Women in Telecommunication in Europe and Middle East

Introduction The Middle East and Eastern Europe are currently highly focused areas in telecommunication, IT and the media. The markets in this region are gaining liberty and stabilizing in terms of economical and political aspects.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Women in Telecommunication in Europe and Middle East specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Romania is to date one of the biggest players and a fast growing market in telecommunication and IT. The players in the sector have discovered the potential in it sector and are currently putting resources to invest in the field and explore more opportunities (Delmon 5). Telecommunication is a crucial industry since most sectors in the world make use of different telecommunication facilities. Without it, distance communication would not be possible and thus operations in virtually all areas would be impossible. Middle East and Europe are among the leadings areas in telecommunication where continued research and innovativeness in the sector is essential. However, women have been marginalized in this sector in these areas. Majority of men believe that women cannot perform well in this sector .The truth is that women are equally good and can act as leaders in this male dominated field. For this to happen, there is need for them to prove their capabilities and be ready to take up tasks that have been historically reserved for men. Broad Areas to be covered The aim of this dissertation will be to look at this issue in depth by analyzing the roles that women can take in telecommunication industry in Europe and Middle East. The dissertation will attempt to explore the following broad categories of the topic in a bid to satisfactorily handle the topic. Professional requirements that a successful performer in the telecommunication industry in Middle East and Europe should possess. Challenges facing telecommunication industry in Europe and Middle East . Attitude of women towards telecommunication and other related professions. Historical analysis regarding whether women from these regions have been involved in leadership endeavors. Mechanisms that can be put in place to facilitate women in taking leadership roles in telecommunication. Research Question A research question is an important component in conducting research since it drives the researcher to remain focused during the research period (White, 2002). It helps narrow down the scope of research since a research with a broad research question may be difficult to conduct. For example, a research question such as ‘business management’ is too wide because there are hundreds of aspects of business management (White, 2003). However, a question like ‘what are the challenges facing Saudi Arabia business management style’ is a focused research question. Having a research question will therefore make me remain focused within my topic without deviating to o ther extraneous aspects .Advertising Looking for assessment on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Positivist vs Interpretative Approaches A positivist approach to research holds the view that reality is accorded objectively and full description is possible through features that are not dependent on the researcher and his research tools. Positivists are involved in testing theories in a bid to increase the power of prediction as they try to understand different phenomena On the contrary, interpretative approach to research assumes that the source of reality is social variables such as language or shared meanings. Interpretative approach interprets data by analyzing the meanings that people have assigned phenomena hence this acts as the source of their understanding. The approach to my topic will definitely be different when I use positivist approach because I will be testing theories to increase my prediction capac ity of phenomena. When using interpretative approach, my understanding will be based on the meanings that people assign phenomena. Reference List Delmon. (n.d). Telecommunication. Web. ESC. (n.d). Developing a Research Question. Web. Michael, D. (2011). Qualitative Research in Information Systems. Web. Sweetman, C. (2000). Gender and technology. New York: Gender and technology.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Women in Telecommunication in Europe and Middle East specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More White, B. (2003). Dissertation Skills for Business and Management Students. London: Cengage Learning. White, B. (2002). Writing your MBA Dissertation. london: Cengage Learning. This assessment on Women in Telecommunication in Europe and Middle East was written and submitted by user Tiana Morris to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Financial Implication on Health Care Reform Essays

