Monday, December 30, 2019

Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown And The...

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804 (Belasco). Hawthorne’s ancestry relates all the way back to the witch trials that took place in Salem during 1692 and 1693; his ancestor John Hathorne, was one of the three judges during the trials (Nathaniel Hawthorne). After Hawthorne graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825, he moved back to Salem and lived with his mother while he worked on his writing for the next twelve years (Belasco). During this time, he changed his last name, adding a â€Å"W† to it, to distance himself from those before him. Before his death, in 1864, he published many short stories two of which included â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†. In 1835, Hawthorne published â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† which is â€Å"perhaps the greatest tale of witchcraft ever written† (Nathaniel Hawthorne). And in 1836, Hawthorne wrote â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†, a story of an in-depth look at sin. Both of these short stories were written during a time when Puritanism was highly regarded and emphasized on all the communities. Puritanism started in England in the sixteenth century when a group of extreme Protestants separated from the Church of England (Bowden). Puritanism focuses on following the bible as if it is directions for life. A good portion of American Puritans lived in New England for more than two hundred years (Bowden). Puritanism is still around today but no as prominent and followed as it was during the time of Salem’sShow MoreRelatedSymbolism Is The Use Of Symbols To Signify Important Meaning1305 Words   |  6 Pagescontext. Hawthorne has several uses of symbolisms in his stories. Symbolism was very popular literary device during the Romantic period, where the object embodied some sort of idea. â€Å"The symbolism of his works focused on isolation and guilt of the individual, the uncertainties of good and evil, and the continual hold of the past on the present. Hawthorne focused on his Calvinist lineage and America s Calvinist ideological past, as well, in hopes of coming to terms and making sense of it. Hawthorne sRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown Essay1274 Words   |  6 PagesIn Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† the devil says, â€Å"Evi l is the nature of mankind† (â€Å"Young† 627). Since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and attempted to hide conceal their sin from God, humans have tried to hide their sin from others. Although everyone sin is human nature, everyone has a different reaction to sin. While some acknowledge sin, others ignore it. In Hawthorne’s other short story, â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† Father Hooper wears a black veil to represent the sin heRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown 1144 Words   |  5 PagesHawthorne s Ideal Woman In Nathaniel Hawthorne s short stories, Young Goodman Brown, The Minister s Black Veil, and The Birthmark, he provides us with female characters with very similar attributes, and they all have the same inhuman acceptance for the men they love. No matter what is thrown at these three unprecedented women they still show a extreme tolerance for their companions. While Goodman Brown, Mr. Hooper, and Aylmer struggle with their own appalling desires, their partners continueRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Minister s Black Veil 2532 Words   |  11 Pages If any single quality dominates the fiction of Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is a consistent fascination with the idea of human sin. This is explored and expressed in a wide variety of ways by him; a novel like The Scarlet Letter treats sin as more of a failing demanding understanding, while The House of the Seven Gables is a more complex treatment of sin, guilt, and redemption. So too do Hawthorne s short stories vary in how they address sin, but it remains clear that it is the core element of themRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Minister s Black Veil1975 Words   |  8 Pagesrealistic plot lines, morbid language, and many emotional torments. Nathaniel Hawthorne is well known for his contributions to this nineteenth century style. His works â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Ministers Black Veil† offer insight to the evil and dark sides of life that are lurking inside every human being and society. This evil is often formatted into the theme of sin, with much variation to each work. Whether Hawthorne describes selfishness, obsession, or even passion, the concealing ofRead MoreAnalysis Of `` The Scarlet Letter `` By Edgar Allen Poe892 Words   |  4 Pagesaround the same time also made an impact. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 to an old New England family who can be traced to old Salem. He is best known for his short stories like â€Å"The Birthmark† and â€Å"The Minister s Black Veil†; and the classic novel â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†. He died in 1864 on a tour of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Most of his stories takes place during puritan Massachusetts. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is such a story. It is about a young puritan man who has recently gotten marriedRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1777 Words   |  8 Pageswho wrote about this in his famous novels is Nathaniel Hawthorne. He came from a family of Puritans; therefore, he was well associated with that lifestyle. He applied the Puritan’s beliefs on Satan and witchcraft into his books – especially â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and The Scarlet Letter. Both of these amazing literary works involved people battling evilness every day. Their whole lives revolved around it. In the 1600’s, in The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne writes about a woman who committed adultery (somethingRead MoreSymbolism Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s Scarlet Letter And The Minister s Black Veil 1083 Words   |  5 Pagesof his writing counterparts, Nathaniel Hawthorne extensively uses symbolism in several of his major works to explore sin and human nature. The Scarlett Letter, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Minister s Black Veil† are all vivid examples of this exploration and are the focus of this analysis. Before discussing his works, it is important to explore Hawthorne’s background to better understand how they connect to his writing and to his use of dark romanticism. Hawthorne came from Puritan ancestry. HisRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown894 Words   |  4 Pagesread. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, I found several romanticism characteristics to be in this story. One being, the emphasis on feelings and emotions. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes, â€Å"The cry of grief, rage, and terror was yet piercing through the night, when the unhappy husband held his breath for a response.† The cry of anguish and pain are very applicable to the protagonist idea in this story. Brown also expresses feeling when he doesn t want to leave his wife Faith, but he feels that it s his role toRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Life And All The Things Going On1811 Words   |  8 Pages Nathaniel Hawthorne never really presented a solution to any of his protagonist’s problems, all we were left with questions of what is to become of them next? How did their actions help bring their problems to an end? These problems that aren’t solved are deep internal problems that can be solved by simply researching Hawthorne s life and all the things going on in his life around the time he wrote the story. Most of these problems are given to the protagonist because of problems Hawthorne face

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Transmission Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( Hiv )

Huge strides in the United States in controlling the rate of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been made resulting in a significant decrease of its incidence since the epidemic advent. During the epidemic’s height in the 1980s of the United States, the CDC estimated its incidence at about 150,000 new infections per year. This figure plateaued and dropped significantly during the 1990s due to introduction of highly effective antiviral treatments and due to a overall public cultural shift with promotion of HIV education, HIV testing, and condom use, especially among the LGBT community which was affected disproportionately by HIV infection. However, during the 2000s, a small, growing trend of incidence rates was seen,†¦show more content†¦It was estimated that between the years of 2006 and 2009 alone, the number of new HIV infections among all 13 to 24 year olds due to male-to-male sexual contact increased from 61% to 71%, respectively. This has many implications for public health efforts because previously those most affected by HIV infection were adult men who have sex with men (MSM). The current research and work to reduce HIV is therefore mainly aimed at the MSM population, which may not translate to curbing infection rates in YMSM. In fact, studies that have looked at individual risk factors (i.e. unprotected anal intercourse, or UAI) seen in MSM populations as associated to increased risk of HIV infection among YMSM have found large inconsistencies. Current theories in the literature suggest that individual characteristics, social norms, and behavioral patterns within the YMSM population are highly interrelated and evolving, and individually can not predict accurately who among the YMSM population is at most risk. One particular compounding variable is the growing use of technology. YMSM are using technology (i.e. GPS compatible smartphones) to seek sexual partners which is largely changing their constructed social enviro nment and relationship patterns. Therefore, there is a call to use a more multivariate model of risks to better understand useful preventative strategies to

