Monday, December 9, 2019

Economic of Banking and Finance Transaction Cost Theory

Question: Discuss about the Economic of Banking and Finance for Transaction Cost Theory. Answer: Introduction The following report discusses about the role of financial market, financial intermediary, and the financial securities in the financial system of the company. Credit lending is an accounting term either it decrease the assets or increase the liability. Thus, lender checks the revenue and the financial position of the borrower. Moreover, this report discusses the role of asymmetric information before and after the transaction made. There are many problem and issue with the DBS bank at the time of transaction, which is resolve with the help different theories like transaction cost theory, delegated monitoring theory and economic scale theory. This report also discusses the key business activities of the Noble group and role of financial market and financial securities in the financial system of the company. Academic Review With the increase in economic activities in any country, it becomes necessary that strong and healthy financial system is in place to support such activities. Kunt et al. (2011) and may other scholars validate the financial systems and their components hold importance in facilitating smooth conduction of business activities for economic development. Adrian and Shin (2010) propose that financial intermediaries can play an important role in ensuring that all rules, regulations and diligence is followed while conducting financial transactions of the business especially those that are heavily engaged in money and capital markets. This will involve taking appropriate measure before and after lending, reducing information asymmetry and act as an agent during any conflict. Financial Intermediary Financial intermediary hold a very important role in the flow of money in the financial world. A financial intermediary is an institution or individual that acts as a middle man between two parties at the time of financial transaction, such as commercial bank, investment bank, and mutual funds. A financial intermediary is typically a bank that provides the funds to the user of funds (Dilley, 2012). Financial intermediary can offer different types of benefit to the average customer such as- safety, liquidity and economies of scale. Bank is a financial intermediary that provides a dazzling variety of financial service. Role of Financial Intermediary Being a Financial intermediary, DBS bank plays several roles as a financial intermediary. It repackages the deposits of the investor into loans, which are provided to the firms. Through the implementation of this, small deposits of the individual consolidated in the form of large amount to firms. Bank diversifies the loans among several borrowers, because it has so much money. In this way, bank increase its ability to identify the individual defaulted loans by reducing the risk of loan defaulter (Golin and Delhaise, 2013). As a financial intermediary bank provides information to the market participants, by which they make the decision about the deposits. Further, financial intermediary is providing external finance to the firms that are new and it required funds to establish their business. Credit Lending Credit landing is the amount of money that lent to an individual or any firm for their personal, family, household, and business purpose. This loan is monitored by the government regulatory agencies for their compliance. Credit lending is contractual agreement in which borrower receive some amount and agrees to repay it to the lender at some date in future with the interest (Property Metrics, 2016). Credit lending is an accounting term that either decrease asset or increase liability of the business. Cautions in Credit Lending Being a financial intermediary, DBS bank cautions some factor, while lending money to its customers. In the present market context, lender is checked the financial condition and market condition of the borrower for successfully complete the proposed project at time. Apart from this, Lender checks the business revenue and annual income of the customer before lending money to borrower. Through the implementation of this, bank should find out the credit worthiness position of the customer (Ansaloni, 2012). In addition to caution in credit lending, bank should check the background position of the customer under which bank check the liquidity risk, defaulter risk, and interest risk in context of customer. Asymmetric Information Asymmetric information is a very important concept that is widely used in the financial world. It refers that one party has more or better information than the other party when making transactions. Improper information is the reason of an imbalance of power. Role of Asymmetric Information Lack of information causes for the economic imbalances that result in adverse selection and moral hazards problems occurs. Under the adverse selection, sellers have more information about the product. If the quality cannot be measured, the buyer is willing to pay high price that reflects the average quality (Greebbaum et al., 2015). In the Moral hazard, action is taken by the borrower. This problem occurs after the transaction is made. For this reason, it reduces the probability that loan will repaid. Measures before Loan Granted Due to the asymmetric information, DBS bank has to follow some measures before granting loan to the borrower such as- Liquidity, data sharing, profitability, safely and security, purpose of the borrow amount, sources of repayment and social responsibility. Credit referencing is a very important tool by which bank can avoid the problem of Asymmetric information (Schwalbe, 2012). Under this, bank must rank to the firms on the basis of their repayment ability. Measures after Loan Granted Being a financial intermediary, DBS bank has to measure some information after the transaction is made. Bank has to check regularly the financial updates of the borrower. In addition to this, there are many factors which are measured by the lender after the loan granted such as- market value of the collateral security, business plan of the borrower, financial details and market position of the business (Onyiriuba, 2015). Problems / Issues in Lending There are many problems/ issues occur with the DBS bank such as transaction cost, selection issue and many other issues, while it lending money to its borrower. That can be defined with some theories, which are covered as below: Transaction costs reduction theory Transaction cost refers to the cost of transferring between the lender and Borrower. This theory followed by DBS bank to reduce the loss after issued the latter of demand to the company. Through the implementation of this theory, Bank reduces the cost of recovering the loan amount (Pilbeam, 2010). On the other hand, It also refer to reduce some risk, which always involve in the financial transaction such as- search cost, Arrangement fees, professional advise fee, and covenant compliance cost. Informational Economies of Scale theory Due to implementation of this theory, DBS bank faced the problem related to the adverse selection and moral hazard. To overcome this issue, bank should develop the expertise in information that enables them to