Financial Implication on Health Care Reform Essays Financial Implication on Health Care Reform Paper Financial Implication on Health Care Reform Paper When President Barack Obama entered the white house, he made reform of the American health care system, making it his top domestic priority. United States of America spends nearly twice the amount of average developed countries but record of healthcare is dismal. Infant mortality is higher, life expectancy is lower than other countries, plus the negative health statistics that shows Americans to be twice as likely to be obese. Here is the current healthcare coverage situation in the United States. Employers provide their employees with healthcare and insurance coverage. Others sign up for insurance scheme. Under most plans, people are required to pay part of the cost (deductible) and this varies according to their plan. Some employers stopped offering insurance to employees due to the high cost. : A writer of the BBC News states that one problem America is facing on healthcare today is the cost. America spends 16.2% of GDP nearly twice the average of other countries in the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). Another issue is coverage where in it is estimated that in 2008 46.3 million people in America, out of a population of 300 million, were uninsured. There were also millions of Americans who were considered â€Å"under-insured† (2010). US declares half of personal bankruptcies as the result of medical expenses paid by someone without insurance or with inadequate cover when they fall ill. This is because these people are obligated to pay their medical expenses out of their own pocket. The US government has been spending more and more on Medicare and Medicaid and this is one of the biggest contributing factors to the spiraling US budget deficit. On March 21, 2010, the House of Representatives passed the biggest reform of health care in the country for 40 years (BBC News, 2010). This will provide healthcare for 30 million uninsured Americans. According to the CBS News Capitol Hill Producers, it would cost $940 billion over ten years. It will expand its coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans. This will take coverage across the country to 95 percent. Its main provision is to make health insurance almost mandatory, with exceptions to the low-income people. This will prevent insurers to deny coverage to people who have pre-existing medical conditions. This will also reduce the price of drugs available to the public (Cairns, 2010). The changes, Obama said, would help reduce the federal deficit by $100bn over the next 10 years, by dealing with misuse, fraud and abuse. Individuals and families who have income between the 133 percent and 400 percent of poverty level would be able to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges with subsidies. They are not eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, or be covered by their employers, though. CBS News laid the plans of the Healthcare reform bill. Starting in 2012, the Medicare Payroll Tax will be extended to include unearned income (2010).   Insurance companies will pay 50% excise tax on high-end insurance plans in 2018. There will also be 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning services. Medicaid will also be expanded to include 133 percent of federal poverty level. This reform will help establish health standard boards wherein there will be an annual health budget for the nation to limit both public and private expenses. There will also be a clear out on billing fraud and eliminate incentives that encourage abuse. Government spending on Medicare and Medicaid is sustainable with the health care reform. The cost will increase from 6% to 15% of GDP by 2040 (Amadeo, K., 2010). Drug price gouging would also be stopped. Health care reform will bring down prescription drug prices. It will eliminate tax breaks for drug companies that raise their prices fast. It will also discourage drug companies from expending more on marketing than on research and development (Luce, G. and Dutton, T., 1993). The new bill suggests increase in the economic well-being of about two-thirds of a percent of GDP per year. This is visible when taking into consideration the comparison of the total benefits of coverage to the uninsured and the total cost of insuring them (whitehouse.gov, n.d.). Decent health care insurance will be affordable to Americans with creditable efforts to control the health care inflation rate. There is no guarantee yet that this new policy will produce this degree of change, the benefits of having successful reform would be very important to Americans: individuals, businesses, and the economy itself. References: David Cairns. (2010). Obamacare Briefing: What US Health Reform Means. The First Post.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved July 9, 2010, from thefirstpost.co.uk/61246,news-comment,news-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   politics,obamas-triumph-what-us-healthcare-reform-bill-means-obamacare. Jackson, J. and Nolen, J. (2010). CBS New Politics. Health Care Reform Bill Summary: A Look   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At Whats in the Bill. Retrieved July 9, 2010, from cbsnews.com/8301-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   503544_162-20000846-503544.html Luce, G. and Dutton, T. (1993). Healthcare Reform: Models and Implications. Retrieved July 9,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2010, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3257/is_n3_v47/ai_14122723/. Romulo, B. D. (2010).   There will be healthcare reform in the US. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved   Ã‚   July 9, 2010, from mb.com.ph/articles/236920/there-will-be-healthcare-  Ã‚   reform-us. The Economic Case for Health Care Reform. (n.d.).   Retrieved July 9, 2010, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/cea/TheEconomicCaseforHealthCareRefo  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   rm/ QA: US Healthcare Reform. (2010). One-Minute World News. Retrieved July 9, 2010, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8160058.stm.

Mini-Theme 2 - Inductive or Deductive Paper Essay

Mini-Theme 2 - Inductive or Deductive Paper - Essay Example For both women, the anger stems from their experiences in a community where fat is considered to be a cardinal sin spawned primarily from willful choice and lazy action. Their frank language and refusal to make apologies, instead indicating those many areas in which ridicule and simply being overweight has prevented them from experiencing those things that â€Å"thin children take for granted, such as being lifted up effortlessly on the shoulders of their fathers†, is refreshing and provides a glimpse into a world that thin people just can’t understand otherwise. After reading these, I have a better appreciation of the various things that prevent fat people from doing something about their weight, more than just a question of mathematical balance between intake and exercise, and the approach helps to illustrate the tremendous pressures introduced thanks to what I do believe is an overactive focus on physical appearance within the American community. However, these authors make it sound as if fat people are the only people who have ever experienced unhappy families, difficulty in school, troubles with parents, cruel classmates or issues with self-image. Our community reveres the thin person so much that even thin people often feel they are too fat, creating numerous eating disorders that ensures absolutely no one, thin, fat or somewhere in between, can feel comfortable with their physical appearance. I appreciate the insight, but I feel that at some point in life, people need to come to an acceptance of who and what they are and stop attackin g the world – thin or fat – for this condition. Exercise is necessary for proper health regardless of whether a person is overweight, underweight or at the proper weight for their frame. It is also necessary whether one is young or old. The problem for many people, though, is that exercise can often be difficult on a person’s joints and, depending upon their weight, can be overly tiring, forcing them

Policy Implementation and Application Assignment

Policy Implementation and Application - Assignment Example It is important for you to note that, the current ethical standards have brought ethical behavior in our organization to the forefront of public consciousness. Today after getting knowledge of the past, and getting to know the role played by ethics in running a business, the question is no longer, whether ethics is vital, but how to maintain the ethical behavior in an association. I wish to notify you that, how you handle customer related issues as the mangers and leaders of the organization, determines the size of our customer base. I therefore, wish to make an appeal that you exercise the courteous behaviors at all times in handling the issues poised by our esteemed customers at all times. I wish to reiterate to you that, in today’s community, individuals do not at all times do what is right, they may be right aware that doing certain things will bring greater consequences that they would not like but go ahead and perform them. It is, therefore, your responsibility as the le aders of ECG to make sure that the organizational culture supports the ethical conduce and social responsibility. As the ambassadors of our company, you must be the voice that individuals look to, to understand what they are up to at all times. I wish to reiterate that as the top leaders and managers of ECG, you are expected to alleviate vices that are detrimental to the success of our organizational activities such as harassment, discrimination, and abuse of office. You are expected to uphold professionalism in running the affairs of our company at all times. Various aspects of the company such as recruitment and promotion of personnel warrants stringent adherence to the laid procedures. You are expected to recruit personnel into the company with respect to merit and competence. Discipline is paramount at ECG and thus, as the leaders and managers of the organization; you are expected to identify the errand members of the organization, hence subject them to disciplinary measures acc ordingly. It is important for you to note that the conduct of the employees under your respective capacity as leaders depends on your respective management styles. Concerning this, therefore, I appeal for your close monitoring of the organization’s employees to ensure that they adhere to the stipulated rules and regulations. I wish to inform you that, as the leaders and managers of ECG in various capacities, you ought to make it a continual habit to treat every worker fairly. It is important for you to note that fair treatment of the organization’s employees dictates their level of commitment to the activities of the organization. Therefore, try to win the confidence of the employees under your respective leadership at all times whenever you are attending to their needs or interacting with them. Try to inculcate good morals and sense of hard work in all employees at all times. I wish to let you know that, the manner in which the ward of tenders at ECG is done, contrave nes the recommended procedures. I therefore, call upon the members who sit in this committee to portray high professionalism and integrity while handling all the affairs related to the progress of the. Kindly, note that, the ethical dilemmas can cause effects to association’s reputation, and its financial performance. You are expect