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Many Faces of Oppression Free Essays

Tsitsi Dangarembga address several issues concerning women in her novel, Nervous Conditions. Three main issues include coming-of-age, colonialism, and patriarchy. They are all encountered by the central character, Tambu as she grows up in colonial Rhodesia. We will write a custom essay sample on Many Faces of Oppression or any similar topic only for you Order Now While living on the homestead with her family, Tambu witness the examples of oppression prevalent in her environment. The women in her immediate family are domesticated and for the most part uneducated. When Tambu learns of her aunt Maiguru†s education and â€Å"success†, she tries to ignore the potential images of the women on the homestead by working hard to go to school. Once she is granted an education with the help of her uncle, Tambu finds out that her aunt Maiguru is oppressed too, only in a different setting. Therefore the struggles women face are similar regardless of their class,or level of education. Tambu learns early about the oppression of women in the traditional patriarchal way of life on her homestead. For example, Tambu can not continue to go to school because her family lack the funds for her to go. However, her brother Nhamo is granted the right to go and is expected to do well. Their father boasts about his son†s education and gives him certain rights and privileges. Tambu resents the fact that her brother is able to get an education and she is not. She is constantly in conflict with Nhamo because of Nhamo†s arrogance. He retorts, â€Å"Did you ever hear of a girl being taken away to school? With me it†s different. I was meant to be educated† (Dangarembga, 49). Speeches like this contributes to Tambu†s increasing drive and desire for education. Tambu, seeking to break away from her oppression through education, asks her parents for maize seeds to raise her own crop and sell them for tuition. Her own mother†s years of oppression seeped into discouraging Tambu. My mother said being black was a burden because it made you poor†¦ [and] being a woman was a burden because you had to bear children and look after them and the husband† (Dangarembga, 16). Discouragingly the parents give the seeds to her and she raises her crop. She notices that her crop is coming up missing and finds out her brother was stealing them to keep her from going to school. However through determination and a little assistance, Tambu raises the funds for school. Her father, in an act of dominance tries to take the money away from Tambu†s education but is unsuccessful. Tambu gains a small victory in her journey to reach her dream. The death of Nhamo is a turning point in Tambu†s life. Because Nhamo was the only son in the family, Tambu took his place. Tambu is granted the chance to be a part of colonized life and the advantages it has over the poverty she has lived. All the whileTambu goes through her schooling she sets her sights to becoming what her aunt Maiguru seems to be. â€Å"She was altogether a different kind of woman from my mother. I decided it was better to be like Maiguru, who was not poor and had not been crushed by the weight f womanhood† (Dangarembga, 16). One of the examples Tambu is shocked to know is the oppression Maiguru encounters by obtaining her Masters Degree. Tambu is accustomed to the hierarchical forms of address which place women and children lower than men. She is surprised to know a woman can go that far and wonders why no one acknowledged her aunt†s degree. Again another example of oppression in Tambu†s family, especially the women, is that they didn†t like Maiguru acquiring that amount of education and therefore did not acknowledge her level of education. They did however,celebrate Babamukuru†s Master Degree constantly and gave all praises to him, even the women joined in. Another example of the oppression in a middle class household is Maiguru†s salary. Even though she had the education and the career in teaching, Maiguru never saw a penny of her earnings. They went directly to her husband. Even Maiguru shows her acceptance to this oppression by saying, â€Å"†¦ no one even thinks about the things I gave up. But that†s how it goes†¦ and when you have a good man and lovely children, it makes it all worth while† (Dangarembga, 102). Even though Maiguru was educated, she was still expected to marry and raise children, so her education only provided another way of serving her family. This confession disappoints Tambu because it shatters her image of Maiguru being an independent role model. Now, with the influence of her cousin Nyasha,Tambu must find and become her own image of an independent, educated woman. The patriarchal way of life in Rhodesia had many levels of oppression. From the poverty-stricken homesteads to the colonialized middle-class setting, women were being oppressed from something. Author Tsitsi Dangarembga, cleverly reveals these levels of oppression in Nervous Conditions. Main character Tambu is able to see some of these levels with her opportunity to go from her homestead to her uncle†s home while she grows and goes through school. She think she has escaped the oppression when her brother dies and she has the opportunity to leave home where oppression is prevalent. Tambu fails to see that oppression exist even in a colonized setting until she learns from her aunt and idol, Maiguru. Even with a high level of education and ability to make money, there was still the opportunity for oppression to exist, in Maiguru†s example, by not acknowledging educated women or having their earnings controlled by men. Although this realization now occurs to Tambu, she tries to find some other way to resist the oppression (refusing to go to her parents† wedding). Nervous Conditions is a great example of how women struggle regardless of class or level of education and whether they accept the oppression or resist it. How to cite Many Faces of Oppression, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Uber Case Study Analysis Samples for Students †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Uber Case Study Analysis. Answer: Case analysis: Elaborating more on the kinds of challenges that the company has faced in the past turbulent years, the toxic internal organizational culture can be considered. First of all, it has to mentioned that under the win at any cost leadership of Kalanick, one of the greatest setbacks of the business processmanagement had been the sexism and hard charging business dealings. There has been a huge disregard for maintaining equality and gender diversity in the organizational culture of the company and hence as a result the company suffered numerous harassment lawsuits. Many of the deserving female employees were subjected to bullying and male domination, even in case of promotional structure and remuneration (Larcker and Tayan 2017). In this case analysis, the issues that Uber has faced with their drivers, represents an acute leadership and operationalmanagement crisis as well. First and foremost it has to be mentioned that the company has treated its drivers like legally employed contractors instead of real employees. Initially the Uber drivers had the liberty to decide their own working hours, however within new and improved optimization plants of the company like UberEats and uberpool, there are many restrictions posed on the drivers in an attempt of optimization of the profits. However, the major flaw in this plan had been the complete autonomy given to the drivers to reject the trips is providing a greater conflict and confusion to the entire operational processes for both the service users and the drivers (Verschoor 2017). An alarming fact that has to be mentioned in this context is that the company despite being a 70 billion dollar enterprise, has not made any profit in the past year, the impact of which has been the gradual fall of the fare rates all across the year. The culmination of several restrictions and ever decreasing fares have been the fuel to spark the fire of revolt among the Uber drivers, leading to 50% driver turnover rate. Along with internal business problems, the company is knee deep in legal problems regarding service quality and consumer satisfaction as well. Uber is facing lawsuits regarding passenger accessibility, price fixing, passenger safety and background checks. There are various countries where Uber services have been banned, and yet, even in the hour of need, the company is slowly beginning to establish a stable market in the Asia, especially in Singapore. Although even running the business in the only prosperous market various accidents have been reported in Singapore si nce the launch in 2012. It has to be mentioned that the company is facing legal issues regarding intellectual property theft and even violation of various legal transportation laws, and still the innovative market strategies are still keeping the sinking ship afloat. Hence, from the case analysis, the need for a better leadership and managerial intervention is needed if the company has to revive any position in the market. Challenges and possible solutions: Although the need or better and more strategic leadership is conspicuous for this case study, it needs to be mentioned that above anything, for any strategic recommendation to work, the solution strategies for improving the profitability of Uber at this point needs to be targeted. Hence, each and every challenge needs to be identified and characterized before any solution can be implemented. Travis Kalanick undoubtedly had been a leader with vision, however he lacked planning and engagement with both the business and the employees (Matherne and OToole 2017). The former CEO had a win at any cost perception and he led the company in that direction only, and in the tryst, the company developed a habit of surpassing legislation and exploiting and legal loophole they could find. Due to the complete disregard to equality and justice in the organizational leader the company very easily drowned in harassment cases and discrimination. According to the Maheshwari (2017), the autocratic and som ewhat heroic leadership attributes of Kalanick had been effective in generating the path breaking initial success of the Company but soon the imbalance of power caused its demise (Edelman 2015). There are many leadership theories that can be discussed in this context to analyze and discover the most impactful contributing factors to the issues in the case study. The most applicable theory can be the leadershipmanagement style theory by Mintzberg (Mintzberg 2013). This theory had been coined by Henri Mintxberg who initiated the ideology if threes specific leadership roles. According to this theory, art, craft and science are the three core traits that together can make a true organizational leader. The component of art encompasses the traits of vision of the leader; in this particular role, the leaders are supposed to be bold, daring and volatile in the decision making. On the other hand, the component of craft deals with experience and expertise, where the leaders must show attributes like helpfulness, wisdom and reasonable decision making. Lastly, the component of science deals with the analytical capabilities of a leader, and it indicates for the organizational leaders to be calm and collected, controlled, serious and organized. According to the theory, leaning too much onto any of the roles might lead to disorganized, disconnected or dispirited leadership management, and there is need for optimal balance between all three of the roles for there to be harmonious and effective leadership. Now analyzing the case study of Travis Kalanick, the leader had qualities that only are related with the role of art, the lack of science and most important craft in his leadership style had been the most important challenge which led to the companys downfall (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel 2013). Recommendation strategies and action: According to the leadership management theory of Mintzberg, there are two antagonistic leadership approaches, one is heroic and the other one is engaging. Now heroic leadership is more related to the art and science component of the theory, here the leaders entertain a superiority in all decision making, do not share the decisive power and do not entertain change implementation. The leadership style of Kalanick had been heroic undoubtedly; however, there had been no fruitful results of this style. The antagonistic approach is engaging and is interrelated with the component of craft, which has already identified as the required leadership approach for the company (Mastracci 2015). The recommendation strategies should also focus on implementing engaging leadership. On a more elaborative note, engaging management deals with a helpful and compassionate picture of the managers. The workplace has a interactive and collaborative business process management and equality and shared decision m aking is a core structural element. Hence the recommendation strategies are: Hiring a new CEO with engaging leadership styles who will be able to implement the components of craft in the organizational scenario and develop a mutually respectful and trusting relationship among the employees (Holloway 2015). The next recommendation for the company is to implement legal implications for discrimination and harassment, so that the organizational culture can be revived. Customer oriented business process management can be a significant strategy that can improve the brand reputation and can turn in better revenues, hence the new leadership management must focus on better background checks and organized control over the drivers. Lastly, the company with its reputation and lawsuits has resulted in lack of employee engagement and loyalty, hence the new CEO has to be a motivational and transformation leader who can effectively regain the trust of the both of consumers and the employees (Jordan 2017). Conclusion: On a concluding note that can be mentioned that leadership and have a profound effect on how the business process management and the success of an organization will progress. Where is good management skills and leadership qualities can build an organization from a scratch and take it to the Pinnacle of success. The lack of proper for sight and engaging leadership the entire organisation can fall to pieces without the proper direction and guidance. The 1st year had been the greatest example of how leadership mistakes led to an astounding fall for Uber. However the recommendation solutions deduced with the help of management and leadership theories, the company can regain its position. References: Edelman, B.G., 2015. Whither Uber?: Competitive Dynamics in Transportation Networks. Holloway, C., 2015. Uber Unsettled: How existing taxicab regulations fail to address transportation network companies and why local regulators should embrace Uber, Lyft, and comparable innovators.Wake Forest J. Bus. Intell. Prop. L.,16, p.20. Jordan, J.M., 2017. Challenges to large-scale digital organization: the case of Uber.Journal of Organization Design,6(1), p.11. Larcker, D. and Tayan, B., 2017. Governance Gone Wild: Epic Misbehavior at Uber Technologies. Maheshwari, N., 2017. Uber taxi cab-handling crisis communication.Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies,7(4), pp.1-17. Mastracci, J.M., 2015. Case for Federal Ride-Sharing Regulations: How Protectionism and Inconsistent Lawmaking Stunt Uber-Led Technological Entrepreneurship.Tul. J. Tech. Intell. Prop.,18, p.189. Matherne, B.P. and OToole, J., 2017. Uber: aggressive management for growth.The CASE Journal,13(4), pp.561-586. Mintzberg, H., 2013.Simply managing: What managers doand can do better. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B. and Lampel, J.B., 2013.Management? It's not what you think!. Pearson UK. Verschoor, C.C., 2017. UBER culture causes big losses: harassment and mismanagement have led to steep losses for this high-flying company.Strategic Finance,99(3), pp.23-25.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Jeffrey Dahmer Essays

