environmental differences among groups? A strong promoter of the belief that there is undoubtedly a racial difference in intelligence is Phillippe Rushton. As a professor of psychology, he argues that there is irrefutable scientific evidence of differences in intelligence between races. He feels that these differences are genetically based, arguing that blacks consistently score lower on IQ tests (the mainstream basis for intelligence testing) than whites. Many surveys of experts who administer IQ tests, as well as behavioral geneticists, agree with Rushton that the IQ-Intelligence barrier is genetically based. To further reinforce his genetic basis theory, Rushton has proven that on average, blacks have smaller skulls than their white counterparts. Since brain size can, and has been, correlated with intelligence, Rushton feels that this proves blacks are genetically predetermined to have lower intelligence levels. This positive correlation between mental ability and brain size has been established in studies over the years using even the most high-tech instrumentation, such as magnetic resonance imaging. Along with longitudinal studies following kids of different races, time and time again scientists and psychologists, such as Rushton, have been able to reinforce the idea of a brain size-IQ link. As I stated before, it has been recorded over time that Caucasians seem to consistently rank above their African-American counterparts in IQ test scores. Many contenders of Rushtons ideas argue that these scores are merely the product of culturally biased testing materials. Rushton himself highly contends this, stating that the tests seem to show similar patterns of internal item consistency and predictive validity for all groups, and the same differences are found on relatively culture-free tests. On the other hand of this debate, there are many supporters who firmly disagree with Professor Rushton. One such man, Zack Z. Cernovsky, a teacher and psychologist, argues that Rushtons data is based not on contemporary scientific research, but on racial prejudice. He asserts that the genetic basis model for intelligence ignores the plasticity of human beings which in itself is highly supported by empirical data. Cernovsky also contends that Rushton uses nonscientific and methodologically inadequate sources to support his claims about racial differences and lacks quality in his empirical evidence. He blatantly compares Rushtons evidence and theories to those of the Nazis in GermanyThe history of science teaches us that many ambitious racists attempted to manufacture scientific evidence for their beliefs. Sooner or later, their charlatan style methodology (e.g. the use of skull circumference measurement by Nazi scientists during WWII) and logical inconsistencies resulted in their rejection by the scientific community (Slife, 184). Cernovsky considers the research that links brain size and intelligence to be faulty. He contends that although Rushton implied that Blacks are consistently found to have smaller brains than Whites, some studies have actually shown opposite results. Rushtons opponents have found that Blacks seems to be superior to Whites in brain weight, have excess number of neurons compared to Caucasoids

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

terracotta warriors essays

terracotta warriors essays Since the unearthing of the 8th world wonder, many new worth while discoveries have been made about Chinas first emperor and the Chinese civilization. The 7,000(and rising) life size terracotta warriors were discovered by a local farmer digging a well. The Terracotta Warriors were made during the rule of Emperor Qin Shi Huang- the first emperor to rule the whole of China in its known history. The terracotta warriors were crafted and then fired in a kiln 100s at a time by the citizens and craftsmen inside of the Qin Empire. Terra Cotta warriors were both beneficial and detrimental to Chinese culture. Even now, archeologists are excavating the site of the life like warriors. The 2000 year old Terracotta Warriors are one of Chinas largest attractions. With out its tourism, China would not be as famous as it is today. So the terracotta warriors in all are very helpful to China. They give people jobs on the excavation sites. They give a large amount of tourism, and are a national symbol of China. The uncovering of Chinas terracotta warriors has helped Chinas tourism very much. There are over 7000 terracotta statues, each one different from the last. All of them are helping China with its economy. The figurines consist of horses, archers, foot soldiers, and mounted soldiers (on horses). The details go into a great deal of unnecessary extent, even though it helps the economy with tourists now. All of the soldiers are life size, made completely out of terracotta mud. They all face east (the direction of the entrance) in battle positions. There were also auto firing crossbows placed i n the tunnels of both the terracotta warriors and Emperor Qin Shi Huangs Mausoleum that would fire when triggered by intruders.(2.) Emperor Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of unified China. Qin was a great leader from the start, and without him China would not be what it i ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Good and Bad of a School Principal Job

The Good and Bad of a School Principal Job I love being a principal of a school. There is nothing else that I want be doing at this point in my life. This does not mean that I enjoy every aspect of my job. There are certainly aspects that I could do without, but the positives far outweigh the negatives for me. This is my dream job. Being the principal of a school is demanding, but it is also rewarding. You must be thick skinned, hard working, diligent, flexible, and creative to be a good principal. It is not a job for just anyone. There are days that I question my decision to become a principal. However, I always bounce back knowing that the reasons I love being a principal are more powerful than the reasons I hate it. Reasons I Love Being a Principal of a School I love making a difference. It is fulfilling to see the aspects that I have a direct hand in making a positive impact on students, teachers, and the school as a whole. I love collaborating with teachers, offering feedback, and seeing them grow and improve in their classroom from day to day and year to year. I enjoy investing time in a difficult student and seeing them mature and grow to the point that they lose that label. I am proud when a program I helped create flourishes and evolves into a significant component of the school. I love having a larger impact. As a teacher, I made a positive impact on the students I taught. As a principal, I have made a positive impact on the entire school. I am involved with every aspect of the school in some way. Hiring new teachers, evaluating teachers, writing school policy, and establishing programs to meet school-wide needs all impact the school as a whole. These things likely will go unnoticed by others when I make the right decision, but it is satisfying to see others being positively impacted by a decision I made. I love working with people. I love working with the different groups of people that I am able to as a principal. This includes other administrators, teachers, support staff, students, parents, and community members. Each sub-group requires me to approach them differently, but I enjoy the collaboration with all of them. I realized early on that I work with people as opposed to against them. This has helped shape my overall educational leadership philosophy. I enjoy building and maintaining healthy relationships with the constituents of my school. I love being a problem solver. Every day brings about a different set of challenges as a principal. I have to be adept at problem solving to get through each day. I love coming up with creative solutions, which are often outside the box. Teachers, parents, and students come to me on a daily basis seeking answers. I must be able to provide them with quality solutions that will satisfy the problems they have. I love motivating students. I enjoy finding entertaining and unusual ways to motivate my students. Over the years, I’ve spent a cold November night on the roof of the school, jumped out of an airplane, dressed like a woman, and sang Karaoke to Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe in front of the entire school. It has generated a lot of buzz and the students absolutely love it. I know that I look crazy while I am doing these things, but I want my students to be excited about coming to school, reading books, etc. and these things have been effective motivational tools. I love the pay check. My gross salary was $24,000 the first year I taught. It is hard for me to fathom how I survived. Luckily, I was single at the time, or it would have been difficult. The money is certainly better now. I am not a principal for the pay check, but I cannot deny that making more money is an enormous benefit to becoming an administrator. I work extremely hard for the money that I make, but my family is able to live comfortably with some extras that my parents were never able to afford when I was a kid. Reasons I Hate Being a Principal of a School I hate playing politics. Unfortunately, there are many aspects of public education that is political. In my opinion, politics dilutes education. As a principal, I understand that it is necessary to be political in many cases. There are many times that I want to call parents out on when they come to my office and blow smoke about how they are going to handle their child. I refrain from this because I know that it is not in the school’s best interest to do so. It is not always easy to bite your tongue, but sometimes it is best. I hate dealing with the negative. I deal with complaints on a daily basis. It is a large part of my job, but there are days when it becomes overwhelming. Teachers, students, and parents like to gripe and moan about each other continuously. I feel confident in my ability to handle and smooth things over. I am not one of those that sweep things under the rug. I spend the necessary time to investigate any complaint, but these investigations can be time daunting and time consuming. I hate being the bad guy. My family and I recently went on vacation to Florida. We were watching a street performer when he picked me to help him with a part of his act. He asked me my name and what I did. When I told him I was a principal, I got booed by the audience. It is sad that being a principal has such a negative stigma associated to it. I have to make difficult decisions every day, but they are often based on mistakes of others. I hate standardized testing. I loathe standardized testing. I believe that standardized tests should not be the end all evaluation tool for schools, administrators, teachers, and students. At the same time, I understand that we live in an era with an overemphasis of standardized testing. As a principal, I feel that I am forced to push that overemphasis of standardized testing on my teachers and on my students. I feel like a hypocrite for doing so, but I understand that current academic success is measured by testing performance whether I believe it is right or not. I hate telling teachers no because of a budget. Education is an investment. It is an unfortunate reality that many schools do not have the technology, curriculum, or teachers necessary to maximize learning opportunities for students due to a budget shortfall. Most teachers spend a significant amount of their own money to buy things for their classroom when the district tells them no. I have had to tell teachers no, when I knew they had a fantastic idea, but our budget just would not cover the expense. I have a hard time doing that at the expense of our students. I hate the time it takes away from my family. A good principal spends a lot of time in his office when no one else is in the building. They are often the first one to arrive and the last to leave. They attend almost every extra curricular event. I know that my job requires a significant investment of time. This investment of time takes time away from my family. My wife and boys understand, and I am appreciative of that. It is not always easy, but I try to ensure a balance of my time between work and family.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