select a good risk. So bank has to take care of this type of issue in future. At the same time, bank has to measure the information of borrowers transactions held with bank (THE TREASURY, 2016). In addition to this, bank should used different types of tool reduce the risk after issued letter of credit to the company such as: monitoring, government regulation to increase information, financial intermediary active in the equity market, and debts contact. Delegated Monitoring Theory This theory is useful by DBS bank for resolving the problems related to incentive between the borrower and lender after issued the letter of demand to company. On the other hand, this theory provides the best contract to the bank so that legal protection is strong for the bank. At the same time, delegated monitoring is helpful to reduce the transaction cost and deriving the technology in the bank (CESP, 2016). Benefit of delegated monitoring is raised because of skills and the reduction of duplication work. 2. Financial System Financial system is the process and procedure used by the organization to exercise the financial control and accountability. A financial system is covered the financial transactions and exchange the money between lender and borrower. The Singapore financial system is highly developed and well regulated and it offers a wide range of non banking service. The financial system of Singapore has the analytical and operation capabilities to do effectively (Monetary Authority of Singapore, 2016). There are many component of Singapore financial system, which describe as below- Financial Markets Financial market is a broad term that describes a market place, where buyer and seller equally participate in the trade of assets like equity, bond, currencies, and derivatives through the financial intermediaries. Financial market increased the overall production and efficiency of the economy. Financial market of the Singapore is unique in which government played a major role for creating an eco-system that nurtured quality growth (Burton el al., 2015). Financial market of Singapore was able to leverage on the competitive strength at the time of financial crises. Financial Intermediaries Financial intermediary is refers to a middle-men, who is involved in buying and selling of the financial securities such as Banks, Investment Banks, pension funds, and insurance companies. Bank is the most important financial intermediaries in the Singapore financial system, who works as middle men in the transaction of financial securities. They work as credit analyst, which has the ability to assess the creditworthiness of the firms, who wish to borrow funds (Valdez and Molyneux, 2010). Being a financially intermediaries, Singapore banks has so much money to lend and they can easily diversify loans between the borrowers. Singapore banks may facilitate the flow of funds to the business firms as intermediaries to the investor, who are willing to purchase the securities. Financial Instruments A financial instrument presents ownership position in a public traded corporation. Financial market can be divided in many types such as- money market instrument, capital market instrument and hybrid instruments. The financial market of the Singapore covers the capital market instrument, it generally consists the long term financial instrument like shares and bonds. The debts security refers the money, which can borrow and it must be repaid with a particular interest rate at maturity date (Parameswaran, 2011). Equity refers the ownership held by shareholders such as stocks. Generally, a financial security is like a money maker instrument by which companies and other enterprises can raise new capital. Type of Financial Products and Services There are many products and services offered by banking system of Singapore such as insurance, derivatives, and credit and loans. It can played different roles in the Singapore financial system that helps the Noble Group to achieve its business objectives and goals. Nature of financial product and services is described as below: Insurance Insurance service is provided by Singapore banks to the Noble Group for the financial protection and to cover the risk against a range of events such as- damage of property, financial crisis, and loss. There are many types of insurance, which offers by banking system like Life insurance, property insurance, and casualty insurance. In the present context, it is possible for business to insured against the risk but not necessary to cover all the risk. In that case, Bank provides a service of financial adviser by which it helps the noble group in the selection of insurance policy (Annual report, 2016). Insurance policies are helpful for the company at the time of risk. With the help of different insurance, it can easily overcome the losses occurred in the company and achieve its objectives and goals. Credit and Loans Credit and loans is very important facilities provided by the banking system to the noble group. There are many types of credit facilities offer by the banks such as- loan for consumer durables, loan against deposits, loan against shares, and loan against LIC polices. Through the implementation of these facilities bank revolving the credit facilities and decide the amount, which the company want to withdraw. Apart from this, credit facility helps to manage the cost easily and it can help to take advantage of the opportunities (Noble Group, 2016). Banking system of the Singapore provides the facilities of financial advisor to the Noble Group by which helps to frame a plan for the use of amount to achieve the business objectives. Derivatives Singapore baking system provided derivatives facilities to the Noble Group, help to achieve the goals and objective of the company. Banks provides the derivatives facility related to hedging and commodity contract. With the implementation of this, company hedges their interest rate risk and increase the yield of the company. Bank is playing a role of intermediary, which maintains the relationship between the client and company (DBS Corporate Banking, 2016). It can help to reduce the FX exposure and increase the return on the currency investment of the company. Company in Focus Brief Background Information Noble Group Limited is a modern global commodities firm. It was founded in 1986 by Richard Samuel Elman and William James Randall. Noble group buy commodities and transform them into customized and consumable product through which they meet the requirement of the customer. Noble Group manages portfolio of supply chain across the range of industrial and energy products. The core strategy of noble group is to be best company in the whole world at the moving of physical commodity from producer to the consumer. Key business activities of Noble Group Figure-1 Key business activities of Noble Group (Source Annual report, 2016) Noble Group sources the physical commodities and transforms that into the customized product that meets the requirement of the consumers. It provides the logistic business service to the external as well as internal customers, providing the ocean transport. In additional to this, the logistic business provides the long term freight solution and the guidance to the external as well as internal customers of the company. Noble Group