Jeffrey Dahmer Essays Jeffrey Dahmer Essay Jeffrey Dahmer Essay Most crimes that are committed during the normal daily activities of peoples lives is indicative of the Routine Activities Theory that gives Insight onto how Jeffrey Dammed was so successful In luring, raping, and murdering unsuspecting men from the local gay nightclubs in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Dammed had willingness and the ability to commit such heinous predatory crimes. He was motivated by a strong sexual desire for sexual gratification that deviated from the norm, evident by his method of killings and the amount of times these acts occurred. Dammed never used aggression in the omission of his crimes but rather a method of attack that would con his victims into lowering their guard making them mall targets for him. Dampers primary targets were drifters, locals, and prostitutes often exchanging alcohol and money for sexual favors. This can be the sole reason why so many men became Dampers victim because he targeted individuals who would voluntarily leave with him. As stated in the biography Dampers hot-spot for possible targets revolved around the gay-night clubs depicted in the film catered to Dampers sexual preferences. Typically in the eight-club scenario possible targets for violence are typically females making males not likely to be subjective to violence and as an onlooker In a club setting It Is difficult to differentiate the victim from the assailant in a gay male couple. Dampers character towards his victims was very routine and cunning making his victims typically prostitutes and locals susceptible to his method of persuasion. His targets were individuals who were easily persuaded by money and their non-awareness towards a possible harmful target made them even more likely to become one of his any victims. It Is reasonable to Infer that an Individual could have decreased their chances of factorization If they were more self- conscious and aware of the situation they were putting themselves into and not so trustworthy of a complete stranger. Jeffrey Dammed did not receive any monetary or emotional gain from his murders but rather a psychological gratification from the deviant acts of raping and murdering his victims while placing them in the submissive state his sexual urges craved for. Dammed lived a hedonistic lifestyle feeding Into his sexual urges despite the potential uniqueness for his actions as portrayed In the biography. Jeffrey Dammed did not Include the thought of government authoresses or the possibility of disappointing his family in his motive but rather focused on the comfort he found gaining power and control over his victims typical of most serial killers. The biography portrays the fact that after the murder of Steve Tommie, Dammed made the choice to completely give into his urges and pursue his deviant sexual pleasures of raping, murdering, and dismembering his victims. As Dampers sexual urges grew so did his appetite to kill and this was the driving factor that fueled his murders. Dampers ultimate goal was to have a completely submissive victim that would never leave him but naturally his human victims were prone to decay. It is reasonable to infer that his sadistic conquest for the perfect submissive victim lead him to new experiments like injecting acid into his victims brain along with differing forms of necrophilia and cannibalism. Dampers Intense sexual urges along with his inability to satisfy them led him awards the choice of hedonism which Is what drove him to continually commit these plant sexual acts. ) A criminologist Trot ten Classical cocoons would Touch on ten decisions Dammed made before his murders and whether he utilized his decision- making skills and if his murders were of his free-will. While a criminologist from the Positive school would believe that his acts of violence were not that of free-will but that it originated from a physiological predisposition internally that caused him to engage in these criminal acts. However, both schools ca n agree that Dampers bad rental upbringing was flawed evident by their numerous arguments throughout their marriage leading up to their divorce. Jeffrey Dammed is quoted in an interview stating l decided I wasnt going to get married because I never wanted to go through anything like that. Clearly Dampers parents inadvertently affected their sons behavior possibly contributing to his murders. I believe the Classical School of thought explains Dampers behavior more in-depth because it states that an offender will choose to commit crimes based on hedonistic decisions maximizing their leisure and minimizing their pain. Clearly stated in the film Jeffrey Dammed admits that his sexual urges completely dominated his life and as his sexual appetite evolved, it became detrimental to his lifestyle because of his inability to satisfy his urges. Also Jeffrey Dampers prosecutor Michael McCann states in the film that he realized the consequences of his actions and knew the difference of right from wrong in turn giving evidence that Dammed willingly made the rational decision to engage in the commission of these criminal acts. ) The argument of nature vs.. Return is a hotly debated topic and in the case of Jeffrey Dammed there is no clear distinction whether his criminal acts stemmed from either the Nature theory of a genetic predisposition that altered his behavior or the Nurture theory that he behaves a certain way in accordance to his upbringing. It is not definite what triggered Dampers motivations to kill but it can be inferred that a genetic defect of some sort could have caused his introverted behavior along with his intense fascination of road kill as a child. As stated in the film Jeffrey Dampers mother was hospitalized and treated for anxiety but prior to this diagnosis Joyce relied on many medications prior to Jeffrey birth because it was reported she had a very difficult pregnancy with Jeffrey. Difficult pregnancies have been correlated with difficulty bonding between a mother and newborn. It can be reasonable to infer that the medications she was prescribed and the difficult pregnancy she underwent could have inadvertently caused a genetic predisposition in his behavior. However, Jeffrey Dammed like many aerial killers in most cases shows detectable characteristics of murderers before puberty. Dampers intense fascination with dead animals was a clear sign but was misinterpreted by his parents who also contributed to his behavior by openly arguing and quarreling in front of him on numerous occasions. Dampers parents marital arguments scarred and inadvertently contributed to his introverted behavior, as stated in the film that he would retreat to the woods during his parents confrontations.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Triangle of forces (Engineering Science) Lab Report