What is collective efficacy and, how, if at all does it affect local Essay

What is collective efficacy and, how, if at all does it affect local crime rates - Essay Example far as collective efficacy is concerned then crime is actually any harmful act or criminal offense which might be injurious for a particular individual or the entire community. Local crime has a very strong relationship with collective efficacy as it is drastically increasing today in the world while collective efficacy is becoming essential to reduce the crime. Hence it is clearly evident that they both are interlinked with one another. However, the impact of collective efficacy over the crime rates and the critical aspects of their relationship are still unidentified. This paper aims to analyze collective efficacy from different perspectives including all of its influencing factors, how it initiates in a society and what are its possible consequences. Moreover, its affect over the local crime rate would be argued so as to make a conclusion that either the prevalence of collective efficacy in the modern societies will reduce the local crime rate or this would have rather an unnotice d impact. Since this paper is based upon local crime statistics and the general phenomenon of collective efficacy therefore the argument is made considering all the secondary sources including journal articles. These articles have focused upon previous researches in the same area while they have also given a very clear outlook on the criminal world. Thus they have been significantly used to build the argument and also to make the convincing conclusions based on practical ideas. Here, people often misunderstand that crime or criminal activities are linked with the personal attributes of an individual however, the reality is far different from this assumption. It was considered appropriate to present arguments in the paper which will be helpful in understanding organizational and social characteristics of a society which are actually associated with the increasing/decreasing crime rate (Sampson, 1997, p.918). The overall research and critical analysis of collective efficacy reveals that

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Supplier Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supplier Relations - Research Paper Example Generally, a good supplier relation can be described as one in which the company does not keep itself apart from the suppliers (Lautenbacher and Stidham, 2009). Research has actually showed that there exist several companies who only contact their suppliers when they are running out of stock. Even among such companies, the only kind of communication that goes on has to do with quantities of goods needed and the periods the goods are needed. These companies totally fail to see their suppliers as an integral part of their business and so see no need to keep the suppliers informed about the day to day feedback on the supplies they do and the impact of the supplies on the company. For excellent supplier relationship to take place, suppliers must be aware of the daily needs of the companies in terms of demand for products and services. Suppliers also need constant feedback from companies regarding reactions from customers. This is an important move in ensuring that suppliers supply to the specifications of customers and that products supplied are always on high demand by customers so that they do not remain in the inventories for long (Kelton, et al, 2002). Aspects of Boeing's supplier relations program that specifically address reducing inventories For Boeing as an international company, there are several relations programs that it has in place to specifically address the issue of reducing inventories, maintaining quality, regulating compliance and promoting competitiveness. In order to ensure that safety stocks are adjusted downwards and that there is improvement in quality, Boeing ensures that the leading times for supply are reduced to the barest minimum (Arrand, 2007). It would be noted that suppliers have their own lead times whiles customers also have their. But it is the lead time of customer that is paramount because it is the customer that the company makes profits from. There is constant relationship with the supplier to ensure that they reduce their lead times according to the lead time of customers. This helps in reducing inventory in the sense that it leads to a reduction in the amount of time needed to hold stock together (Fofie, 2001). Another important component of ensuring that suppliers are admonished to reduce their lead times is that when the lead times are reduced, it creates enough room for top-up orders to be made in the season when adequate time has been given to measure real demand. Consequently, all forms of rush in the supply of inventory are avoided and so suppliers can take their time to supply quality products. Another important program in place by Boeing has to do with the fact that the company has special terms of conditions as part of its relationship program whereby suppliers must prove beyond reasonable doubt that they can be trusted for reliability of supply before their services are engaged. This is an important program for ensuring reduced inventory and quality of supplies made because it ensures that the need to hold safety stocks is avoided. Meanwhile, the practice of holding safety stocks is one of the major causes of increased inventory. When companies cannot trust the reliability of supply, there are often forced to hold safety stocks that may not necessarily meet the demand of customers. As soon as new stocks come in, they are forced to offload those stocks through cheap sales, rendering the finances of the company handicapped. Boeing therefore avoids this by ensuring that there is strict regulatory

Sunday, November 17, 2019

A Short Story Essay Example for Free

A Short Story Essay The cold hit him straight way, and he turned to the see the appealing glow of the gas lamp that cast silhouettes on the walls, the shadows dancing with each flicker of the small flame. The wind blew quiet but harsh and found its way through the gaps in his woollen overcoat. He turned up the collar and regretted that there was no button to keep it in place. He scurried down the well-trodden path, passing withering plants and whatever else lay in the darkness. Without warning, the headlights of an approaching illuminated him against the darkness of the forest; he threw himself to the hard ground, scurrying towards the relative safety of the undergrowth. He didn’t dare to move, terrified that any shuffle or scratching might give away his position, as the truck stopped at the side of the road. He heard the slamming of doors and the shuffling of feet. The man could see nothing but the very top of the trucks canvas roof, but he could hear their voices. One shouted out to another in German; the reply was a harsh laugh that seemed to pierce the very core of the wildlife; a large bird that has been making its way cautiously over to the man suddenly opened its wings out and took off violently from where it stood with a loud shriek that filled the deadly quiet. The man stopped breathing, covered his head with both of his hands and screwed his eyes tightly shut, willing the other men to go away. He could hear them walking over, their hard-soled boots thudding, again and again, as they made their way closer. He had attempted to bury himself in the plantation, but it was to no avail. A narrow, white torch beam, moved across the perimeter of the forest, and slowly made its way down to his level. He shut his eyes tight and willed them to leave him be, to go away. And just like that, the beam of light vanished, and the footsteps gradually died away. With the slam of two doors, the engine started, and the truck moved off. The man lifted his head slightly, just in time to see the terrifying symbol of the Swastika that would be engrained in his mind for the rest of his life.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Biography of Willa Cather Essay -- Biographies Authors Writers Essays