Limited provides the financial services that covering capital origination and customer financing solutions (Noble Group, 2016). This service generates business by unblocking new opportunities within the existing customers and providing the financial coverage the relationships with banks, institutional and other global pool of capital. Noble group applies the cash flow hedging accounting for some financial derivatives that are used to hedge the risk of the foreign currency fluctuations. The value of the company is enhancing the solutions transforming commodities by helping the customer in the hedging service that reduce the price risk. It is supported by the flexible structure of the company and trade finance solutions that added the dimension of service for the business. Accessibility and Financial system Financial system of the Noble Group can be access effectively through the different financial market, financial intermediary and financial instruments. It can be facilitated the business activities of the Noble Group. Financial Market Financial system of the Noble Group can be access through the capital market. Under the key business activities, price risk management and hedging facilities of the company is cover under the capital market. Capital market is used for the long term asset with the maturity date is more than one year. In additional to this, noble group includes the shares, bond, and derivatives to facilities the business activities of the company. It is executed forward in the freight derivatives market to hedges its physical freight exposures (Jackson, 2010). Further to this, it also engaged in the derivatives trading of crude oil. It mainly involve in the commodity contract such as physical commodity contract and cash commodity contract, which include commodity future, options swaps and forward freight agreements. Financial Intermediaries Banks act as a financial intermediary for the Noble Group to facilities its business activities effectively. This company partnered with the Australian bank that facilities the medium term prepayment facilities, which secured by the iron ore off take to noble group. An Australian bank provides the guaranteed payment stream with the minimum risk to this group that helps in the growth of business. Being a financial intermediary, Banks facilities comprise different type of credit facilities to the company for their financial arrangements. It works as a credit analyst through which they have the ability to access the credit worthiness of the company. Banks helps the company in the better management of its trade finance operations and improves the efficiency and effectiveness on global basis (Levinson, 2014). Further to this, banks play an essential role for accessing the financial system of the Noble group through managing the risk to achieve the positive rate of return. Bank plays an important role in the corporate governance of the company so that it can be maintain the legal and ethical environment and promote the interest of share holders. Financial Instruments Financial instruments play a role for the future benefit of the company. Noble Group is dealing in the long term financial instrument such as derivatives (future, option or swap), bonds, and shares. Financial instruments can be used to hedge the financial risk and price risk of the company. Shares are issued by the company to raised the money from the investor that is helpful maintain the business activities (Baker and Filbeck, 2014). These instruments provides a link between the investor and the company and it also play a crustal role for the arranging of invest funds of the company. Conclusion Financial system can be access through the financial market, financial intermediary, and financial securities. This report is concluded that the financial intermediary should check the credit worthiness of the client at the time of credit lending. Moreover, it was found that lender and the borrower have to disclose all the information at the time of transaction. There are many problems arise at the time transaction, which are to be overcome with the implication of many theory that reduce the transactional cost, provides help in the selection of best risk. Further to this, it can be concluded that many product and service provides by bank is helpful in achieving the key business activities of the Noble Group. Reference Adrian, T. and Shin, H.S. (2010) Financial intermediaries and monetary economics. FRB of New York Staff Report, (398). [online]. Available at: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.189.809rep=rep1type=pdf (Accessed: 05/09/2016). Annual report (2016) Our Business Management. [online]. Available at: https://www.thisisnoble.com/images/investors/financialInformation/annualReport/ar2015.pdf (Accessed: 3/09/2016). Ansaloni, P.G. (2012) The Role of Asymmetric Information in Environmental Policy Settings. London: University of London. Baker, K.H., and Filbeck, G. (2014) Investment Risk Management. UK: Oxford University Press. Burton, M., Nesiba, F.R., and Brown, B. (2015) An Introduction to Financial Markets and Institutions. UK: Routledge. CESP (2016) Financial Intermediation and Delegated Monitoring. [online]. Available at: https://www.cfsp.org/publications/papers/financial-intermediation-and-delegated-monitoring#.V8lPTVt97Dc (Accessed: 2/09/2016). DBS Corporate Banking (2016) FX Derivatives. [online]. Available at: https://www.dbs.com.sg/corporate/treasury/derivatives/fx-derivatives (Accessed: 3/09/2016). Demirguc-Kunt, A., Feyen, E. and Levine, R. (2011) Optimal Financial Structures and Development: The evolving importance of banks and markets. World Bank, pp. 1-38. [online]. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ross_Levine/publication/265202090_Optimal_Financial_Structures_and_Development_The_evolving_importance_of_banks_and_markets/links/5523c95b0cf2b351d9c336aa.pdf (Accessed: 05/09/2016). Dilley, K.D. (2012) Essentials of Banking. US: John Wiley Sons. Golin, J., and Delhaise, P. (2013) the Bank Credit Analysis Handbook: A Guide for Analysts, Bankers and Investors. US: John Wiley Sons. Greebbaum, I.S., Thakor, V.A., and Boot, A. (2015) Contemporary Financial Intermediation. US: Academic Press. Jackson, K.J. (2010) Financial Market Supervision. US: DIANE Publishing. Levinson, M. (2014) The Economist Guide To Financial Markets. UK: Profile Books. Monetary Authority of Singapore (2016) Singapore financial centre. [online]. Available at: https://www.mas.gov.sg/ (Accessed: 3/09/2016). Noble Group (2016) about us. [online]. Available at: https://www.thisisnoble.com/#aboutus (Accessed: 5/09/2016). Noble Group (2016) Financial information. [online]. Available at: https://www.thisisnoble.com/#aboutus (Accessed: 3/09/2016). Onyiriuba, L. (2015) Emerging Market Bank Lending and Credit Risk Control: Evolving Strategies to Mitigate Credit Risk Optimize Lending Portfolios, and Check Delinquent Loans. US: Academic Press. Parameswaran, S. (2011) Fundamentals of Financial Instruments: An Introduction to Stocks, Bonds, Foreign Exchange, and Derivatives. US: John Wiley Sons. Pilbeam, K. (2010) Finance and Financial Markets. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Property Metrics (2016) the Commercial Credit Approval Process Explained. [online]. Available at: https://www.propertymetrics.com/blog/2013/06/12/credit-approval-process/ (Accessed: 2/09/2016). Schwalbe, U. (2012) the Core of Economies with Asymmetric Information. Germany: Springer Science Business Media. THE TREASURY (2016) Current theories of financial intermediation. [online]. Available at: https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2003/03-19/04.htm (Accessed: 2/09/2016). Valdez, S., And Molyneux, P. (2010) An Introduction to Global Financial Markets. UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Tiananmen Square June 1989 Essay Example