The Triangle of forces (Engineering Science) - Lab Report Example Figure 2 on the left shows a space diagram in which only the lines of action of the forces are shown. On the right is the force or vector diagram in which sides of the triangle represent to scale the magnitude and also the direction of the three forces. Forces in the space diagram are designated by capital letters placed in the spaces on each side of the force, e.g. the force labelled ab in the force diagram is called AB in the space diagram. Note that the force AB emanates outward from the node. A force designated BA would be the opposite direction. Figure 3 on the left shows a space diagram (the position of the strings) in which only the lines of action of the forces are shown. The combination of weights (forces) taken are 70g, 70g, and 90g. On the right is the force or vector diagram in which sides of the triangle represent to scale the magnitude and also the direction of the three forces. The force 70g () is represented by vector in the, the force 70g () is represented by vector in the, and the force 90g () is represented by vector in the. From figure 3, it can be seen that the three forces,, and in equilibrium forms a triangle (approximately). The triangle is not closed because of measurement errors. Figure 4 on the left shows a space diagram (the position of the strings) in which only the lines of action of the forces are shown. The combination of weights (forces) taken are 90g, 70g, and 90g. On the right is the force or vector diagram in which sides of the triangle represent to scale the magnitude and also the direction of the three forces. The force 90g () is represented by vector in the, the force 70g () is represented by vector in the, and the force 90g () is represented by vector in the. From figure 4, it can be seen that the three forces, , and in equilibrium forms a triangle (approximately). Figure 5 on the left shows a space diagram (the position of the strings) in which only the lines of action

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Should United States governors balance their budgets by raising taxes, Research Paper

Should United States governors balance their budgets by raising taxes, cutting spending, or a combination of both - Research Paper Example It is only natural to realize that some things that have happened in the past will directly affect what happens in the future. Therefore, one has to consider specific scenarios that have occurred in the United States which began in the 1980s with the mergers, acquisitions, takeovers, and buy-outs. Nothing happens without future consequences. Mergers, acquisitions, takeovers, and buy-outs are all a part of the business â€Å"game.† It’s merle an exchange of ownership that commonly involves stocks and assets that are transferred to another owner in exchange for up front cash or stock options in most cases that benefit high level executives. The â€Å"game† presents no investment in the future of the company or corporation, its merle an exchange of wealth. This scenario contributes many problems to the current operating business atmosphere. Mergers bring about immediate economic problems that include, loss of markets to foreign competitors, continuing trade deficits, inadequate operating capital, declining productivity, debt heavy corporations, and loss of many jobs. The debt is due mainly to financing in order to carry out the merger. These problems plus lagging research and development add to the complications of business operations after the merger is finalized.Another factor that has played a significant role in the situation of state and federal government budgets now are government financial bailouts. The first of these was the Savings and Loan Bailout of 1989 due to more than half of America’s Savings and Loans failing between 1986 and 1989. This was primarily due to lax government lending policies. These business bailouts have directly affected the budget, deficits, and economic stability of our federal and state governm ents. The US passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act in October 2008 for a $700 billion financial sector bailout. This resulted in the bank rescue of 2008, which called for a $250 billion cash infusion into the banking system. The bailout of Bear Stearns in April 2008 ended in lending the firm $29 billion to JP Morgan to buy the troubled firm. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac collapsed in the late summer of 2008. The federal government committed up to $200 billion to save both these giant mortgage lenders. Also $100 billion in cash credits was guaranteed to each of them to prevent bankruptcy. In September 20089 the federal government took control of American International Group (AIG), who was one of the largest insurance companies in the world. The government took control of the company and guaranteed them $85 billion in loans. In addition, the government took a 70.9 percent equity position in AIG, making this the first time in history that the government controlled a private insu rance firm. These are all major contributors to the economic environment of today. Can the government continue to bail out troubled businesses and over-extend themselves’ with even more debt? Economics is unpredictable and no one can say what the future holds. But within this scenario, the federal and state budgets and deficits have to be controlled by some means. With these factors in mind, would an increase of taxes on a federal and state level fuel the growth of the economy? In retrospect the government must look for ways to cut budget spending with little or no detrimental feedback to private businesses and corporations. It’s the common public consensus that government, both federal and state, need to make cuts; and unnecessary government spending seems to be one option. There are several arguments about government bureaucracy, but its obvious that there is a great set up for civil servants. When hired, they are put on probation for one year, after that they are gr anted tenure unless they do something illegal or make an unforgiveable error; their job security is all but ensured. This alone, would prevent federal and state representatives from