Leadership and Corporate Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership and Corporate Behavior - Essay Example Hence, the point needs to be made about team selection taking priority at the initial stages itself and then selecting and choosing team members in such a way as to ensure that people who have a history of ethical behavior are selected. This can be done at the time of hiring and recruitment itself. The team members must be hired after thorough background checks and vetting so that any previous disposition towards unethical behavior is found out (Salmon, 1993). Leadership is all about leading from the front and by example. Hence, there is a need to develop leaders who are capable and also exhibit ethical behavior. This is the primary requirement for leadership. So, the teams that are to be formed should have the leaders in such a way as to ensure that illegal activity and recourse to unethical behavior is curbed. In conclusion, it is incumbent upon the team leadership to guide the team in such a way that ethical norms are followed and that the team follows normative rules of behavior consistent with those drawn up by the ethics committee (McCall, 2002). 2) A crisis management plan has to anticipate crises, plan for contingencies and have a mitigation strategy when the crises arise. This is the essence of a good crisis management plan. To take each of the components in turn, a good crisis management plan must be able to anticipate future crises from happening. Though all crises cannot be anticipated, there are many of them that can be identified at the beginning of the planning process. These include the system outages, threat of building collapse and accidents involving personnel (Daboub, 1995). The next step would be to have a back up plan for contingencies that revolves around the ways and means to deal with the crises. For instance, there can be back up servers when the main server crashes leading to an outage. Similarly, there can be an alternative site that can house some personnel in case of damage to the main