Tiananmen Square June 1989 Paper On the 22nd of April 1989, Chinese students collected together at Tiananmen Square to pay respects to Hu Yaobang, the students saw this as an opportunity to protest for democratic reform. Little did these students know this protest would end with tragic results. Deng blamed Hu Yaobang, a member of the Deng Xiaoping communist party, when students protested for political reform. Due to this he lost his position in the government but still remained in the politburo. His death on 15th April sparked the Tiananmen movement. Sources A, F and G are from books. Source A, the background to the Tiananmen Square incident from China in the 20th Century written in 1990 by Harriet Ward, a British Historian, who, unlike some Chinese sources controlled by government, has freedom of speech. The book gives a general overview of one hundred years in China, which suggests that the information gathered, could be considered vague and facts possibly have been overlooked, which of course would reduce the sources reliability. However, the source was written one year after the incident, which suggests that the information is probably fairly reliable. We can also assume, as the source was written relatively soon after the events, that some of her knowledge was gained from newspapers and television reports at the time, and therefore can be considered fairly trustworthy. As the historian was not present at Tiananmen Square we also know that this is not first hand reporting. However, I conclude that this book must be a fairly reliable source as it specialises in China in the 20th Century, which suggests that the writer completed detailed research into the subject. This source is quite useful in explaining the causes and events of Tiananmen Square. We will write a custom essay sample on Tiananmen Square June 1989 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tiananmen Square June 1989 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tiananmen Square June 1989 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Source F, the events of the 4th June 1989 from the book China, A New Revolution? Written in 1990 by John Bradley, an American historian. This source gives a brief explanation of the events on June 4th. Like source A this information was written only one year after the incidents at Tiananmen Square which suggest the information is dependable for the same reasons as given for Source A. It is also written by a non-Chinese source with freedom of speech, which, as stated above, also increases the reliability of the source. This historian was also not present at the time the incident took place at Tiananmen Square so we can assume some information may be incorrect. This book deals with the revolution of China, and Tiananmen Square was a huge milestone in this regard, however these events no doubt will have slowed down the progress of the Chinese democracy movement. This source is quite useful in explaining the causes and events of Tiananmen Square. Source G, an extract from the book The Truth about the Beijing Turmoil was written in 1989 published in the Peoples Republic of China. This source reports that no one at Tiananmen Square was killed and gives the background to why the soldiers were sent. This source was written the year the incident happened which suggests that the information could be considered reliable, however, the source was written and published in the Peoples Republic of China, which suggests an element of government control and therefore reduces the reliability of the source. This source can be seen as biased as it only gives the governments point of view. In conclusion this source is not very useful. Source B is a table, Source B: Rising living standards in China, 1981-84 from official records at that time. This source shows us the increase of goods per hundred households in urban and rural areas. This source is reliable as the information is from records of that time, but is not particularly useful in explaining the causes and events of Tiananmen Square as it was written years five years before, although it does indicate an increase in the living standards of the Chinese, particularly those in rural households, which could be seen as evidence of a growing democracy. Sources E and D are both sources from newspapers. Source E: The events of 4th June 1989 from a report in the Sunday times in 1989, a British newspaper. The reporter has freedom of speech and cannot be controlled by the government unlike some Chinese sources. This is a primary source and therefore reliable due to the fact that it is an eyewitness report by the reporter, Louise Branson, who was in Beijing at the time. The information is stark and certainly anti-Chinese government, and only gives one side of the story, which could be considered as reducing the reports reliability. This is a very useful source in showing the events that took place at Tiananmen Square. Source D: The students believe they have won from Tiananmen, The rape of Peking 1989, a book published by the British newspaper, The Independent. This source is very useful in explaining the causes and events of Tiananmen Square. It is reliable due to the fact that it was written the same year as the incident; this suggests that the information is correct and up to date. The Independent, has a reputation for well researched, fair, and unbiased reporting. Sources C and H are both photographs. Source H shows one man who stopped the tanks. It was a photograph taken in Tiananmen Square on the 5th June 1989. This photograph shows a brave protestor supporting the Chinese protestors by standing in the way of tanks. This source is a primary source as it is an un-edited picture of what happened on that day and cannot be misinterpreted as the photograph shows exactly what is happening. Although this source is reliable it is not clear what happened before and after this picture was taken. This source is useful in showing part of what happened at Tiananmen Square. The video footage from which the still is taken would be a more valuable source. Source C: Student leaders on the way to deliver the petition, is a photographic source showing students on bikes on the way to deliver a petition. This source is not reliable as it there is no reference given of where it is from or who took it. This photograph could be misinterpreted, as it is not clear what it represents as it does not show anything apart from people riding on bikes, also the image is not very clear and is of bad quality. This source cannot be considered reliable and does not show the causes and events of Tiananmen Square. Source I: a cartoon supporting the Chinese protestors. This cartoon is by Garland in the Independent, drawn on the 16 June 1989 only a couple weeks after the incident, which increases the sources reliability. It is a copy of a famous picture (Source H) but where the position is reversed, the leader is trying to stop the truth from being expressed. This source is reliable as it is a cartoon and can be used to explain the causes and events of Tiananmen Square, as it shows an outsiders interpretation of the tragic events. The above sources are wide ranging and all provide information in varying ways. Some sources are more useful than others. There are two overriding points of view in the sources given which contradict each other, this is because they have different original sources and their agendas are different. All the sources are interesting but only some can be considered reliable.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Little And Big Dipper