Monday, November 18, 2019

Discussion Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discussion - Movie Review Example The painting specifically represented the most heartening horrors associated with war and the likely technological inhumane that is used as a critical warfare of the super powers. It serves to warn of the upcoming terrors and mishaps for the next generations regarding cross-border armed conflicts. This artistic work had a story to tell of the horrifying war event that had taken place earlier in the year during when German and French air forces unprecedently bombed a culturally significant village in Spain. The village got a horrifying ambush leaving the whole nation dismantled in terms of security and military operations. A lot of lessons and or messages come from this piece of work. First, from the painting we can clearly ascertain the bad sides of armed cross-border wars. It leaves innocent people dead, maimed or displaced from their homesteads. Second, it portrays how horrifying war can be to the victims. This means that apart from death and displacement, wars also maim the victims. Besides, the military personal show disorganization in a manner that they may not have time to retaliate. LÃ ©ger made a major artistic debut in 1913 in painting. During then, he managed to paint a series of abstract studies that he later referred to as Contrast of Forms. One of the motives for creating the paintings was to make an illustration of his theory that the strongest pictorial effects could only be achieved by juxtaposing contrasts of colour, of both straight and curved lines, and of both flat and solids planes. This is what culminated into one his lectures in 1914 on Contemporary Achievements in Painting. In the lectures, LÃ ©ger made comparisons between the contrasts in his painting and the landscape appearance of billboards. From the video, the narrator does not explain to the audience where and how LÃ ©ger began his artistic work, the progresses he made and how he ended up with the work after