Measuring Happiness Levels in Mumbai: Methodology

Measuring Happiness Levels in Mumbai: Methodology Methodology Happiness has been defined either as a broad notion of how one feels about their life in general or as an emotional or affective state. Depending on the way researchers define the concept, there have been variable attempts at measurement. With decades of research, we have a better understanding of how to measure the happiness of others. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods appears to be most productive. (Helm, 2000) This chapter illustrates the methodology followed, tools used and ethical guidelines followed during the study. The following are the research objectives of the study. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES To determine the level of happiness among the residents of Mumbai To assess the mental healthcare facilities in the city To find out If there is any correlation between mental health and happiness among the residents of Mumbai On the basis of these research objectives, the following methodology was formulated. Quantitative measurement of happiness Over the past two decades there have been an increasing number of quantitative studies of happiness and well-being. In particular, there have been ongoing debates on whether happiness can be measured, whether it should be measured, how it should be measured and what are the factors affecting it (Ballas Tranmer, 2012).Psychologists and sociologists have used subjective questions regarding individuals’ happiness for over three decades. Cantril (1965) developed a question for life satisfaction. Similar question modules include the Likert (1932)-scale and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). See also Bradburn (1969). The answer to these subjective questions has been indiscriminately termed ‘happiness’, ‘general satisfaction’ and ‘subjective well-being’. In the GSOEP the satisfaction question is: Please answer by using the following scale in which 0 means totally  unhappy, and 10 means totally happy. How happy are you at present with your life as a whole? Here, we call the response to this question the General Satisfaction (GS) level of the respondent. In this case, there are 11 numerical categories, but the question has also been posed with 7 or 5 categories or with verbal labels, such as ‘very happy/happy/so-so/somewhat unhappy/very unhappy’. The end result is invariably an ordered categorical evaluation of the quality of life of the individual.(Ferrer-i-Carbonell Frijters, 2004).The survey context, such as question order, introductory text and the survey source, can influence respondents’ understanding of individual questions within a survey, as well as the information that they draw on in order to answer those questions. In quantitative measurement, we measure the overall subjective well begin by quantifying certain constructs and concepts given below. Measurement of subjective well being Eudemonic questions like show happy are you with your life and how satisfied are you with your life have been asked to be rated on a cantril ladder. Subjective wellbeing is a broad category of phenomena that includes people’s emotional responses, domain satisfactions and global judgements of life satisfaction. Each of the specific constructs need to be understood in their own right ,yet the components often correlate substantially suggesting the need for the higher order factor.(Diener, Suh, Lucas, Smith, 2013). Quality of life is a broad term covering those aspects of overall well-being that are not captured only by material conditions(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). 12 different constructs were identified and worked upon to generate questions. The constructs namely are: education, employment, family, gender, health/lifestyle, personality/self-efficacy, relationships, work-life balance, communal living housing/income. Employment status – employment status is known to have a large influence on subjective  Well-being, with unemployment in particular associated with a strong negative impact on  measures of life satisfaction.(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). Hence 9 questions have been formulated on employment. Both physical and mental health are correlated with measures of subjective well-being (Dolan, Peasgood and White, 2008), and there is evidence that changes in disability status cause changes in life satisfaction (Lucas, 2007). Although health status is complex to measure in household surveys, there is a large pool of well-developed measures available, such as the health state descriptions from the World Health Survey (WHO, 2012), or more specialised question modules, such as the GHQ-12 for mental health (Goldberg et al., 1978). Environmental quality is inherently a geographic phenomenon, and integrating datasets on environmental quality with household level data on life satisfaction is costly. Nonetheless, there is some evidence that noise pollution (Weinhold, 2008) and air pollution (Dolan, Peasgood and White, 2008) have a significant negative impact on life satisfaction(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). Hence by merging both, 14 questions have been formulated beneath the heading Health/Lifestyle. There is significant evidence that aspects of work/life balance impact on subjective well-being, in particular commuting (Frey and Stutzer, 2008; Kahneman and Kruger, 2006), and time spent caring for others(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). To gauge its effect, 4 questions have been formulated on it. Education and skills have obvious interest both as variables for cross-classification and because there is good evidence that education is associated with subjective well-being at a bivariate level(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). To understand the effect and views of the respondent on education, 7 questions have been formulated. Generalised trust in others as well as more domain specific measures of neighbourhood and workplace trust are crucial factors when accounting for variation in subjective well-being(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013).Social contact is one of the most important drivers of subjective well-being, as it has a large impact both on life evaluations and on affect(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). 5 questions have been formulated under communal living. One of the most consistent and robust findings in the field of subjective well-being (SWB) is that the components of SWB are moderately related to personality. Like personality traits, SWB is consistent across situations and is stable across the life span, even after the occurrence of intervening life events(Diener Lucas, 1999). 7 questions have been formulated on personality. Subjective sexual well-being refers to the perceived quality of an individual’s sexuality, sexual life, and sexual relationships. We focus primarily on evaluations of sexuality in terms of satisfaction judgments, which have been central for studying the concept of overall wellbeing(Laumann et al., 2006). Some of these questions have been asked under relationships (4). The relationship and effect of familial relations, housing and income has also been captured by asking 8 questions on it. Satisfaction with life scale The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was originally developed by Diener, Emmons, Larsen and Griffin (1985), and was intended as a brief assessment of an individual’s general sense of satisfaction with their life as a whole. Although the SWLS includes only five items, it has demonstrated good psychometric characteristics.(Pavot Diener, 2008) The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, Griffin,  1985) is a widely used measure of life satisfaction. The SWLS consists of five items  which are rated on a seven-point Likert-type response scale? Scores on the SWLS vary  from 5 to 35 and can be compared with the scores of an international norm group (see  Pavot Diener, 2008). According to Pavot and Diener (2008), various studies confirmed  the internal consistency of the SWLS (with alpha coefficients varying from .79  to .89) (Rothmann, 2013) The authors began the development of the SWLS by generating a pool of 48 items intended to reflect life satisfaction and well-being. From this original pool of items, factor analysis was used to identify 10 items with high loadings (0.60 or above) on a common factor interpreted as global evaluations of a person’s life. After the elimination of redundancies, this group of items was then further reduced to five items, with minimal effect on the alpha reliability of the scale. A 7-point Likert style response scale (ranging from 1 ¼strongly disagree to 7 ¼strongly agree) was utilized in order to afford respondents an array of response options. The five items are all keyed in a positive direction, so the five responses can simply be added to arrive at a total score for the scale. The possible range of scores is therefore 5 to 35, with a score of 20 representing the neutral point on the scale. Scores between 5 and 9 indicate that the respondent is extremely dissatisfied with lif e, whereas scores ranging between 31 and 35 indicate that the respondent is extremely satisfied with life. Scores between 21 and 25 represent slightly satisfied, and scores from 15 to 19 are interpreted as falling in the slightly dissatisfied range(Pavot Diener, 2008). Quality of life has become a primary concern in the evaluation of both the quality and outcome of health care (Moons, Budts, De Geest, 2006). In a review of different conceptual approaches of quality of life, Moons et al. (2006) found life satisfaction to be the most adequate and appropriate conceptualization, as it successfully addresses all of the conceptual problems they examined with regard to health-related quality of life.