The Big Dipper is one of the most distinctive asterisms in the sky, also known as the Ursa Major or the Great Bear. The Big Dipper is a group of seven bright stars, three that form a handle and four that form a bowl. Fugitive slaves before the Civil War knew it as "the drinking gourd", a signpost in the sky pointing the way north to safety, to Canada where slavery was outlawed. In 1926, when Alaska had to create its own flag, they used the big dipper and the North Star as a design for their flag. It is a piece of Stone Age culture thought to be at least 8,000 to 12,000 years old. In different countries, the Big Dipper has a different name. For instance, In Ireland it was called the "King David's Chariot," from one of that island's early kings. In France, it was the "Great Chariot." And in the British Isles these seven stars are known widely as "The Plough." The Little Dipper is a constellation reflecting and being the smaller version of the Big Dipper. It can be found by looking directly up from the two outermost stars which form the bowl on the Big Dipper. These two stars point us to Polaris, the Pole Star indicating the North Pole, which is at the end of the Little Dipper's handle. The Big Dipper The Little Dipper The 7 stars that are a part of the Big Dipper are: 1. Alkaid 2. Mizar 3. Alioth 4. Megrez 5. Dubhe 6. Merak 7. Phad or Phecda In the Big Dipper, Mizar, the second star from the end, is actually made up of 4 stars. The brighter 2nd magnitude Mizar, and a fainter 4th magnitude nearby star, Alcor are separated by about 11.8 minutes of arc, and being able to detect the two as separate is considered a test of good eyesight. However Alcor is not part of Mizar. Mizar is at a distance of 78 light years from the Sun, and Alcor at 81 light years. The Big Dipper is setting in the northwestern sky at 7:30 p.m. Use the two Pointer stars at the end of the bowl of the ... Free Essays on Little And Big Dipper Free Essays on Little And Big Dipper The Big Dipper is one of the most distinctive asterisms in the sky, also known as the Ursa Major or the Great Bear. The Big Dipper is a group of seven bright stars, three that form a handle and four that form a bowl. Fugitive slaves before the Civil War knew it as "the drinking gourd", a signpost in the sky pointing the way north to safety, to Canada where slavery was outlawed. In 1926, when Alaska had to create its own flag, they used the big dipper and the North Star as a design for their flag. It is a piece of Stone Age culture thought to be at least 8,000 to 12,000 years old. In different countries, the Big Dipper has a different name. For instance, In Ireland it was called the "King David's Chariot," from one of that island's early kings. In France, it was the "Great Chariot." And in the British Isles these seven stars are known widely as "The Plough." The Little Dipper is a constellation reflecting and being the smaller version of the Big Dipper. It can be found by looking directly up from the two outermost stars which form the bowl on the Big Dipper. These two stars point us to Polaris, the Pole Star indicating the North Pole, which is at the end of the Little Dipper's handle. The Big Dipper The Little Dipper The 7 stars that are a part of the Big Dipper are: 1. Alkaid 2. Mizar 3. Alioth 4. Megrez 5. Dubhe 6. Merak 7. Phad or Phecda In the Big Dipper, Mizar, the second star from the end, is actually made up of 4 stars. The brighter 2nd magnitude Mizar, and a fainter 4th magnitude nearby star, Alcor are separated by about 11.8 minutes of arc, and being able to detect the two as separate is considered a test of good eyesight. However Alcor is not part of Mizar. Mizar is at a distance of 78 light years from the Sun, and Alcor at 81 light years. The Big Dipper is setting in the northwestern sky at 7:30 p.m. Use the two Pointer stars at the end of the bowl of the ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Book Idea How to Find Good Book Ideas Guaranteed to Stir Envy

Book Idea How to Find Good Book Ideas Guaranteed to Stir Envy Book Idea: How to Find Good Book Ideas Guaranteed to Stir Envy A good book idea is rare.As much as you think all of your book ideas are fantastic and anyone would love to read themyou might be completely wrong.And I’ll explain why shortly but first, if you want to skip ahead and discover if your book idea is indeed a great one, take this intuitive quiz that will tell you exactly how it fares against the competition.Click Here to Take the Quiz!What makes a good book?A good book is a combination of high passion on your end, making your readers feel intensely along with a structure that toys with their emotions and an overall message worth sharing.In order to come up with a good book idea, you have to understand what makes a book great and then work backward from there.This might seem a little vague but in reality, this combination isn’t easy to come by.A good book takes time, effort, and the right formula to get right. If you want to leave readers feeling stunned in the best way (and ready to give you those coveted 5-star reviews), i t’s essential to first start with a great book idea.Here are some of the top qualities that make a book good:It invokes high levels of emotion in the readerIt has an overarching theme or messageA strong, pleasant voiceA structure that builds on itselfQuality writing that’s enjoyable to read and visualizeOriginality Once you know what your book needs, it’s time to figure out what you should write about.NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereWhat should I write my book about?When determining what you should write your book about,start with figuring out if you want to write fiction or nonfiction.If you want to write nonfiction:Fiction and nonfiction are basically two different worlds when it comes to writing.You have to determine if you’re someone who wants to write fiction or nonfiction. This decision is typically simple to mak e because if you dont have an interest in creating new worlds, realities, or making up characters, fiction is not for you.On the other hand, if you love to write guides and how-tos and maybe even self-help related books, nonfiction is going to be a better fit for you.If you want to write fiction:You have to start by determining what kind of fiction you want to write.Which genre will be your battlefield?These are just the more popular fiction genres:RomanceFantasy / Sci-fiContemporaryMysteryThriller / HorrorSatireYoung AdultIn order to choose, pick the genre you enjoy reading the most. That means if you love fantasy and typically read that more than anything else, this will be the genre you’ll enjoy writing the most.Once you know what you want to write, you have to learn how to come up with a good book idea in it. Coming Up With a Good Book Idea for Both Nonfiction and FictionWe’re going to separate these two simply because the process is so different. Coming up with fi ction book ideas differs greatly from nonfiction because they cover much different information, key elements, and reader intent.