Friday, November 15, 2019

Microfinance Institutions in Mediterranean Countries

Microfinance Institutions in Mediterranean Countries This paper examines empirically the relation between governance mechanisms and the performance of Euro-Mediterranean microfinance institutions (MFIs) in terms of outreach and sustainability. Specifically, we found that performance-based compensation of managers is not associated with better performance of MFIs. The results identify tradeoffs between MFIs outreach and sustainability depending on larger boards size, and on higher proportion of unaffiliated directors. Moreover, the study shows that the more women there are on a board the better the performance, and reveals that external governance mechanisms help MFIs to achieve better financial performance. This study also allows us to distinguish other factors leading to a better sustainability such as Regulation, the use of individual lending methodology. However, the MFIs active as NGOs seem to be more consistent with their social mission than with their financial performance. 1. Introduction Microfinance is the provision of financial and non financial services to the poor who are excluded from financial/credit markets because they are considered unbankable. Indeed, microfinance institutions has evolved primarily as a consequence of the efforts individuals and assistance agencies committed to the idea of ensuring that the poor people has access to some form of credit. The majority of MFIs claims having a dual mission of reaching poor borrowers (outreach), and being financially sustainable (sustainability). While the social goals of reaching the poorest and poverty alleviation are valid, financial sustainability has emerged as one of the core management and governance issues. The shrinking resources base for donor funds to support the increasing demand for grants and soft loans implies that MFIs will eventually have to support themselves (Ledgerwood, 2000). However, their sustainability will focus on governance structures within the industry. Indeed, as M Labie (2000) observes, in the last decade corporate governance principles have imposed themselves as the basic rules for any well Run Company to follow. The trend has however transcended from traditional business companies but is now part of the globalization process often seen as a tool for standardizing the controlling vision for any major organization in the world. The drive towards Governance has been propelled by a number of factors particularly the collapses of some of the major players in the Industry, the influx of private Equi ty and fall in donor funding. Governance is about achieving corporate goals. The fundamental purpose of MFIs is to contribute to a country development. This involves reaching out to more clients especially the poor (Helms, 2006; Johnson et al., 2006). Not least but now growing in importance especially among donors is the requirement that MFIs achieve financial sustainability. Microfinance practitioners assert that good governance is the key to a successful MFI (Campion, 1998; Rock, Otero Saltzman, 1998; Labie, 2001; CGAP, 2006; Helms, 2006; UN, 2006). In spite of these observations, only few studies have focused on governance and the examination of the linkage of various governance mechanisms and performance (McGuire, 1999). It seems relevant to examine closely the role of various governance mechanisms since MFIs managers control significant resources. Except the study of Hartarska (2005), and those of Mersland, Roy and Strà ¸m, Reidar Øystein (2007), and Cull et al., (2007), no more study attempt to shed light on the link between governance and performance especially in the Euro-Mediterranean countries although it is a very active zone with a microfinance industry quite diverse (NGO, NBFI, Bank) where actors should simultaneously pursue the most effective way of realizing their social objective while achieving superior levels of profitability. While exploiting recently conducted survey by the authors in order to study the efficiency of MFIs in Mediterranean countries, the annual financial reports of the microfinance institutions and other relevant information collected from Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), this paper aim to investigate the link between governance and Euro-Mediterranean MFIs performance in terms of outreach and sustainability since governance guides an institution in fulfilling its corporate mission and protects the institutions assets over time. As Rock, R, Otero, M Saltzman, S (1998) notes it is a key in guiding management in strategic issues and in carrying out the agreed upon strategic plans. The empirical model explores the joint and individual effect of management compensation, board diversity, and external governance mechanisms on both MFI sustainability, and the depth and breath of outreach while controlling for individual characteristics and, as well as country specific factors. The result s show that performance-based compensation does not improve performance. MFIs with larger boards seem to do better. More independent boards are more effective however. Board diversity (Higher proportion of women) seems to ameliorate outreach. External governance mechanisms especially auditing and regulation improve the financial sustainability. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Section 2 deals with the research context. Section 3 briefly reviews the few related studies. Section 4 presents the conceptual framework as well as working hypothesis. Section 5 looks at data description and methodology. Section 6 discusses the empirical findings, and Section 7 draws conclusions emanating from the findings. 2. Microfinance in Mediterranean Experience throughout the world has proven that microfinance help the poor to increase income, built their business, and secure their future by reducing their vulnerability to external shocks. Furthermore, microfinance is often a powerful tool for empowering the poor especially women, to take charge of their economic well-being and those of their families. The Euro-Mediterranean region consists of 21 countries. The microfinance industry in this zone is young with high growth potential. Currently, it is estimated that there are over sixty microfinance institutions (MFIs NGOs), and a potential of numerous other producing credit to poor microentrepreneurs (Ben Soltane, 2008). The majority of these programs are south of the Mediterranean (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Syria). Programs also exist in Spain, France, Italy, Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia, and Croatia (Figure 1). Morocco AMSSF, FMBC, KARAMA, AL AMANA, ZAKOURA Turkey MAYA Bosnia Bossel, EKI, MI-Bospo, MIKRA, Women For Women Palestine FATEN, UNRWA Italy FRD, 10 Talenti Fond S.M.Soccorso Fond S.G.Moscati Tunisia ENDA, BTS Spain CODESPA, WWB Spain Egypt ESED, Lead foundation, DBACD, Al Tadamun France CSDL Albania PSHM, USCA Croatia DEMOS Lebanon Al Majmoua, Ameen, CHF-AM Jordan MFW, AMC, JMCC,DEF Kosovo P4, Meshtekna, Grameen Trust Figure1  [1]  : MFIs delivering microcredit in the Mediterranean. Euro-Mediterranean MFIs aim to provide financial services to low income households, even the extremely poor in a participatory and non-paternalistic development approach to the great interest of the donor community, policy makers, development researcher and practitioners. According to the so-called win-win proposition MFIs should combine the socials goals, such as poverty alleviation and reaching poor households (outreach) with operational and financial self-sufficiency (sustainability) based on access to international financial markets independently from international development agencies. Therefore, MFIs should simultaneously pursue the most effective way of realizing their social objective while achieving superior levels of profitability. The regions top MFIs are openly committed to best practice microfinance. In terms of depth of outreach, the sector has generally moved towards serving more and more of the poor clients. According to the FEMIP and Sanabel study, the Mediterranean represents a potential market for the microfinance with nearly 40 million customers, whereas currently only 9 million people profit from the financial assistance of the companies operating in this sector. The number of borrowers increased of more than 43 % per annum between 2004 and 2006, against 20% on a worldwide scale, an indication that the sector as a whole is reaching more of the marginalized in the society. The regions top MFIs have proven also to have excellent leadership abilities, impressive outreach and growth, as well as a commitment to best practice microfinance. Furthermore, it is estimated that around 85% of the regions active clients are served by sustainable MFIs. 3. Literature review Governance in microfinance has been recognized to be an important issue. However, the biggest problem to microfinance practitioners has been balancing the dual mission of outreach and sustainability. The changing of microfinance environment has shown a move towards sustainability ultimately leading to governance issues as donors funds shrink and equity inflows increase in the microfinance sector. Microfinance institutions have therefore embraced boards and adopted principles of corporate governance to ensure their survival. Investigating the link between good governance and the performance of MFIs in terms of outreach and sustainability is crucial since governance guides an institution in fulfilling its corporate mission and protects the institution assets over the time. However, there is a limited academic studies dealing with this subject, partly due to the lack of data. While using three surveys of rated and unrated east European MFIs from three random samples in the period 1998 to 2002, Hartarska (2005), investigates the relation between governance mechanisms and financial performance. Financial performance and outreach constitute dependant variable dimensions and governance mechanisms include board characteristics, managerial compensation, and external governance mechanisms such as rating, financial statements audited, and supervision. The author finds that performance-based compensation of managers is not associated with better performing MFIs; lower wages suggested for mission-driven organization worsen outreach. She identify also that a more independent board has better ROA, but a board with employee directors gives lower financial performance and lower outreach. Finally, the author concludes that external governance mechanism seems to have a limited role in the study region. In a recent study, Mersland, Roy and Strà ¸m, Reidar Øystein (2007), use a self constructed global data set on MFIs spanning 57 countries collected from third-partly rating agencies. The authors study the effect of board characteristics, ownership type, competition and regulation on the MFIs outreach to poor clients and its financial performance. They found that split roles of CEO Chairman, a female CEO, and competition are important explanation. Moreover, the authors found that larger board size decrease the average loan size, while individual guaranteed loan increase it. Finally, they conclude that there is no difference between nonprofits organizations and shareholder firms in financial performance and outreach. A third study conducted by Cull et al., (2007) looking at MFIs financial performance and outreach as well, with a focus on lending methodology  [2]  , controlling for capital and labour cost as well as institutional features. While using data from 124 rated MFIs, the authors found that MFIs that focus on providing loans to individuals perform better in terms of profitability. Yet, the fraction of poor borrowers and female borrowers in the loan portfolio of these MFIs is lower than for MFIs that focus on lending to groups. The study suggests also that individual-based MFIs, especially if they grow larger, focus increasingly on wealthier clients, a phenomenon termed as mission drift. This mission drift does not occur as strongly for the group-based MFIs. However, no governance variables, such as board characteristics or ownership type are taken into consideration. The limited academic investigation into the link between governance mechanisms and performance of MFIs in terms of outreach and sustainability, and the fact that other governance mechanisms such as the proportion of women in the board remain unexplored justify the importance of a similar study in the Euro-Mediterranean zone, characterized by a very active and quite diverse microfinance industry, that complete formers studies. 4. Conceptual framework and working hypothesis While focusing on the microfinance field, the governance can be defined as the process of guiding an institution to achieve its objectives while protecting its assets. It refer to the mechanisms though which donors, equity, investors, and other providers of funds ensure themselves that their funds will be used according to the intended purposes (Hatarska, 2005). The presence of these control mechanisms is crucial either to align the interests of managers and providers of funds since they may have diverting preferences and objectives, or to monitor the performance of managers to insure that they use their delegated power to generate the highest possible returns for the providers of funds. This notion comes from the agency perspective. It found its origins in the work of M. C. Jensen and W. H. Meckling, 1976 who assimilate the firm to a node of contracts. The explanatory model of the structures of financing and shareholding is founded on the assumption of asymmetry of information and c onflicts of interests between managers and providers of funds. According to M. C. Jenson and W. H. Meckling, agency relationship is a contract under which one or more persons (principal) engage another person (agent) to perform some service on their behalf, which involves delegating some decision-making authority to the agent  [3]  . In this case the relation of agency will relate the principal (owner) and his agent (manager), this last being engaged to serve the interest of the first. From these relations emanates the concept of agency costs, costs which result from the potentially opportunist character of the actors (moral hazard) and information asymmetry between the contracting ones (adverse selection). These agency costs represent the loss in value compared to an ideal situation where there is no information asymmetry and conflict of interests. According to the theorist of agency an organisation is considered efficient if it minimise the agency costs. This purpose can be in tended though an effective governance mechanism. According to Keasey et al., 1997, the most important features of an effective governance framework are ownership structure (including institutional and managerial ownership), CEO (manager) and director (board member) remuneration, board structure (size and composition), auditing, information disclosure, and the market for corporate control. Usually, research literature related to this field use partial measures. In other words, governance studies treat separately the impact of each variable such as compensation, board size, independence and diversity, and external market forces on firm performance. However, since latest studies (Hermalin Weisbach, 2003) identify the complementarities, and the correlation between these mechanisms, this study will investigate the impact of the majority of these mechanisms excluding ownership due to lack of data on ownership structure. The most important attribute that distinguishes microfinance institutions from other is what has come to be called its dual mission of balancing a social agenda or social impact with its financial objectives. The MFI combine a social development mission (provision of financial services to the lowest income population possible), with a financial objectives that drives the institution to achieve self-sufficiency and thereby accomplish sustained service delivery without dependence on subsidies. These dual objectives (social: outreach, and financial: sustainability) make difficult the study of governance of MFIs, especially with their different types: Non profit, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), For-profit Microfinance Institutions, Credit Unions. This challenge is surmounted by formulating and testing hypothesis based on insights from the literature on corporate governance, formers studies, governance in banks and in non profit organizations, and by estimating the impact of the go vernance mechanisms on both sustainability and outreach. 