(Pavot Diener, 2008). In most ways my life is close to my ideal 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. The conditions of my life are excellent 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. I am satisfied with my life. 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. So far I have gotten the important things I want in life. 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing. 1. Strongly disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Slightly agree. 4. Neither agrees nor disagrees. 5. Slightly agree. 6. Agree. 7. Strongly agree. Rating scale There are multiple scales, questionnaires and inventories of happiness. The following tools are mere examples: the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Depression-Happiness Scale and the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale Of Happiness. These scales and other contain multiple items, most frequently from 10-130 items. A plethora of studies on happiness have used single item self-rating scales with different options , mainly the Likert scale which offers 5 or 7 choice point.(Abdel-Khalek, 2006). Much quantitative research within psychology relies upon the use of numerical scales and in the main Likert scales have emerged as the dominant measurement tool(Ogden Lo, 2012). Although providing respondents with a rating scale may seem straightforward, there  are many ways in which response formats can vary. There may be differences in the response formats that may be optimal for evaluative, eudemonic and affective measures. Evaluative and eudemonic measures are similar to attitude measures in that it may be preferable for the response format to contain information about both the direction of feeling (positive/neutral/negative or agree/disagree), as well as its intensity (strong-weak). In the case of affect measures, it is often desirable to measure positive and negative affective states separately. Thus, rather than asking about the direction (positive-neutral-negative) of affect, respondents are often given a single adjective (e.g. happy) and asked to describe either the intensity or the frequency with which they felt  that way within a given time period. This may in turn have implications for the optimal  number of response options, as well as response scale labelling and anchoring. There is, however, considerable debate around the optimal number of response  categories – and a very wide range of opinions is available in the literature (Weng, 2004,  for a brief summary). This number will depend on respondents’ information-processing  capacities and preferences, survey mode, scale labelling, and, to some extent, presentational  concerns and questionnaire length. Increasing the number of response categories beyond  the optimal length could result in loss of information, increased error and decreased  reliability, because the individual scale points will mean less to respondents. The increased  response burden associated with longer scales may also lead respondents to become less  motivated to optimise and more likely to satisfice in their answers, thus also increasing the  risk of response biases and error Bradburn et al. (2004) argue that, due to the burden on memory and attention, five categories is the maximum number that a respondent can process in a verbal interview setting (telephone or face-to-face) without visual prompts. Furthermore, when the response categories are qualitatively different from one another (rather than being imagined on a sliding scale), these authors suggest that four categories should be the upper maximum. On the other hand, Alwin and Krosnick (1991) indicate that respondents may prefer to have response options denoting weak, moderate and strong negative and positive evaluations (i.e. a 7-point scale) in part because these are the categories that people often use to describe attitudes and opinions in everyday life. For evaluative measures with numerical response scales, longer scales (up to around  11 scale points) often appear to perform better. Using a multi-trait-multi-method  design, Alwin found that across all 17 domains of life satisfaction measured, the 11-point scales had higher reliabilities than the 7-point scales. In 14 out of 17 cases, the 11-point scales also had higher validity coefficients; and in 12 of 17 cases, 11-point scales had lower invalidity coefficients, indicating they were affected less, rather than more, by method variance – I.e. systematic response biases or styles. This overall finding is supported by Saris et al. (1998) who used a similar multi-trait-multi-method analysis to compare 100-point, 4 or 5-point and 10-point satisfaction measures, and found that the 10-point scale demonstrated the best reliability. For affect measures, one might be interested in measuring either the intensity of feeling  or the frequency with which that feeling occurred. Measures of recently-experienced affect  are less like attitude measures, in that one is effectively asking respondents to remember a  specific experience or to sum experiences over a specific time period. The method adopted for this study due to paucity of time and level of research expected from us at master’s level is using a 7 point scale for affect measures and using cantril ladder for eudemonic measures. The 7 point scale ranged from strongly disagrees to strongly agree. Background characteristics Questions on the respondent’s background characteristics were collected in the beginning of the questionnaire. Information such as the following was collected. Age Gender Marital status Religion Education Work status Family income Number of years residing in Mumbai Native state Number of family members Number of earning members in family No of rooms in house Ownership of house Qualitative measurement of happiness One open ended question was asked in the beginning of the questionnaire i.e. what does happiness means to you? The aim was to explore what people equate happiness with and how does it affect their overall living. The use of qualitative assessment methods, such as open- ended questions, provides information about the participants’ perceptions, views and beliefs in their own terms, in contrast to using outside researchers’ definitions and categories, which is typical of quantitative inquiries (Denzin and Lincoln 2000). Qualitative data show an additional crucial feature: it is possible to convert them into quantitative scales for purposes of statistical analyses(Fave, Brdar, Freire, Vella-Brodrick, Wissing, 2010). The entire questionnaire was formulated in the following way Data collection sampling Some surveys with the household as the unit of measure rely on a single respondent (such  as the head of household) to provide responses for the household as a whole. This cannot be  used for measures of subjective well-being, since the cognitive process of evaluating and  responding with respect to one’s own subjective well-being is very different to that of providing an estimate of another householder’s state of mind. Responses to questions on subjective wellbeing are inherently personal, and consequently the unit of measure for subjective well-being must be the individual. While this will typically not be an issue for surveys where the individual is the primary unit of analysis(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013). The two modes most commonly used to collect information on subjective well-being are Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), conducted by an interview over the telephone, and Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), where the interviewer is personally present when recording the data.(OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2013) Due to paucity of time, the mode was data collection was paper and pen method. The respondents were allowed to take the questionnaire home for a day and could be collected later based on their discretion. The sampling universe was people who had lived in Mumbai for more than 5 years and was targeted at literate working population. The sampling method chose was convenience sampling and the sample size is 200. Confidentiality and ethics Initially the respondents were informed about the purpose of the study and the collector’s identity and her affiliation to the institute. The confidentiality of the participants was not disclosed at any point during the course of the research. Furthermore, the respondents were assured that their responses would be used for academic purposes only.