- How do I come up with a fiction idea for a book?Fiction is amazing because you can come up with pretty much anything and it can be formed into a good book idea.Let us help you break it down.#1 Use writing prompts to spark your creativityIf you have a hard time coming up with book ideas, then what you really need is something to prompt your mind into thinking creatively and imaginatively.And that something is a writing prompt.Writing prompts are very short ideas or story concepts for you to use in order to get started. Think of them as the catalyst for your imagination.We actually have a list of over 200 original fiction writing prompts created for this specific purpose.You can fill out the form below to download them! These prompts might contain the beginning of your next book idea. #2 Do some people watchingHead to a park or airport and just sit down to watch people. This might seem a little odd (or even a tad bit creepy) to you but it’s often a great way to get real:She was perched at her desk, the monotonous tap-tap-tap of the keys a familiar comfort amidst the silence of her lonesome. Leaning in, her eyes flitted across the screen, following the lead of each word she typed.Start writing yours and your mind might just come up with a book idea for you to take to publication.Other Methods for Coming Up With Book IdeasEveryone is different and all of our minds work differently. And that means if you want to come up with a good book idea, you’ll have to try a number of different methods to determine what works best for you.Here are some alternative methods for coming up with a book idea that aren’t listed above.#1 The snowball methodThis is a technique that helps your ideas build on one another much like a snowball builds on itself when yo u start rolling it through the snow.How its Done:How to do this book idea-generating exercise: This is done by writing down a broad concept first, like: Confidence. From there, you will list more specific but still general terms related to this, like: Gain more confidence Confidence and your mood Confidence in the workplace -What affects confidence?After you have these ideas, pick a single one to narrow down even more until you have a niche-specific book idea.#2 Your own twist on a heavily-searched topicThis is for you nonfiction writers out there. In order to find topics that are searched a lot, hop on Amazon, choose â€Å"Books† from the search bar drop-down, then click the search icon or hit enter (yes, without typing anything in the search field).This will bring you to the generic â€Å"home page† for books. Scroll down a little bit and locate the left sidebar with the different categories like â€Å"Popular in Books,† â€Å"More in Books,† and mor e.From here, choose â€Å"Top 20 Lists in Books† as seen below.You can easily scroll through the different sections in order to get an idea for what’s the most popular.Now, most of these will be fiction, as it’s the top-selling genre.If you want to find nonfiction-specific top sellers, repeat the first two steps in order to go back to the books â€Å"homepage.†Then scroll down until you find the â€Å"Books† category with specific genres beneath. You can click on the genre you have the most interest in, like â€Å"Self-Help† in the example below.From here, scroll down until you find the â€Å"Bestsellers† section in which you can discover the hottest titles and topics they cover so you can shape your book idea based on what will sell, like in the image below.#4 Write down any and all ideasEven if they’re tiny and you think they could never make a great book, write them down.You never know what could blossom into sometime incre dible. Maybe JK Rowling never thought an idea about a wizard in school would be interesting and look what happened there!Next Steps If You’re Serious!If you have a book idea or even if you don’t, we can help.Book a call with one of our experts in order to discuss if your book idea is good and how you can dive deeper and uncover a final idea for your book.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Immigration Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Immigration Law - Essay Example The effectiveness of these three key features of the 2009 Act depends on politics and in some cases implementation. It is only along these lines that these three features will have an impact on present or future life in the UK. Border Control Part I of BCIA 2009 deals with the control of the UK’s borders (Border, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, Part I). The simplification for travellers to Britain including returning residents follows from the government’s intention to provide for a â€Å"unified border force† under the auspices of the UK Border Agency (Millington and Williams 2010, p. 597). Essentially, the unified border force enables immigration officers to also assume the role of customs officers. This means that a single agency is responsible for detecting and detecting exploitation of immigration and customs laws at the UK’s ports of entry (Vine 2010, p. 3). For this present transfer of border checks to a single agency means that daily travelle rs will be spared having to report to two separate check points upon entering the UK. Traditionally, travellers had to present themselves to both immigration and customs officers in order to be cleared for entry. ... Moreover, the UK Border Agency works together with Law Enforcement and within the framework of the UK Counter Terrorism Strategy for the purpose of detecting and preventing entrants to the UK who may cause harm to the UK or its citizens (Grimwood 2009, p. 3). This degree of border security comes with a political climate where border security has grown in importance since the 11 September 2001 terror attacks in the US. This is evidenced by the tightened border security enlisted by Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the Borders Act 2007. Both act enhanced the authority for the control of immigration. Section 21 of the 2009 Act permits the exchange of information between the UK Border Agency and other government agencies (Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, Section 21). The degree to which the UK Border Agency is permitted to share and exchange intelligence and information on travellers with law enforcement and other agencies at home and abroad, opens up the pos sibility that returning residents and foreigners will be vulnerable to intense scrutiny and invasion of privacy. Contacts at home and abroad may also come under intense scrutiny and be subjected to invasion of privacy should a traveller or returning resident with whom they are connected come under investigation or suspicion by the UK Border Agency or one of its partners. There is also a risk of discrimination and racial profiling as political and public concerns over the threat of terrorism persist (Vine 2010, p. 3). Together with the transfer to the Border Agency of the intrusive strip, search and entry powers previously granted to customs (Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, Section 26), the risk of invasion of privacy and