Biography of Willa Cather Willa Cather was born December 7th, 1873 in the Back Creek Valley of Northern Neck, Virginia. Her parents, Charles Cather and Virginia Bloak, both came from families that had lived in the region for generations. Their house was described as â€Å"full of bustling and many-colored life† (E.K. Brown 18) including Willa’s three siblings, neighbors, and the friends of the family who came around often. The people of the town were eager to help one another out. Willa spent much of her time divided between her father, whom she helped in the fields tending to the sheep, and going with her grandmother and friend Margie Anderson â€Å"on errands of mercy and medicine, or [with] her mother on visits to cousins, neighbors or dependents† (21). At age nine, however, Charles Cather decided to move the family and join his father and brother near Red Cloud, Nebraska. The moves were difficult for Willa, but in later years she never regretted the change. Red Cloud was a small, settled prairie town whose population was constantly growing from European immigration. The town was made up of primarily Scandinavian, Bohemian, and French immigrants who had come to work the land. The Cather family grew to include seven children while there, but Cather’s strongest influences came from older people in town: schoolteachers and neighbors who read with her and shared their libraries. Cather also met people like Annie Sadilek, a Bohemian woman credited with the inspiration for the character Antonia of Cather’s My Antonia. The entire town and atmosphere of Red Cloud served as the backdrop for most of Cather’s novels and short stories. She said herself that â€Å"the years from eight to fifteen are the formative period in ... ... Her life’s contribution to society is remembered and praise. Cather was a modernist, but more than that, she was an amazing writer whose novels and writings are relevant and still touch readers today as they did when she had first written them. Resource Page Great Websites: www.unl.edu/Cather : The Willa Cather Electronic Archive http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap7/cather.html : Perspectives in American Literature, a Research and Reference Guide www.ibiblio.org http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Authors/about_willa_cather.html Bibliography Brown, E.K. Willa Cather: A Critical Biography. Alfred A Knopf; New York: 1953. Jessup, Josephine Lurie. The Faith of Our Fathers. Richard R. Smith; New York: 1950. www.gustavus.edu, Scott Newstron, January 6, 2996, Harvard University, last updated March 5 2002.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Research Proposal Same Sex Marriage Essay

Same sex marriage has been one of the many recent political â€Å"hot† topics. It is a popular subject in political debate, national newspapers, and media coverage. These debates, articles, and reports are often focusing on rights outlined in constitutional laws, amendments and Bill of Rights as a source of the right of same sex couples to marry. Some states have addressed the issue of such rights in court cases throughout the United States with varying outcomes. This research paper is concerned with the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. It will examine the Fourteenth Amendment and the equal protection clause. It will also examine previous court cases and the outcomes. It will further demonstrate possible economic concerns of legalized same sex marriage. Research Question What issues and possible constitutional infringements surround the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment? References National Tax Journal, Vol. 53, Issue 2, June 2000 Lesbian Couples, National Center for Lesbian Rights, www.ncirights.org Legal Marriage, Court Cases, Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Task Force, http://www.buddybuddy.com/t-line-1-html Policy.com Gay Marriage, Civil Liberties Union, http://www.aclu.org/library/aagaymarriage.html