4.1. Internal Governance mechanism The incentives of top management have been characterized as an important mechanism of corporate governance as it ensures the alignment of the management and the shareholders interest (John et al., 2004). In other words, it serves as a mechanism for resolving the conflict of interest among the managers and shareholders. Brick, Palmon and Wald (2006) highlighted that director compensation should also affect performance of a firm. With regards to banking institutions, higher-powered incentives may encourage managers to take higher risks at the expense of depositors, who would suffer if the institution fails; thus low pay-performance sensitivity is suggested (John John, 1993). In fact, it is proved by Adams Mehran, 2003; Houston James, 1995; John Qian, 2003, that pay-performance sensitivity in banking in lower than other industries. Since in non-profit firm there is a growing problem of informational asymmetry between clients and managers (i.e., managers possess many crucial information about the product), it seems that the fixed management salaries is the best choice for mission-driven organizations (Easley OHara, 1998). With the fixes salaries, the managers, indifferent between telling the truth or lying, will find it in his benefit to tell the truth. Therefore, if the client and donors find the information provided by non-profit managers more credible, the firm will be better-funded and better-performed. Hypothesis 1. MFIs whose manager receives a fixed salary will not perform worse than MFIs whose managers receive performance based remuneration. Most guidelines recognize that the board of directors is the focal point corporate governance. The composition and structure of the board have a direct bearing on corporate governance. Board of directors is designate for the purpose of ensuring the alignment of the firm activities and its specified objectives. The board has the duty for making sure that the top managers are behaving in a way that will provide the optimal value for shareholders (Coles et al., 2001). There is a view that larger boards are better for corporate performance because they have a range of expertise to help make better decisions, and are harder for a powerful CEO to dominate. However, recent thinking has leaned towards smaller boards. Jensen (1993) and Lipton Lorsch (1992) argue that large boards are less effective and are easier for a CEO to control. When a board gets too big, it becomes difficult to co-ordinate and process problems. Smaller boards also reduce the possibility of free riding by individual directors, and increase their decision taking processes. Empirical research supports this. For example, Yermack (1996) documents that for large U.S. industrial corporations, the market values firms with smaller boards more highly. Eisenberg et al. (1998) also find negative correlation between board size and profitability when using sample of small and midsize Finnish firms. In Ghana, it has been identified that small board sizes enhances the performance of MFIs (Kyere boah-Coleman and Biekpe, 2005). Mak and Yuanto (2003) echo the above findings in firms listed in Singapore and Malaysia when they found that firm valuation is highest when board has five directors, a number considered relatively small in those markets. In a Nigerian study, Sanda et al (2003) found that, firm performance is positively related with small, as opposed to large boards. Hypothesis 2. Board size should have an inverse correlation with MFIs performance A third common monitoring mechanism advocated by the agency perspective is a board composed of a majority of independent directors. These non-executive or outside directors are believed to provide superior benefits to the firm as a result of their independence from firm management. Under this organizational design, conflicts of interest can be avoided and executive leaders can be evaluated more objectively. The literature suggested that increases in the proportion of outside directors on the board should increase firm performance as they are more effective monitors of managers (Adams and Mehran, 2003). The proportions of the outside directors can be measured in terms of the ratio of outside directors to board size. The positive aspect of having board independence was evidenced in a study by Byrd et al (2001) that highlighted the survival of firms in the thrift crisis due greater proportion of independent directors in the board. Kyereboah-Coleman and Biekpe (2005) found also a positive relationship between proportion of outside board members and performance of MFIs in Ghana. Hypothesis 3. MFIs performance will be affected positively by the proportion of non-affiliated outsiders on the board. Corporate governance literature argues that board diversity in terms of women and minority representation is potentially positively related to firm performance. Board diversity promotes a better understanding for the market place, increases creativity and innovation, produces mores effective problem solving, enhances the effectiveness of corporate leadership, and promotes effective global relationships (Robinson and Dechant, 1997). Fondas and Sassalos, 2000 argue that diversity in board composition via greater female representation will lead to improved board governance and top management control. In microfinance, the study of Coleman, 2006 show that having women in CEOs on MFI boards enhance performance and also the more the women there are on a board, the better the performance. Furthermore, having a high fraction of women in the board would help the MFI understand its customers better so as to separate the good risk from the bad (Mersland R. et Oystein Strom R. 2007). Hypothesis 4. Board diversification and the presence of women and minority will lead to a better performance of MFI. Another principle of effective bank supervision is effective internal audit. Internal audit helps to identify problem areas and to avoid major collapse. The internal board auditor provides independent, objective assessments on the appropriateness of the organizations internal governance structure and the operating effectiveness of specific governance activities. Reporting of all internal audit reports in an accurate and timely manner is essential for evaluation of the institutions status and need for any change in strategy. Policy papers for MFIs stress the importance of internal audit and recommend that the internal auditor reports directly to the MFI board (Steinwand, 2000). Hypothesis 5. MFI allowing their internal auditors to report directly to the board should show higher financial performance. 4.2. External Governance Mechanisms The external governance mechanism can be implemented as a result of the failure or the weakness of internal governance mechanisms. In the microfinance industry donors and creditors are increasingly relying on information from audited financial statement and rating agencies (Hartarska, 2005). These external governance mechanisms are an important mechanism that provides depositors, creditors and shareholders with credible assurances that they will refrain from fraudulent activities. In other words it reduces informational asymmetries between the different stakeholders and the firm (Healy Palepu, 2001). Audited financial statements are an important tool for the assessment of MFIs by regulators and capital markets. They form an important part of the effective corporate governance. The auditors role is to provide a disinterested an objective view of the financial statements of the MFI in the line with generally accepted accounting standards. It is a mean to ensure potential investors and donors that an MFI complies with the accounting practices and managers do not misrepresent financial information. Hypothesis 6. MFIs with financial statement audited achieve better performance than MFIs without financial statement audited. According to Hartarska (2005), in the absence of developed equity and debt market, donors and investors rely on independent evaluation of MFIs performance. A MFIs rating reflects a rating agencys opinion of entitys overall creditworthiness and its capacity to satisfy its financial obligations. The raters evaluate objectively and independently the corporate governance in MFI and rank it on a relative rating scale that would facilitate comparison. Unlike typical rating agencies that rate the riskiness of issued debt, microfinance rating agencies rate the overall performance of the MFI in terms of outreach and sustainability. Hypothesis 7. Rating helps MFIs to achieve better results Many MFIs around the world operating as NGOs have increased their assets, reorganized, and transformed into regulated entities that can capture savings deposits. A regulated MFI has more chance to earn customer trust, and by the way to have a higher financial performance. Hence, regulation is crucial for microfinance sector development since it affect MFI performance by changing the internal rule of the organization. It implies the access to an important and low-cost funding source through the right to mobilise savings. Due to this effect, the MFI win the opportunity to increase the number of clients, but also to increase average loan amounts for existing borrowers. Moreover, if demands to fulfill regulatory requirements divert attention away from serving the poor, and hold back innovation in lending technology that has been the driving force behind MFIsability to serve even poorer borrowers, regulatory involvement will lead to mission-drift (Hartarska, 2007). Therefore, the effects upon depth and breadth in outreach may be uncertain as well, either upon depth or breadth, or a combination of the two (Mersland R. Oystein Strom R. 2007). Hypothesis 8. Regulation may guide the MFIs to fulfill better sustainability, but not to achieve better outreach. 5. Data and methodological issues Data for this study are issued from various sources. The major part comes from a survey conducted by the author in 2006 in order to test the efficiency of microfinance institution in Mediterranean (Ben Soltane, 2008). The performance variables and some governance variables are also obtained from the annual financial reports of the microfinance institutions collected from Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX); a non governmental organization whose object is to promote the exchange of information on the microfinance sector around the world  [4]  . All these information are updated and completed by a questionnaire dealing fundamentally with detailed question on governance addressed to the MFIs in the region. The response rate was 58% with 40 institutions. A special questionnaire was also addressed to the Mediterranean microfinance institutions that dont figure in the MIX MARKET data base. The response rate for these MFIs was weak and near 20%, with four institutions. Due to missed data, only two institutions are taken into account. The final sample comprises 42 institutions working in 20 countries. Our sample is quite representative of the Mediterranean microfinance industry as well as of the governance mechanisms and the performance of MFIs in the region. Following Hartarska (2005) works, our empirical model used to test the hypothesis include five major potential groups of determinants and is on the form: Where is a performance variable for MFI i in country j at time t; are MFI specific variables; are management specific variables; are board-specific variables, are external governance mechanisms; and are the country-specific macroeconomic variables. It is crucial to mention at this level that our choice of a single-equation model is supported by the hypothesis that various governance mechanisms are endogenously determined is not always supported by empirical evidence  [5]  . Since MFIs are special institutions having a dual mission, their performance is measured in terms of outreach and sustainability. Outreach is measured in breath and depth. Breach of outreach (NAB) is the logarithm of active borrowers, depth of outreach (DEPTH  [6]  ), is the average loan size on GDP per capita. Sustainability is measured by return on assets (ROA) which is a standard finance literature measure of performance, and by operational self-sufficiency (OSS). This variable measures how well the MFI can cover its costs through operating revenues. Table 1. Definitions of dependent variables used in analyses Variable Explanation Social Performance: Outreach NAB Logarithm of the number of current borrowers DEPTH The average loan size on GDP per capita Financial Performance: Sustainability ROA Return On Assets OSS Operational Self-Sufficiency MFI specific variables () are MFI size measured by the logarithm of total assets, MFI age measured in years sine commencement, and MFI type measured by three dummies (NGO, Nonbank Financial Institution, and bank). Since further studies (Navagas, Conning, Gonzalez-vega, 2003) show that the type of lending methodology used influences the success of these organization, our study include a variable Individual which is a dummy that takes the value of one if the MFI used individual lending technology. Variables built-in are Fixed-wage, which is a dummy for pay not based on performance, Experience is used to proxy for a mangers quality and is measured by the years of work experience. The board-specific variables contains Board-size, measured by the number of board members; Employees measured as the proportion of MFI employees who are voting board members; Independent measured as the proportion of non-affiliated board members; Women measured as the proportion of women in the board; Internal Board Auditor is a dummy variable that takes the value of one if there was an internal auditor with direct access to the board. The variables included in are Regulation, which is a dummy that takes the value of one if the MFI was supervised by the central bank or other bank supervisory agency; Rated is a variable that indicates whether the MFI was subject to independent evaluation or rating by an outside organization; Audited is a dummy that take also the value of one if there was an audited financial statement in the year t-1. Since MFI are issued from north and south of the Mediterranean, the dissimilarity in economic conditions across countries are controlled by the size of the economy (Economy size), measured by the logarithm of a countrys GDP, and by the average inflation rate (Inflation), measured by the average consumer price index. These variables are issued from the World Bank Development Indicators. We wanted also to build a variable that take account of the institutional differences between countries but we did not find an adequate measure. Table 2. Definitions of independent variables used in analyses Variable Explanation Fixed-wage<