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Essay on Police and the Community Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On Police and the Community - Essay Example A lesser barricade could be people’s self-esteem and self-perception (Morris, 2008). This is because they do not view themselves as activists or leaders. This perceptual concern is a barrier for over 36% of the adults in America. Not being an activist or leader is a barrier for 42% of adults who are not involved but wish to be. Disengaged participants in several focus groups stated that they wish for a fearless director with organizational skills, knowledge, plans, enthusiasm, a selfless attitude, and honesty. This group also puts more weight in disliking politics than adults on not knowing anyone else taking part in the activity. In order to overcome these obstacles, authorities that are involved in public participations should ensure that those who are involved in the activity are protected. Authorities need to educate people on these barriers and assure them that they will be safe after they take part in the activity (Thurlow, 2008). Question 2 Policy makers have a tough ta sk of carrying out what is best for their constituents plus their countries. This makes them the voice of the citizens. It is extremely vital that a police chief should be a policy maker for his constituent or country due to several reasons. These reasons are: police chiefs have interests of constituents and interests in the country. They also defend the constitution. Since policy makers are elected by the public, this will also give a chance to police chiefs to be elected by the public. Each policy maker has an obligation of defending the constitution. Police chiefs are also obliged to defend the American constitution, and this makes the liable policy makers (Chief of Police, 2007). A policy maker is a person who is responsible for making the policies of an organization. This includes the government or any other institution that requires regulations. A statesman refers to a diplomat or politician who has had a long, as well as respected duty at the national or international level. It has been said that police chiefs should be politicians. This is not a brilliant idea. Politicians have an obligation of representing and responding to the constituents, voting on legislation, participating in budget discussions and taking part in committees. Even though, police chiefs need to realize these factors, their central duty is to implement the law. This is a vital duty. They need to be separated from political matters so that they could execute their tasks to the fullest. If police chiefs are allowed to be statesmen, then this would interfere with the neutrality of the police force from politics. It will interrupt with the activities of the police force (Samuels, 2000). Question 3 Similarities Community oriented policing as a philosophy that encourages organizational strategies, which hold up the organized use of problem-solving techniques and partnerships, to tackle the immediate factors that give rise to public security issues. The security issues are social disorders , crime as well as fear of crime. Community oriented policing also comprises of three key components in America as well as other nations. These components are: community partnership, organizational transformation as well as problem solving. Most countries, including the United States, think that

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Poetry Analysis Essay Example for Free

Poetry Analysis Essay The poem is quick to assert that, maybe even provide a caveat, that one should take their life seriously and live their life to the fullest. It’s interesting that Byron beings to reflect on his life at this age, and I find it even more interesting that the poem was written on the last year he would live. One thing Byron emphasizes heavily on this poem is love and compassion. His first lines are an admittance that he does not have a partner by his side (lines 5-8). Many people fear dying alone, and Byron is not immune to such anxiety. Byron is even envious for those who have found love (lines 13-15). The â€Å"Chain† Byron says he wears symbolizes loneliness, perhaps even failure. He fears that his ultimate failure in life would be his lack of a companion, and that he cannot fill that void. I think Byron than goes on to say that love is happiness: and to have an absence in love would leave a person empty. Byron realizes he has failed in the one area he defines to be the most important and to recover from that and at least die in an honorable/memorable way is to take the soldier’s death. Since he has no significant other to speak highly of him when he is gone, he could at least have his fellow brothers-in-arms speak of him when he’s gone (most likely due to the soldier’s death). Overall, I’d say Byron is quite malcontented with how he’s lived his life. But I would say he was rather too harsh on himself, he fails to recognize all the great and wonderful things he has achieved in his life. But I also know that no one can determine whether or not someone was successful in life; that can only be determined by how that individual perceives themselves. The poem as a whole seems to be a reflection, but also a sad epiphany that Byron has not done all that he could have done with his life. This leads to the reoccurring theme that has been illustrated by almost all poets of this age: The ‘carpe diem’ seize the day/moment mentality. Darkness At the beginning lines of the poem, Byron sets up the reader to understand that this vision of the future, while not a current reality, could easily become so if mankind does not change his interaction with the environment. A cataclysmic event has occurred in which the sun is destroyed. For the eco-critic, this could be representative of any sort of environmental issue that is the result of man’s irreverence for the Earth – nuclear war, pollution, overpopulation. The poem does not need to explain how the sun was destroyed, just that the event happened and as a result, mankind’s decent into chaos and death was imminent. Mankind’s reaction to the event is to burn both civilization and nature in order to provide fuel to continue its existence. The next section forewarns the reader that following environmental catastrophe will be nothing but destruction. The destruction of nature occurs in the form of the overuse of resources, such as animals for food and trees for fuel. Men and animals would seemingly succumb to an almost hysteric state in which the law of survival becomes the only law, which is heralded as truth. This state of kill or be killed ultimately produced more concerns for the fate of mankind. Not only has the environment begun to be destroyed, here represented by the loss of the sun, but what few resources remain are being consumed at an unsustainable rate. The eco-critic understands that the population of the Earth can and should only become as large