Sunday, November 10, 2019

About KFC Essay

Colonel Harland Sanders, born September 9, 1890, actively began franchising his chicken business at the age of 65. Now, the KFC ® business he started has grown to be one of the largest quick service food service systems in the world. And Colonel Sanders, a quick service restaurant pioneer, has become a symbol of entrepreneurial spirit. More than a billion of the Colonel’s â€Å"finger lickin’ good† chicken dinners are served annually. And not just in North America. The Colonel’s cooking is available in more than 80 countries and territories around the world. When the Colonel was six, his father died. His mother was forced to go to work, and young Harland had to take care of his three-year-old brother and baby sister. This meant doing much of the family cooking. By the age of seven, he was a master of several regional dishes. At age 10, he got his first job working on a nearby farm for $2 a month. When he was 12, his mother remarried and he left his home near Henryville, Ind., for a job on a farm in Greenwood, Ind. He held a series of jobs over the next few years, first as a 15-year-old streetcar conductor in New Albany, Ind., and then as a 16-year-old private, soldiering for six months in Cuba. After that he was a railroad fireman, studied law by correspondence, practiced in justice of the peace courts, sold insurance, operated an Ohio River steamboat ferry, sold tires, and operated service stations. When he was 40, the Colonel began cooking for hungry travelers who stopped at his service station in Corbin, Ky. He didn’t have a restaurant then, but served folks on his own dining table in the living quarters of his service station. As more people started coming just for food, he moved across the street to a motel and restaurant that seated 142 people. Over the next nine years, he perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and the basic cooking technique that is still used today. Sander’s fame grew. Governor Ruby Laffoon made him a Kentucky Colonel in 1935 in recognition of his contributions to the state’s cuisine. And in 1939, his establishment was first listed in Duncan Hines’ â€Å"Adventures in Good Eating.† In the early 1950s a new interstate highway was planned to bypass the town of Corbin. Seeing an end to his business, the Colonel auctioned off his operations. After paying his bills, he was reduced to living on his $105 Social Security checks. Confident of the quality of his fried chicken, the Colonel devoted himself to the chicken franchising business that he started in 1952. He traveled across the country by car from restaurant to restaurant, cooking batches of chicken for restaurant owners and their employees. If the reaction was favorable, he entered into a handshake agreement on a deal that stipulated a payment to him of a nickel for each chicken the restaurant sold. By 1964, Colonel Sanders had more than 600 franchised outlets for his chicken in the United States and Canada. That year, he sold his interest in the U.S. company for $2 million to a group of investors including John Y. Brown Jr., who later was governor of Kentucky from 1980 to 1984. The Colonel remained a public spokesman for the company. In 1976, an independent survey ranked the Colonel as the world’s second most recognizable celebrity. Under the new owners, Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation grew rapidly. It went public on March 17, 1966, and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on January 16, 1969. More than 3,500 franchised and company-owned restaurants were in worldwide operation when Heublein Inc. acquired KFC Corporation on July 8, 1971, for $285 million. Kentucky Fried Chicken became a subsidiary of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (now RJR Nabisco, Inc.), when Heublein Inc. was acquired by Reynolds in 1982. KFC was acquired in October 1986 from RJR Nabisco, Inc. by PepsiCo, Inc., for approximately $840 million. In January 1997, PepsiCo, Inc. announced the spin-off of its quick service restaurants — KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut — into an independent  restaurant company, Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. In May 2002, the company announced it received shareholders’ approval to change it’s corporation name to Yum! Brands, Inc. The company, which owns A&W All-American Food Restaurants, KFC, Long John Silvers, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants, is the world’s largest restaurant company in terms of system units with nearly 32,500 in more than 100 countries and territories. Until he was fatally stricken with leukemia in 1980 at the age of 90, the Colonel traveled 250,000 miles a year visiting the KFC restaurants around the world. And it all began with a 65-year-old gentleman who used his $105 Social Security check to start a business. KFC KFC operates in 74 countries and territories throughout the world under the name â€Å"Kentucky Fried Chicken† and/or â€Å"KFC.† It was founded in Corbin, Kentucky by Colonel Harland D. Sanders, an early developer of the quick service food business and a pioneer of the restaurant franchise concept. The Colonel perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices for Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1939 and signed up his first franchisee in 1952. By the time KFC was acquired by PepsiCo in 1986, it had grown to approximately 6,600 units in 55 countries and territories. KFC restaurants offer fried chicken products and some also offer non-fried chicken-on-the-bone products, with the principal entree items sold in pieces under the names Original Recipe, Extra Tasty Crispy and Tender Roast. Other principal entree items include Chunky Chicken Pot Pies, Colonel’s Crispy Strips, and various chicken sandwiches. KFC restaurants also offer a variety of side items, such as biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, cole slaw and corn, as well as desserts and non-alcoholic beverages. Their decor is characterized by the image of the Colonel and distinctive packaging includes the â€Å"Bucket† of chicken. In 1996, KFC’s worldwide system sales of over $8 billion grew faster than the industry average even though the number of restaurants in its global system did not materially increase. This growth was largely due to the impact of new products as shown by the fact that same store sales in Company-operated stores in the U.S. increased 6%. In 1995, same store sales for Company-operated stores in the U.S. were also strong, increasing 7%. For the first half of 1997, KFC same store sales growth for Company-operated units in the U.S. was consistently positive resulting in a 4% growth rate for the 24 week period. Average U.S. system-wide sales per traditional unit in 1996 were $775,000. YUM BRANDS The Yum! Brands, Inc. organization is currently made up of six subsidiaries organized around its five core concepts, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, A&W All-American Food Restaurants and Long John Silvers. Yum! Brands and KFC is based in Louisville, Kentucky; Pizza Hut and Yum! Restaurants International are headquartered in Dallas, Texas; Taco Bell is based in Irvine, California; and A & W All-American Food Restaurants and Long John Silvers are based in Lexington, Kentucky. Each of Yum! Brands’ concepts are engaged in the operation, development, franchising and licensing of a system of both traditional and non-traditional QSR units. Non-traditional units include express units and kiosks which have a more limited menu and operate in non-traditional locations like airports, gas and convenience stores, stadiums, amusement parks and colleges, where a full-scale traditional outlet would not be practical or efficient. In addition, there are approximately 367 units housing more than one concept (â€Å"2n1s†). Of these, approximately 354 units offer both the full KFC menu and a limited menu of Taco Bell products, and approximately 13 units offer both the full KFC menu and a limited menu of Pizza Hut products. In each concept, consumers can either dine in or carry out food. In addition, Taco Bell and KFC offer a drive-through option in many stores. Pizza Hut and, on a much more limited basis, KFC offer delivery service. Each concept has proprietary menu items and emphasizes the preparation of food with high quality ingredients as well as unique recipes and special seasonings to provide appealing, tasty and attractive food at competitive prices. VISION Our passion, as a restaurant company, is to put a YUM on people’s faces around the world, satisfying customers every time they eat our food and doing it better than any other restaurant company. A&W, KFC, Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell offer customers food they crave, comeback value, and customer-focused teams. The unique eating experience at each of our restaurants make our customers smile and inspire their loyalty for life. Toward that end, our 750,000 associates around the world are trained to be customer maniacs. With sales now in excess of $1 billion in Australia, we have proof positive of the power of Customer Mania. But what’s at its core? Three things, really:  · Operational excellence  · Great marketing and advertising  · Real â€Å"sit up and take notice† customer service When we took the concept of Mania to our Restaurant Team Members – the talented people who deal with our customers day in, day out, every day – they embraced it with passion. They took the program and ran with it, becoming powerful catalysts for change throughout our entire organization! Why? Simple – Customer Mania unlocked their enthusiasm and creativity, empowering them to do whatever it takes to satisfy guests. Listening to the Voice of the Customer Customer Mania is a great concept, but how would we give it meat? By listening to the Voice of the Customer! One initiative we undertook in Australia was to invite RGMs to customer research sessions, where they could closely observe customers talking about their experiences in our restaurants. Their stories – good and bad – were telling. Customers complained about speed and communication in the KFC drive-thrus, and the lack of ready access to a manager in the restaurant. As a direct result of these focus groups, our Customer Mania team developed two important initiatives: Improving our drive-thru facilities and service to make them more customer-friendly, and revamping our problem resolution process.  · Drive-thru: We embarked on building large glass boxes at the entry to drive-thrus, with menus and an attendant replacing the speaker. These changes will make the drive-thru experience much more personal and more responsive.  · Problem resolution process: We took our best frontline workers, put them through additional LAST training, and empowered them to resolve customer complaints on the spot. As a result, customer complaints made to the home office have been reduced dramatically – down over 50%! It’s all about Leadership No doubt we’ve got a long way to go. But it’s clear to me that the five leadership principles we’ve established for Customer Mania are working, and are worth sharing:  · Lead from the top  · Stay the course, create a â€Å"five-year journey† mindset  · Be consistent  · Recognize, recognize, recognize  · Define what success looks like  · Good luck, and Yum to you!

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Native Son- Cycle of Poverty Essays