Icici Bank and Bank of Rajasthan Merger Essay

Meaning : A general term used to refer to the consolidation of companies. A merger is a combination of two companies to form a new company, while an acquisition is the purchase of one company by another in which no new company is formed. Basic information of icici bank (Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Bank): ICICI Bank was established by the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India, an Indian financial institution, as a wholly owned subsidiary in 1994. The parent company was formed in 1955 as a joint-venture of the World Bank, India’s public-sector banks and public-sector insurance companies to provide project financing to Indian industry.[10][11] The bank was initially known as theIndustrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Bank, before it changed its name to the abbreviated ICICI Bank. The parent company was later merged with the bank. Current information: Based on 2013 information, it is the second largest bank in India by assets and third largest by market capitalisation. It offers a wide range of banking products and financial services to corporate and retail customer through a variety of delivery channels and through its specialised subsidiaries in the areas of investment banking. life and non-life insurance, venture capital and asset management. The Bank has a network of 3,350 branches and 10,486 ATM’s in India, and has a presence in 19 countries. ICICI Bank is one of the big four banks of India, along with SBI,PNB,CANARA BANK BANK OF RAJASTHAN : It was set up at Udaipur in 1943 with an initial capital of Rs.10.00 lacs. An eminent Industrialist Late Seth Shri Govind Ram Seksaria was the founder chairman. It was classified as the Scheduled Bank in 1948. The Bank also established a rural (Gramin) bank Mewar Anchlik Gramin Bank in Udaipur District in Rajasthan on 26 January 1983. The bank’s central office is located at Jaipur, although its registered office is in Udaipur. Presently the bank has 463 branches, in 24 states, with 294 of the branches being in Rajasthan. †¢ 1. Merger of ICICI and BoR Submitted †¢ 2. About BoR and Merger private sector lender Bank of Rajasthan on 18 may 2010 agreed to merge with ICICI Bank, India’s second largest private sector lender Bank of Rajasthan has a market value of $296 million The acquisition of Bank of Rajasthan by ICICI bank is the first consolidation of country’s crowded banking sector since 2008.ICICI Bank and Bank of Rajasthan (BoR) boards on Sunday cleared their merger through an all-share deal, valued at about 30.41 billion rupees. †¢ 3. ICICI offered to BoR ICICI offered to pay 188.42 rupees per share, in an all-share deal, for Bank of Rajasthan, a premium of 89 percent to the small lender’s closing price on Tuesday, valuing the business at $668 million .ICICI is offering the smaller bank’s controlling shareholders 25 shares in ICICI for 118 shares of Bank of Rajasthan. †¢ 4. The Big Deal The deal, which will give ICICI a sizeable presence in the northwestern desert state of Rajasthan, values the small bank at about 2.9 times its book value, compared with an Indian banking sector average of 1.84.Bank of Rajasthan has a network of 463 branches and a loan book of 77.81 billion rupees ($1.7 billion). †¢ 5. Why MergerIn March, the Reserve Bank of India appointed consulting firms to conduct a special audit of the books and accounts of Bank of Rajasthan .The government has called for consolidation in the banking sector in order to make lenders more competitive but there has been little activity.RBI had imposed a penalty of Rs 25 lakh on Bank of Rajasthan for various violations. †¢ 6. Totals of BoR F or the nine-month ended December’09, the bank had net loss of Rs 9 crore with total income of Rs 1,086 crore. For the year ended March’09, Bank of Rajasthan had net profit of Rs 117 crore with total income of Rs 1,507 crore .Operating income fell 11% to Rs 373.78 crore in Q3 December 2009 over Q3 December 2008. †¢ 7. Advantage for ICICI and BoR ICICI Bank will gain marginally from the merger as Bank of Rajasthan has a reasonable penetration in its home state. As of March’09, it had 463 branches across the country. The deal will also help ICICI tackle increasing competition by HDFC Bank. the deal values BoR at about 2.9 times its book value, compared with an Indian banking sector average of 1.84. †¢ 8. Comparison OF ICICI and BoRICICI bank added CASA deposits totaling over 210 billion rupees in the year ended March 2010, compared with 41.63 billion rupees of BoR .ICICI recorded a business per branch of 3 billion rupees compared with 47 million rupees of BoR for fiscal 2009.For the quarter ended Dec 09, BoR recorded 1.05 percent of advances as NPA’s, which is far better than 2.1 percent recorded by ICICI Bank. †¢ 9. Why is RBI allowing the merger of this bank? This is very intriguing factor; when RBI claims that there is corporate governance. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee claims that there is corporate governance prevailing in SEBI, RBI and Finance Ministry. †¢ 10. Hurdles To protest the Bank of Rajasthan’s management plan to merge with the ICICI Bank, more than 4200 employees of Bank of Rajasthan went on a two-day countrywide strike .SEBI maintains that Tayals hold 55% in the bank and that would make them owners of nearly 1.87 crore ICICI Bank shares from new dilution by ICICI Bank, amounting to around 1.75% stake in the bank .ICICI Bank found it economic as always to invest in this deal on a 100% stock swap basis. †¢ 11. Impact of the Deal The deal is very expensive The proposed amalgamation would substantially enhance branch network and presence in  northern and western India for ICICIBank of Rajasthan has a network of 463 branches and a loan book of 77.81 billion rupees ($1.7 billion).As on March 2009, BoR had 463 branches and 111 ATMs, total assets of Rs 17,224 crore, deposits of Rs 15,187 crore and advances of Rs 7,781 crore. †¢ 12. ICICI After merger PE ratio22.97 10/06/10EPS (Rs)36.10 Mar, 10Sales (Rs crore)5,826.98 Mar, 10Face Value (Rs)10 Net profit margin (%)9.74 Mar, 09Last dividend (%)120 26/04/10Return on average equity7.58 Mar, 09 1 millions = 10 lakhs 1 billions = 100 crores 1 trillions = 100,000 crores