as is sustainable by the resources available to it. Byron illustrates this concept through the introduction of famine in the next section of his text. â€Å"The crowd was famish’d by degrees; but two of an enormous city did survive, and they were enemies. † The ultimate warning of eco-criticism is that the result of the widespread destruction of the environment is the widespread destruction of the human race. Byron has created a world in which the only two remaining humans cling to whatever life they have left in the form of a metaphorical flame. The last section of â€Å"Darkness† leaves the reader with a haunting image of a world in which nothing living exists. According to the eco-critic, this is the warning that Byron is delivering to us: either we change our ways and amend our neglect of environmental duty and responsibility, or we eventually perish. The destruction of mankind will come at its own hands, whether it is through environmental cataclysm, overpopulation and the subsequent war and famine, or through the slow poisoning of the Earth. Darkness† is a vehicle by which the eco-critic can forewarn the reader to change. Eco-Criticism, then, becomes a vehicle for change and hope. It is not merely about the destruction of the world, but hope that destruction can be avoided. Epitaph on an Infant This is a short poem, but still has a lot of meaning behind it, pertaining to the circle of life and death. Coleridge is saying that death can come at anytime and any moment, and seize anyone it pleases. Taking the b aby’s life shouldn’t be viewed as an evil or injustice, but rather part of the cycle. The first line can be interpreted to mean that the baby was never able to become exposed to the horrors of the world (sin) or be in the world for too long to have its loss be heart-breaking (sorrow). Not saying the loss of the baby was not a saddening thing, but Coleridge is saying the baby was not in this world long enough for it to be a huge loss. The last line is hopeful, saying the baby was able to â€Å"blossom there†, with there meaning heaven obviously. This, I feel, is how Coleridge viewed situations where the cycle of life seemed to break its own norms with taking a life that many would view as too early to take. This is for those who never got to grasp the mentality that many Romantic embraced during this time, of seizing the day, and living life to its fullest, not having any regrets. Of course, the baby (or any other youngling) is unable to even encounter such mentalities or form its own attitude for life. Even the length of the poem is symbolic; it represents the life span of the young babe, and how short life can ultimately be if one does not take their time to sit back and enjoy it a bit. Human Life Here’s how I interpreted this poem to be, line (cluster) by line (cluster). Lines 1-4: if the human body dies, the soul lives on forever. Lines 5-6: A human is comprised of three things, mind, body, and spirit. Lines 7-9: Everybody dies at some point in their life, and while to may try to prolong it, it is ultimately unavoidable. Lines 10-14: Nature will choose when everyone dies, it does not discriminate. Lines 15-17: When everything does not seem to be going your way, look through your previous dreams, hopes, and fears. Then reflect, and see if everything is as bad as you are making things out to be. Lines 18-22: remember though that each previous event echoes other ones and to be honest why do we wallow in things that are not important, and yet we hide ourselves from matters of much more importance? Lines 23-26: Why do we compare ourselves to events in the past instead of matters in the present moment or future? The past does not change, but we are shaped from it. Lines 27-28: Humans feel what they feel for no apparent reason; yet they seek reasons for why they feel the way they do. And the final line (29): All of a human’s life is nothing but a contradiction. A human will seek answers to many of life’s questions within themselves, but will always have conflict within. With this poem, Coleridge takes a more dark approach to the cycle of life, with his central theme of the poem being clearly stated at the very end â€Å"A beings being is contradiction†. He takes the approach to life of many people spend hours, days, weeks even contemplating the reasons for the seasons, our existence, why we die, and all other philosophical questions; and he asks â€Å"Why even bother seeking such answers? †. Death is unavoidable, and those who try to prolong it or even avoid it, are just walking contradictions. Why try to go against what is everyone’s fate in the end? Coleridge purposes such ideas and asks provocative questions to get his readers to think: Is it wiser to spend one’s life contemplating matters that way over everyone’s head, or rather just accept that your life as you know it will end one day, but in the meantime do your best to live it and not let anything shackle you to the bonds of â€Å"I can’t therefore I won’t†. Once again, the Romantic theme of ‘carpe-diem’ is sensed as a undertone to this poem, as Coleridge is warning people to not let the worldly matters trouble them, instead seek out the best in your life. Ode On The Death Of A Favorite Cat Drowned In A Tub Of Goldfishes This poem was quite uncommon for its time, but it still shared the qualities that make the readers think about life, death, and the cycle of the two. The reader is taken on a journey into the life of this cat, Selima, experiencing not only the beauty that is said creature, but also the sad end she came to, quite undeservingly. The third person view Grey utilizes helps show the struggle between life (the cat) versus nature. With the tone being deadly erious, Grey is showing a portrait of the cat as a cat with her conscious tale and ears of jet ( lines 7,11), trying to accomplish no more than procuring a goldfish for lunch. However, the tale takes a deadly turn when the fated Selima goes a paw too far and tumbles face-first into the goldfish tub. The reader, through this tone (which some might call mock-heroic, could they not see the utter tragedy and seriousness of Selimas fate), is taken into the life and death of a ca t who was merely hungry; alas, she ends up swimming with the fishes. The golden hue of the fish is what catches the tabby’s attention, and the cat then tries to catch it’s lunch. Eventually, the cat falls into the pond, and struggles for a while, with no help coming. This can be seen as no matter what you do in your life, when things really matter (such as a life and death situation), the only person one can rely on is themselves. Unfortunately, Grey has a grim way to convey that. The cat surfaces eight times, each time her life force growing weaker and weaker against the struggle ntil eventually Selima, having exhausted all her life, sinks amidst the objects of her lunchtime ambitions. Grey’s powerful message here is clear; be careful where you step, as you may fall into a pond of goldfish and drown. Furthermore, Gray implies, what you covet, though it may be beautiful, may lead you to your death. This can be tied back to the theme of not taking life for granted, and making each day yours. Should one be weighed down with material possessions and worldly goods, they are depriving themselves of the ultimate ‘good’, life itself.