Native Son- Cycle of Poverty Essays Native Son- Cycle of Poverty Essay Native Son- Cycle of Poverty Essay Essay Topic: Fight Club Novel Native Son Cycle of Poverty Do poor children become poor adults? Does your financial status predetermine you and your family’s success rate? The cycle of poverty is a cold hearted phenomenon. Throughout the world families struggle to break the cycle of poverty- but does it work? In Native Son by Richard Wright, the cycle of poverty rules the Thomas family. They are born into poverty and find it extremely difficult to lift themselves out of their tragic situation. Although several individuals in the novel work to end the cycle, many of their solutions are insufficient and do not take on the problem as a whole. Bigger Thomas and his family clearly portray a typical family stuck in the cycle of poverty. Although many attempts are made to break the cycle, we learn that it takes more than a few individuals to end poverty. The Thomas family fits almost perfectly into the cycle of poverty. Bigger, the main character, lives with his two siblings and his mother. His father died during a riot, leaving his uneducated mother alone with three children, and his children without a role model. This describes the first steps of the cycle of poverty. An uneducated single parent has little opportunities to move forward in life. Biggers mother struggles to pay their high rent of $8 while trying to properly raise, feed, clothe, and take care of three children. With a single parent trying to make ends meet, the kids are often unsupervised. Supervision is important in early life because it enforces rules and teaches right from wrong. If children are unsupervised, they miss out on learning the basics of life and how things work. Unsupervised kids often get caught up in mischief and mayhem. Bigger constantly finds himself hanging around with a group of guys whose thoughts revolve around crime. They conspire to rob a liquor store, they masturbate in a public theater, they get into fights, and more. Furthermore, with so much crime committed by those in poverty- many of whom are African American- discrimination comes easily to others. A newspaper during Bigger’s murder trial explains that, â€Å"Thomas comes of a poor darky family of shiftless and immoral variety. He was raised here and is known to local residents as an irreformable sneak theif and liar. . . Crimes such as Bigger Thomas murders could be lessened by segregating all Negroes in parks, playgrounds, cafes, theatres, and street cars. Residential segregation is imperative† (p. 280-281). This discrimination keeps the doors shut to many opportunities. Whites viewed blacks as inadequate, incapable, dangerous, untrustworthy people. For this reason, blacks were not allowed to do many of the things that whites were able to. In Biggers case, he wanted to fly: â€Å"If you wasn’t black and you had some money and if they’d let you go to that aviation school, you could fly a plane† (p. 17). The disappointment of having nothing to aspire to or look forward to causes people to lose hope. Once hope is lost, it is hard to rise up. Being so restrained also makes people feel trapped and isolated, â€Å"‘. . . I just can’t get used to it,’ Bigger said, ‘I swear to God I can’t. . . Every time I think about it I feel like somebody’s poking a red hot iron down my throat. Goddamn it, look! We live here and they live there. We black and they white. They got things and we ain’t. They do things and we can’t. It’s just like living in jail. Half the time I feel like I’m on the outside of the world peeping in through a knothole in the fence†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 21). Since the chances of achieving the â€Å"normal† is so low for those in poverty, their standards and goals are compromised. Instead of striving to be the best, they strive to just live comfortably. These are all parts of the cycle of poverty that keep people from thriving or â€Å"living†. Mr. Dalton, a white millionaire in Native Son, takes several approaches to help end the cycle of poverty for African Americans. His solutions include sending ping-pong tables to the South Side Boys Club, offer some African Americans jobs, and send money to African American education programs. Although these are good attempts, they do not efficiently help the poor people as a whole. His action of sending ping-pong tables does not educate, offer opportunity, give self-esteem or confidence, and does not create equality in any way. These would be good steps to improving the poor’s lifestyle. Max tries to relay this to Mr. Dalton in Biggers jail cell: â€Å"Will ping-pong tables keep men from murdering? Cant you see? Even after losing your daughter, youre going to keep going in the same direction? Dont you grant as much life-feeling to other men as you have? Could ping-pong have kept you from making your millions? This boy and millions like him want a meaningful life, not ping-pong (p. 295). Although it does not offer any opportunities, it does help keep young African Americans busy and off the streets, therefore reducing crime. When kids are actively busy and productive, they are less likely to participate in mischievous activities. By Dalton offering jobs to African Americans he is definitely helping their society. The only problem with this idea is that h e is only helping one out of millions of people. He cannot end the cycle of poverty through one person. Dalton offers Bigger a job working as his family’s chauffeur, trying to give Bigger a chance at the world. While his intentions are good, he is subliminally enforcing the concept of blacks being inferior to whites. He works in the house serving their family. He is somewhat in the same situation as slaves- which the time period had just gotten over- except he was treated well and paid. With this job, Bigger realized that there is no room for improvement or a higher status. The most beneficial thing that Dalton did to support the black community was send money to educational programs. Education is the first step to success, and by allowing more African Americans to obtain an education he is helping the black community take a step forward. If more African Americans were educated, then less of them would be in poverty which would cause less discrimination and so on. Overall, his attempts do slowly help progress the African American race, but they were still not sufficient to end the cycle as a whole. Just as Mr. Dalton, Max has good intentions in helping the poor and his solutions as well are not sufficient. Max, who is Biggers lawyer at his murder trial, tries helping the poor black community by defending African Americans in court. He is one of the few people who realizes racism and discrimination, and he wants to change it. He tells in court the reasons why Bigger commits the awful crimes that he does. His explanation blames the whites for oppressing him and never giving him a chance to â€Å"live†. Max sees the big picture in which no one else can seem to grasp: â€Å"Multiply Bigger Thomas twelve million times, allowing for environmental and temperamental variations, and for those Negroes who are completely under the influence of the church, and you have the psychology of the Negro people. But once you have them as a whole, once your eyes leave the individual and encompass the mass, a new quality comes into the picture. Taken collectively, they are not simply twelve million people; in reality they constitute a separate nation, stunted, stripped, and held captive within this nation, devoid of political, social, economic, and property rights† (p. 397). Max explains how this reason led to Bigger Thomas murdering, standing up for the African American race at the same time. The only problems with Maxs solution to defend blacks is that he is connected to the communist party. A local preacher tries to convince Max that he is jeopardizing Biggers case, â€Å". . . there ain no usa draggin no Communism in this thing, Mistah. Ah respecks yo feelins powerfully, suh; but whut yuhs astin jus stirs up mo hate† (p. 289). Many people are against communism and even afraid of it. Bringing communism into a non-communistic case only brings trouble. People will have no trouble connecting the two, even if they are completely unrelated. Another problem with Maxs solution is that he is trying to help those who have already lost the battle. There is no hope for those who have their fate decided for them already- death. He should try to catch these people early, before they make the wrong decisions. Even though Max sees the whole picture, he is wasting his time at the wrong end of the cycle of poverty. Breaking the cycle of poverty will take more than helping a few individuals and saving a couple people from death row. In order to create an escape from the cycle, actions will need to be taken at the very first steps of poverty. Education is the most important factor of success and unfortunately, not many of the poor are offered the chance to a good education. Systems could be set up that provide cheap, convenient, and accessible education. These systems could be in personal environments, at a local church, over the computer, on video, etc. Getting the poor educated will then lead to them making better decisions and having more opportunities. As for unsupervised children who often end up in trouble with the law, community centers could be built. These places could offer fun activities, food, tutors, and overall just a place to â€Å"hangout†. Giving children somewhere to go keeps them off the streets and out of trouble. Community center supervisors could also play as role models for those who are in lack of. Another way to help prevent some people from falling into the cycle of poverty is to offer free contraception and medical care. Planned Parenthood and other facilities currently provide these types of services, but making them more accessible and more convenient would help save many teens from unwanted pregnancies. In all, one person can not end the cycle of poverty; there must be a change in society as a whole. The cycle of poverty is shown clearly throughout Native Son, with Bigger Thomas and his family being stuck right in it. With the restrictions that are put on them, they struggle greatly to improve their lives. It seems impossible for them to be anything but poor. Although both Mr. Dalton and Max try to help the Thomas family, we learn that the problem is much larger than what they can handle. It takes a want for change from society, not from a selected few. Problems need to be nipped in the bud to ensure that everyone gets the same chance at life. Although this ideal may not be attainable, we are certainly able to try to improve the current conditions.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Battle of Oriskany in the American Revolution