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Hero in Ernest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises :: Hemingway Sun Also Rises Essays

The Hero in The Sun Also Rises      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Prevalent among many of Ernest Hemingway's novels is the concept popularly known as the "Hemingway hero", or â€Å"code hero†, an ideal character readily accepted by American readers as a "man's man". In The Sun Also Rises, four different men are compared and contrasted as they engage in some form of relationship with Lady Brett Ashley, a near-nymphomaniac Englishwoman who indulges in her passion for sex and control. Brett plans to marry her fiancà ©e for superficial reasons, completely ruins one man emotionally and spiritually, separates from another to preserve the idea of their short-lived affair and to avoid self-destruction, and denies and disgraces the only man whom she loves most dearly. All her relationships occur in a period of months, as Brett either accepts or rejects certain values or traits of each man. Brett, as a dynamic and self-controlled woman, and her four love interests help demonstrate Hemingway's standard definition of a man and/or m asculinity. Each man Brett has a relationship with in the novel possesses distinct qualities that enable Hemingway to explore what it is to truly be a man. The Hemingway man thus presented is a man of action, of self-discipline and self-reliance, and of strength and courage to confront all weaknesses, fears, failures, and even death.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Jake Barnes, as the narrator and supposed hero of the novel, fell in love with Brett some years ago and is still powerfully and uncontrollably in love with her. However, Jake is unfortunately a casualty of the war, having been emasculated in a freak accident. Still adjusting to his impotence at the beginning of the novel, Jake has lost all power and desire to have sex. Because of this, Jake and Brett cannot be lovers and all attempts at a relationship that is sexually fulfilling are simply futile. Brett is a passionate, lustful woman who is driven by the most intimate and loving act two may share, something that Jake just cannot provide her with. Jake's emasculation only puts the two in a grandly ironic situation. Brett is an extremely passionate woman but is denied the first man she feels true love and admiration for. Jake has loved Brett for years and cannot have her because of his inability to have sex. It is obvious that their love is mutual when Jake tries to kiss B rett in their cab ride home: "'You mustn't.