Three Generation By Nick Quackin

CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERIZATIONS:Anastacia- the old lady who told the heantation to Agueda Agueda- the young lady who bravely to see his husband to be on the midnight of May Day eve. Badoy- the man who fell in love with Agueda and eventually became his wife.PLOT:The story is about a girl who happened to believe that he could see his husband to be on a May Day eve. It was an old wives take but it ought to be true when he married the man he saw on the mirror. In one part, Joaquin intends to present the circumstances of Agueda describing her encounter with the devil in the mirror to her young daughter. The child is keen in fact sees a similarity of his father to the description of the devil by her mother. The ambiguity of Agueda weeping towards the end renders innumerable possibilities. In yet another part Joaquin is more determined to show the circumstances of Don Badoy Montiya’s recollection of seeing a witch in the mirror. Teary eyed, he recalls to his grandson that he saw sta nding before the mirror the witch.Some have been guilty of looking at the story as a simple tale for little children, but Joaquin aims at something grander and loftier. His attention to present a man and a woman holding on to love until the death of them is worthy of note. His intention to exhibit the hazy romance of the old world, the quiet consummation of their love, itself an elevated thought, is a result of his great imaginative power. THEME:It was a love story that came in seemingly impossible superstitions.POINT OF VIEW:The author is the one who narrated the storySUMMARY:May Day eve of 1847 when Agueda tried to take a peek of the one she would  fated Mary. She walked down the living room and made the incantation when the young Badoy Montiya appeared before her. Agueda was really annoyed with Badoy and later on she had been offended and bit the knuckles of the young Badoy Montiya. Badoy wan to have revenge when he found himself falling in love with Agueda. Years have passed a nd they were already married and had a family. Agueda told her daughter what happened to that May Day Eve of 1847.Badoy reminisce on how he fell in love with Agueda on that evening, telling the story to his grandson. And the memories of him and her late wife keep coming back.SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE:According to the story, one could see his or her husband or wife to be when they peer in a mirror at the midnight of May Day eve. The superstion was said to be done at May Day eve and the story emphasizes the title May day eve. Three Generation by Nick Quackin SETTINGS:Philippines,1847 Philippines,1890CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERIZATIONS:Anastacia- the old lady who told the heantation to Agueda Agueda- the young lady who bravely to see his husband to be on the midnight of May Day eve. Badoy- the man who fell in love with Agueda and eventually became his wife.PLOT:The story is about a girl who happened to believe that he could see his husband to be on a May Day eve. It was an old wives take but it ought to be true when he married the man he saw on the mirror. In one part, Joaquin intends to present the circumstances of Agueda describing her encounter with the devil in the mirror to her young daughter. The child is keen in fact sees a similarity of his father to the description of the devil by her mother. The ambiguity of Agueda weeping towards the end renders innumerable possibilities.In yet another part Joaquin is more determined to show the circumstances of Don Badoy Montiya’s recollection of seeing a witch in the mirror. Teary eyed, h e recalls to his grandson that he saw standing before the mirror the witch. Some have been guilty of looking at the story as a simple tale for little children, but Joaquin aims at something grander and loftier. His attention to present a man and a woman holding on to love until the death of them is worthy of note. His intention to exhibit the hazy romance of the old world, the quiet consummation of their love, itself an elevated thought, is a result of his great imaginative power.THEME:It was a love story that came in seemingly impossible superstitions. POINT OF VIEW: The author is the one who narrated the story SUMMARY:May Day eve of 1847 when Agueda tried to take a peek of the one she would  fated Mary. She walked down the living room and made the incantation when the young Badoy Montiya appeared before her. Agueda was really annoyed with Badoy and later on she had been offended and bit the knuckles of the young Badoy Montiya.Badoy wan to have revenge when he found himself falli ng in love with Agueda. Years have passed and they were already married and had a family. Agueda told her daughter what happened to that May Day Eve of 1847.Badoy reminisce on how he fell in love with Agueda on that evening, telling the story to his grandson. And the memories of him and her late wife keep coming back.SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE:According to the story, one could see his or her husband or wife to be when they peer in a mirror at the midnight of May Day eve. The superstion was said to be done at May Day eve and the story emphasizes the title May day eve.

Aisha Rapant Essays (1576 words) - Literature, Absurdist Fiction

Aisha Rapant Essays (1576 words) - Literature, Absurdist Fiction Aisha Rapant Essay The Stranger Seeing past normality Albert Camus creates a series of characters in The Stranger whose personality traits and motivations mirror those that are overlooked by the average man. Camus develops various characters and scenarios that are considered rude and unpleasant, but because it has become common, society accepts it as norms. Camus incorporates atrocious personality traits of the characters, variety, consistency, and everyone's fate through the creation of the characters. Camus demonstrates the disregarded reason behind the origins of relationships between people to characterize people as selfish. The relationship between Salamano and his dog displays how Salamano as self-centered. When Meursault mentions, "He hadn't been happy with his wife, but he'd pretty much gotten used to her. When she died , he had been very lonely. So he asked a shop buddy for a dog and he'd gotten this one very young" (Camus, 44), the inconsideration is displayed. This evidence proves the wife's lack of importance towards Salamano , but along with time, he adapted to her, just like he did with the dog. After her death, he became lonely which supports the reason for him getting the dog. Not to love the dog, but instead to put an end to his loneliness. Another source of selfishness is shown through the relationship between Marie and Meursault. Meursault's lack of communication and the excess amount of physical contact desired and received is displayed by Meursault in the reference, "I kissed her. We didn't say anything more from that point on. I held her to me " (35). The textual support confirms that Meursault's purpose with Marie, for her physical appearance and not her personality. The relationship between Meursault and Raymond displays another representation of a person being egoistic in the novel. When Meursault states that " According to Raymond, all I had to do was to state that the girl had cheated on him. I agreed to act as a witness for him" (37), the contextu al evidence proves that Raymond only uses Meursault for his own benefit by making him his witness. In this relationship, Camus presents Raymond with selfish-like characteristics for using Meursault for his own benefit and not returning the favor to Meursault. Camus employs a change in routine, Meursault having food with other people, which reveals the unexpected cause for him becoming involved and encountering bad situations. Meursault mentions that "I ate at the restaurant, at Celeste's , as usual" (Camus, 3), which displays his every day routine. The principal factor of his everyday routine which involves food, usually took place at Celeste's . Meursault in the textual quote displays a shift in his food routine when mentioning, I've [Raymond] got some blood sausage and some wine at my place. How about joining me' (28)? Raymond's invitation leads up to him becoming involved in a faulty situation. Meursault mentions the situation when saying, "He'd thought of asking me to write it for him. Since I didn't say anything, he asked if I'd mind doing it right then and I said no" (32). Through the excuse of just having dinner with Raymond, it results in Meursault writing a letter to Raymond's ex-girlfriend. Later the letter cause s a quarrel which results in Meursault becoming a witness as well. Another instance of a change from Celeste's restaurant is when Meursault consumes coffee at his mother's funeral. Another change in routine is shown by Meursault when he mentions, "Then he offered to bring me a cup of coffee with milk. I like milk in my coffee, so I said yes, and he came back a few minutes later with a tray. I drank the coffee" (8). Instead of eating at Celeste's or drinking coffee there, Meursault decides to drink coffee at his mother's nursing home. During this time, he does not cry during his mother's funeral and many witnesses notice this fact. The result of not crying reappears during the court scene where they mention several times that he lacks emotions for not crying at his mother's funeral. With an alibi of lunch, Meursault goes to Masson's house and it leads him to becoming involved in a huge problem. Following with Masson's routine, "My wife always takes a nap