Battle of Oriskany in the American Revolution The Battle of Oriskany was fought August 6, 1777, during the American Revolution (1775-1783).  In early 1777, Major General John Burgoyne proposed a plan for defeating the Americans. Believing that New England was the seat of the rebellion, he proposed severing the region from the other colonies by marching down the Lake Champlain-Hudson River corridor while a second force, led by Colonel Barry St. Leger, advanced east from Lake Ontario and through the Mohawk Valley. Rendezvousing at Albany, Burgoyne, and St. Leger would advance down the Hudson, while General Sir William Howes army advanced north from New York City. Though approved by Colonial Secretary Lord George Germain, Howes role in the plan was never clearly defined and issues of his seniority precluded Burgoyne from issuing him orders. Assembling a force of around 800 British and Hessians, as well as 800 Native American allies in Canada, St. Leger began moving up the St. Lawrence River and into Lake Ontario. Ascending the Oswego River, his men reached the Oneida Carry in early August. On August 2, St. Legers advance forces arrived at nearby Fort Stanwix. Garrisoned by American troops under Colonel Peter Gansevoort, the fort guarded the approaches to the Mohawk. Outnumbering Gansevoorts 750-man garrison, St. Leger surrounded the post and demanded its surrender. This was promptly refused by Gansevoort. As he lacked sufficient artillery for battering down the forts walls, St. Leger elected to lay siege (Map). American Commander Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimerapprox. 800 men British Commander Sir John Johnsonapprox. 500-700 men American Response In mid-July, American leaders in Western New York first learned of a possible British attack into the region. Responding, the leader of Tryon Countys Committee of Safety, Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer, issued a warning that the militia may be needed to block the enemy. On July 30, Herkimer received reports from friendly Oneidas that St. Legers column was within a few days march of Fort Stanwix. Upon receipt of this information, he immediately called out the countys militia. Gathering at Fort Dayton on the Mohawk River, the militia mustered around 800 men. This force included a group of Oneidas led by Han Yerry and Colonel Louis. Departing, Herkimers column reached the Oneida village of Oriska on August 5. Pausing for the night, Herkimer dispatched three messengers to Fort Stanwix. These were to inform Gansevoort of the militias approach and asked that receipt of the message be acknowledged by firing three cannons. Herkimer also requested that part of the forts garrison sortie to meet his command. It was his intention to remain in place until the signal was heard. As the next morning progressed, no signal was heard from the fort. Though Herkimer wished to remain at Oriska, his officers argued for resuming the advance. The discussions became increasingly heated and Herkimer was accused of being a coward and having Loyalist sympathies. Angered, and against his better judgment, Herkimer ordered the column to resume its march. Due to difficulty in penetrating the British lines, the messengers sent on the night of August 5 did not arrive until later the next day. The British Trap At Fort Stanwix, St. Leger learned of Herkimers approach on August 5. In an effort to prevent the Americans from relieving the fort, he ordered Sir John Johnson to take part of his Kings Royal Regiment of New York along with a force of rangers and 500 Seneca and Mohawks to attack the American column. Moving east, Johnson selected a deep ravine approximately six miles from the fort for an ambush. Deploying his Royal Regiment troops along the western exit, he placed the Rangers and Native Americans down the ravines sides. Once the Americans had entered the ravine, Johnsons men would attack while a Mohawk force, led by Joseph Brant, would circle around and strike the enemys rear. A Bloody Day Around 10:00 AM, Herkimers force descended into the ravine. Though under orders to wait until the entire American column was in the ravine, a party of Native Americans attacked early. Catching the Americans by surprise, they killed Colonel Ebenezer Cox and wounded Herkimer in the leg with their opening volleys. Refusing to be taken to the rear, Herkimer was propped up under a tree and continued to direct his men. While the main body of the militia was in the ravine, those troops at the rear had not yet entered. These came under attack from Brant and many panicked and fled, though some did fight their way forward to join their comrades. Assailed on all sides, the militia took heavy losses and the battle soon degenerated into numerous small unit actions. Slowly regaining control of his forces, Herkimer began pulling back to the edge of the ravine and American resistance began to stiffen. Concerned about this, Johnson requested reinforcements from St. Leger. As the battle became a pitched affair, a heavy thunderstorm erupted which caused a one-hour break in the fighting. Taking advantage of the lull, Herkimer tightened his lines and directed his men to fire in pairs with one firing and one loading. This was to ensure that a loaded weapon was always available should a Native American charge forward with a tomahawk or spear. As the weather cleared, Johnson resumed his attacks and, at the suggestion of Ranger leader John Butler, had some of his men reverse their jackets in an effort to make the Americans think a relief column was arriving from the fort. This bit of trickery failed as the Americans recognized their Loyalist neighbors in the ranks. Despite this, British forces were able to exert heavy pressure on Herkimers men until their Native American allies began to leave the field. This was largely due to both the unusually heavy losses sustained in their ranks as well as word arriving that American troops were looting their camp near the fort. Having received Herkimers message around 11:00 AM, Gansevoort had organized a force under Lieutenant Colonel Marinus Willett to sortie from the fort. Marching out, Willetts men attacked the Native American camps south of the fort and carried off plenty of supplies and personal belongings. They also raided Johnsons camp nearby and captured his correspondence. Abandoned at the ravine, Johnson found himself outnumbered and was forced to withdraw back to the siege lines at Fort Stanwix. Though Herkimers command was left in possession of the battlefield, it was too badly damaged to advance and retreated back to Fort Dayton. Aftermath of the Battle In the wake of the Battle of Oriskany, both sides claimed victory. In the American camp, this was justified by the British retreat and Willetts looting of the enemy camps. For the British, they claimed success as the American column failed to reach Fort Stanwix. Casualties for the Battle of Oriskany are not known with certainty, though it is estimated that American forces may have sustained as many as 500 killed, wounded, and captured. Among the American losses was Herkimer who died on August 16 after having his leg amputated. Native American losses were approximately 60-70 killed and wounded, while British casualties numbered around 7 killed and 21 wounded or captured. Though traditionally seen as a clear American defeat, the Battle of Oriskany marked a turning point in St. Legers campaign in western New York. Angered by the losses taken at Oriskany, his Native American allies became increasingly disgruntled as they had not anticipated in taking part in large, pitched battles. Sensing their unhappiness, St. Leger demanded Gansevoorts surrender and stated that he could not guarantee the garrisons safety from being massacred by the Native Americans following a defeat in battle. This demand was immediately rejected by the American commander. In the wake of Herkimers defeat, Major General Philip Schuyler, commanding the main American army on the Hudson, dispatched Major General Benedict Arnold with around 900 men to Fort Stanwix. Reaching Fort Dayton, Arnold sent forward scouts to spread misinformation regarding the size of his force. Believing that a large American army was approaching, the bulk of St. Legers Native Americans departed and began fighting a civil war with the American-allied Oneidas. Unable to maintain the siege with his depleted forces, St. Leger was forced to begin retreating towards Lake Ontario on August 22. With the western advance checked, Burgoynes main thrust down the Hudson was defeated that fall at the Battle of Saratoga. Selected Sources National Park Service: Battle of OriskanyFort Stanwix National Monument: Battle of OriskanyBattle of Oriskany

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Creation and Science (Christianity) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Creation and Science (Christianity) - Essay Example This evolution theory by Charles Darwin has gained popularity among scholars over the years. Other theories proposed by science over the origin and existence of the universe include the big bang theory and the passing star theory. Creationism faces a lot of opposition socially and politically. Majority of the schools hardly include it in their learning. Evolutionism has a lot of favor, and it is being taught in schools. This is what made the proposed theory of intelligent design face a lot of criticism. The intelligent design theory argues that the universe and its inhabitants are too complex in structure and design to exist as a mere product of evolution (Davis et al 36-61). It proposes that the universe and creatures in it is an intelligent product of an intelligent designer. Both science and religion hold strong views on the existence of life and the universe. It is, however, possible for the conflict between the two to end as concepts and theories of science and religion can be compatible. Scholars do not necessarily need to choose one over the other, but rather appreciate both views as each one complements and enriches the other in a number of

Friday, November 1, 2019

Ethics case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Ethics case - Essay Example dy of a lady named Lisa Michaels who is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and presently works with Home and Personal Care Products as Finance Manager. She is an experienced and dutiful employee with a very good reputation for honesty and depth of analysis skills. In this case, Lisa faces the challenge of identifying loopholes in the financial matters between her own company Home and Personal Care Products and a company it acquired named Prestige Fragrance Company. Lisa has concerns over evaluation of the assets of the acquired company and Mr. Anderson, who is also a CPA and Controller of the merger on behalf of Prestige Fragrance Company has not managed to address Lisa’s concerns satisfactorily. Lisa thinks that the costs have been capitalized by Prestige Fragrance Company whereas they should principally be not. The ethical challenge for Lisa is to find answers to her queries without tarnishing the relationship between the parent company and the acquired company. Key stakeholders in the case include everybody working in and associated with both companies i.e. Home and Personal Care Products, and Prestige Fragrance Company in general, and the controllers of financial operations of the two companies i.e. Lisa and Mr. Anderson in particular. Lisa might lose her job if her claims are based on weak foundations and if she cannot find proof in support of her accusations that she has not yet openly made. Mr. Anderson, on the other hand, who is also a CPA and is respected a lot by the Board of Directors, risks losing his job as well as image if he is found guilty of capitalization of costs or presentation of liabilities as assets to Home and Personal Care Products. Stakeholders also include the people and companies that have purchased shares of the two companies because any profit or loss made by any of the two companies has a direct impact on the value of their shares. In order to maximize the likelihood of a successful merger, it is imperative that both companies

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The Impact of Social Media and Viral Marketing on the Film Industry Essay

The Impact of Social Media and Viral Marketing on the Film Industry - Essay Example Different network websites focus on different issues which include books, general, film, music, community, health, education and tourism. A Marketing technique similar to a self-replicating virus through an internet, using social networking or other internet applications for creating or increasing brand value is called as viral marketing. According to St-Amant (2012 p. 1), a patient principal uses viral marketing for stronger results. This paper seeks to analyse and make recommendations as to how the managers of the film industry can respond to the issues relating to social media and viral marketing considering their impacts on the industry with justification for recommendations. Evolution of social media over a period of time indicates how businesses have made use of it for marketing. Understanding the developments taken place in social media is important for evaluating its impact and reorienting our strategies in line with technological changes. Evolution of social media Once, word of mouth was the greatest marketing mantra. Also, rumour gets thicker as it spreads. In social media, it can become a mania or rage due to viral power in self-replicating techniques, if the strategy is logical and sound. According to Hinz et al (2012 p. 12) ‘hubs and bridges are key to the diffusion of viral marketing campaigns.’ Social media has broken the concept of ‘time’ in marketing perspective. Time and place are no longer the prohibiting factors in viral marketing in social media. The Web 2.0 phenomenon made collaboration with the customers easier.... 12) ‘hubs and bridges are key to the diffusion of viral marketing campaigns.’ Social media has broken the concept of ‘time’ in marketing perspective. Time and place are no longer the prohibiting factors in viral marketing in social media. The Web 2.0 phenomenon made collaboration with the customers easier. A single new contact brings all of its other contacts to the business in viral marketing that could be compared with infection through a web of the network with endless permutations and combinations. ‘Going viral is like a calculus function mixed with the element of randomness – Brad Hines.’ (Torkildson, 2012) Viral marketing’s impact on brand or content propagated in social media can be positive or negative. The absence of copy rights or patent laws for the contents propagated in social media attracts people and viewership is encouraged. Monetisation of viewership becomes easier where there is surge in demand for content. The Ou tdated brand of Old Spice has been revived by P&G in their viral marketing strategy for the product. The Responses to the Old Spice marketing strategy ‘topped 6 million total views and 60 000 Tweets in the first 24 hours on YouTube’ (Mills, 2012 p. 165) Similarly, negative impact affects the business severely. In a way, it increases the level of corporate social responsibility among the companies as the customers’ views on corporate practices converge at a faster pace that forces the companies to review their strategies more in line with public expectations. ‘Greenpeace supporters were so successful at flooding Nestle's Facebook page last year that the Kit Kat maker's social media rep publicly lashed out’ (CNN Money, 2011). Social media is an evolving theme with a very short history. Releasing

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Effects of Shared ATM Networks on Efficiency -Turkish Banks