Era of Good Feelings Essay Example

Era of Good Feelings Essay Example Era of Good Feelings Essay Era of Good Feelings Essay A positive effect of the War of 1812 was that it sparked nationalism among the Americans. Although they were very unrecognized and split during the war, the result of this war causes them to unite and become proud to be Americans. First, there was a major incline in American literature and a decline in British literature. Most famously, Washington Irvin and James Cooper were among Americas first writers, and used American themes and scenes in their novels. Also the North American Review, a magazine, was published and sold many copies to the people. Before this war, American books were usually political such as Thomas Pains Common Sense. Secondly, this patriotism caused many men to Join the army and navy and help fight for America. This was good because now men felt like if they stood strong against British twice in war; they definitely were stronger than expected. This gave much hope to American and encouraged people to sign up as war soldiers. In 1815 Stephen Decatur won a series of battles in North Africa and made a famous toast that showed he was a proud American. Lastly, the demand for better transportation n America was huge evidence that Americans expressed nationalism for their country. They loved their country so much that they wanted to make It safer and nicer by making roads and canals. Most famously, the Erie Canal was completed In the year 1825 and made a huge step towards better transportation. This canal connected the Hudson River with the Great Lakes and allowed people and goods to move to and from destinations quickly and cheaply. All this nationalism made America Independent from Britain and It showed Britain that they were fine on their

Gene technology Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gene technology - Lab Report Example The plasmid is 3.5 kb in size (Fig.5). It has two ECoRI restriction sites, hence should break any recombinant DNA into two fragments, i.e. ~3.5 kb and the inserted DNA. In our experiment – There are three fragments of DNA which shows that the inserted PCR product must have one ECoRI site. The ECoRI site in the PCR product is placed almost in the middle breaking it into two fragments, viz. 600 bp and 800 bp (Fig. 6). Interpretation - It appears that the insert has two restriction sites for NCoI (Fig 7). But position of the sites would result in a DNA fragment smaller than 1.5 kb (the total size of the insert), the size discrepancy is difficult to explain. Interpretation – This result is totally unexpected! The bands corresponding to both the restriction enzymes, i.e. at 1.0 kb, 2.5 kb, 3.0 kb are there but in addition there are three other intermediate size DNA fragments. The bands appear to be intermediates produced due to impartial digestion of the recombinant by the two restriction enzymes. Reason – Concentration of the enzymes was less, time of incubation is less than optimum or incubation conditions were inadequate. Sufficient time should be given for the restriction enzymes to act on all the sites. ii. NcoI digestion (Lane 4) – the restriction sites appear to be different than mine (Fig 4a). The NcoI sites appear to be closer in the 16S rDNA extracted by this student and give rise to a DNA fragment of 600 bp. Janda M. and Abbott S.L. (2007). 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing for Bacterial Identification in the Diagnostic Laboratory: Pluses, Perils, and Pitfalls. J. Clin Microbiol. 2007 September; 45(9): 2761–2764. Khare N., Sharma D., Somashekar U., Prakash A., Prakash S., Mendki M.J. and Anvikar A. (2008). Detection of bacterial DNA in cholesterol gall stones. The Internet Journal of Surgery 16 (2). Available from

Write a report assessing the feasibility of different water techniques Essay

Write a report assessing the feasibility of different water techniques for providing fresh water to arid regions of the world - Essay Example anagement is required along with the implementation of specific techniques for providing fresh water particularly to the arid and semi-arid regions of the world (Kundzewicz & Mata 2007). â€Å"Only 2.5 percent of water on earth is fresh water, the remaining 97.5 percent is brackish or saline water† (Ragheb 2011: 1). The fresh water is present 0.4 percent in lakes and rivers, 30.9 percent as ground water, and 68.7 percent as snow and ice. A major requirement for water is in agriculture and food production, using three-quarters of the fresh water from rivers, lakes and aquifers. Further, water is essential in the production of energy by power plants which use billions of gallons of water per year to produce steam to power its turbines. There are over 21,000 desalination plants across About one-third of the land surface on earth is either arid with less than 250 mm of annual precipitation, or semi-arid with precipitation between 250 mm and 500 mm. The lack of freshwater resources hamper sustainable development in these regions. On the other hand, â€Å"growing population, increasing standard of living, and expanding opportunities exert increasing demands for varyied needs for water† (Singh, Sherif & Al Rashid 2002: ix) for agriculture, industry, waste disposal, power generation, navigation, transportation, recreation and other requirements. As a result of greater oil revenues, unprecedented economic and social transformation have taken place in the countries belonging to the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) which include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. On the other hand, these Gulf Cooperative Council countries face major challenges in water resource management. The main reasons include unsustainable use of ground water resources, lack of urban water demand management, institutional and legal constraints, and limited role of private sector. To address these issues, the government has formulated policy recommendations that includes