Effects of Shared ATM Networks on Efficiency -Turkish Banks The effects of shared ATM networks on the efficiency of Turkish banks H. Evren Damar This study investigates whether forming shared ATM networks has yielded positive benefits for banks in Turkey by increasing their productive efficiency. The performance of the banking sectors of developing countries has recently become a topic of interest in the literature. Most of this attention has been focused on the impact of financial liberalization on the performance efficiency of banks in a variety of countries. An aspect of financial liberalization that has not been addressed in this literature is the impact of new technology adoption and sharing that usually accompanies the liberalization and opening up of the banking sector. The usage of technologies such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in developing countries has increased significantly during the past 15 years or so. Although the theory behind the benefits associated with the adoption and sharing of such technologies is well-understood, empirical studies that look at the actual realization of these benefits are relatively few. The goals of this study are to investigate whether ATM sharing has benefited Turkish banks by increasing their productive efficiency and to contribute to the literature on bank efficiency in developing countries through focusing on aspects of bank behaviour that have yet to be fully examined. The ideas behind ATM sharing and its benefits are based on the development of shared ATM networks in the USA during the 1970s and 1980s. In broad terms, there are two opposing effects associated with shared ATM networks. The benefits of ATM sharing are called ‘network’ and ‘economies of scale’ effects (Prager, 1999). Network effects suggest that the value customers attach to ATM services offered by a bank goes up as the size of the ATM network increases. In other words, the addition of a new bank or a new ATM to the network increases the attractiveness of all banks within the network to their customers. This is an important issue because it allows for banks to capture more business without having to increase the size of their branch or ATM networks. For example Vesala (2000) finds that after the start of ATM sharing in Western Europe, banks have opened fewer new branches and deployed fewer new ATMs. Economies of scale imply that the cost per transaction at an ATM declines as the number of transactions increases. Each ATM location has a variable cost and a fixed cost associated with it. Although variable costs (film, paper, etc.) are directly proportional to the number of transactions conducted at the particular ATM, fixed costs (such as the cost of purchasing or leasing the ATMs) decline as the number transactions increase (Saloner and Shepard, 1995). Therefore, by increasing the number of transactions, a shared ATM network can turn an unprofitable ATM into a profitable one. On the other hand, the presence of shared-ATM networks has also been shown to have negative effects on participating banks. These effects arise because ATM sharing reduces the level of product differentiation between banks and allows depositors to switch banks without incurring high costs. In their study of ATM network compatibility, Matutes and Padilla (1994) refer to this as the ‘substitution effect’ and show that its presence can be an impediment to achieving full ATM compatibility within the banking sector. In simple terms, whether a bank can benefit from a shared-ATM network will depend on which one of the effects described above dominates. If the network and economies of scale effects dominate, then the bank will be able to offer a more convenient product, collect more deposits and potentially increase profits. On the other hand, if the substitution effect dominates, then ATM sharing may result in a loss of depositors and profits. This problem can easily be framed within the concept of productive efficiency of banks. If ATMs are considered an input in the ‘production’ of deposits, then the presence of any benefits from ATM sharing would be reflected in the efficiency scores of banks. If indeed the network and economies of scale effects dominate, then banks that are engaged in ATM sharing will have relatively higher efficiency scores. On the other hand, if the substitution effect dominates, this would result in lower productive efficiency. Evolution of shared ATM networks in Turkey Similar to other developing countries, ATM technology was introduced in Turkey during the late 1980s. As the level of competition in the banking sector increased in the 1990s, there was a widespread increase in ATM usage. By 1995, there were 5000 ATM locations in Turkey and this number doubled by the end of 1999 (Isik and Hassan, 2002). By this date 27 out of 62 deposit collecting institutions had adopted ATM technology and another seven had issued ATM cards to their customers, although these banks themselves did not own or operate their own ATMs. The first shared ATM network in Turkey (referred to as the ‘Pamukbank-YKB Network’) was formed in 1993, and was soon followed by a shared ATM arrangement between four banks, named ‘Golden Points’. Unlike the USA, shared ATM networks in Turkey did not start as regional networks between local competitors. Since Turkey is significantly smaller than the USA, most banks operate in all major cities and some rural provinces. Therefore, the Turkish shared ATM networks started from a ‘national’ and not a ‘regional’ network stage. By 1999, ATM sharing had become a widespread phenomenon, with three more banks joining the Golden Points network and 16 smaller banks forming another network in 1998, named ‘Common Points.’ However, three of the five biggest banks in Turkey continued to operate proprietary networks. Variables: ATM transactions Total deposits Total loans Fees and commissions no. of ATMs no. of shared NW ATMs no. of branches no. of employees Interest on deposit Operating expenses Conclusion (READ IT AGAIN) This study has looked at the evolution of shared ATM networks in Turkey and has attempted to see whether banks have been able to realize net positive network and scale effects through ATM sharing. The main finding of this study is that participation in shared ATM networks has failed to increase the efficiency of small and medium size banks. The fact that most of these banks tend to share their ATMs with each other (and not with big banks) can be an important factor in their relatively lower efficiency scores. The lack of significant positive benefits for many medium and small banks fits the conclusions reached by Matutes and Padilla (1994). Their results suggest that ATM compatibility is easier and more effective if shared-ATM networks are formed by banks that operate in separate locations because of regulatory reasons or due to geographical factors. On the other hand if banks that compete for deposits within a market decide to share their ATMs, this may decrease the level of product differentiation between these banks, causing the sharing arrangement to become costly and ineffective. Similarly, Holden and El-Bannany’s (2004) conclusion that there was no relationship between ATM sharing and bank profitability in the UK may be due to the fact that banks in their sample are not differentiated according to size and geographic concentration. The findings of this study also support Carbo et al. (2003), who argue that technology adoption and sharing do not always yield cost savings for small banks. The results discussed above take this finding one step further by arguing that such technology adoption by small banks can turn into costly idle capacity. For the case of Turkey, there is ample evidence of such idle capacity. For example, Table 5 shows that many medium size banks exhibit DRS. It is likely that some of this excess capacity is caused by ATMs that are deployed in urban areas, but infrequently used by depositors. A similar observation has been made by the Banks Association of Turkey, which has concluded that ‘some ATMs operated by banks are located too close to each other and this is a waste of resources.’ They suggested that banks should try ‘to increase the sharing of existing ATMs before deploying new ones’. One possible solution to this problem of low efficiency among small and medium banks would be for these banks to form sharing arrangements with bigger banks. This would allow them to truly expand the services they can offer and gain an advantage over their competitors. Recently, strides have been made towards such arrangements, with one small and one medium bank from the Common Points network signing an ATM sharing agreement with the Pamukbank-YKB network in early 2003. However, it is also possible that big banks would not be eager to allow smaller banks to join their shared ATM networks, as this would make it harder for bigger banks to differentiate themselves. Similar worries have been echoed by big banks in Turkey, who have stated that ‘the possible effect of increased sharing on the banks with extensive branch and ATM networks is an important issue’. Another possibility has been put forward by Carbo et al. (2003), who argue that the lack of uniform benefits from technology-sharing arrangements should promote consolidation in the banking sector. In the context of the Turkish banking sector, the consolidation argument would suggest that the large number of small and medium banks that offer similar products can be consolidated into a few big banks that would be able to offer differentiated products and compete with other banks. One of the consequences of the 1999–2001 banking crisis in Turkey has been a government-encouraged wave of consolidation, the efficiency impact of which remains to be seen. Other than being the first study to look at the effects of ATM sharing on productive efficiency, the period covered in the analysis is also significant. The period 2000–2003 corresponds to one of the worst banking crises in Turkish history and the beginning of the best planned and executed rehabilitation program of the banking sector. Although the number of branches and depository institutions decreased significantly between 2000– 2003, the growth rate of ATMs has remained high and positive. This may suggest that banks and regulatory authorities do not consider the build-up of ATMs as a serious overcapacity issue. This study, however, makes a point of caution that more ATM sharing does not automatically mean efficiency gains for banks. On the contrary, an increase in ATM sharing solely within the urban markets will be likely to increase the costs of banks without generating any additional benefits to their customers. Although ATMs are still significantly cheaper than branches, operating and sharing unproductive ATMs can possibly contribute to another build-up of overcapacity. The only two options for preventing this potential problem are either further consolidation of the banking sector or a carefully planned restructuring of the existing sharing arrangements.