Merger & Acquisitions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Merger & Acquisitions - Essay Example Toronto Dominion Bank (TD) Bank on the other hand is also a multinational bank situated in Canada. It offers multinational banking and financial services and its market capitalization makes it the second largest bank in Canada. TD has four main divisions that is, Canadian Retail Banking, US retail Banking, wholesale Banking and Wealth Management insurance. It is evident that this bank has many branches in the US than in Canada and is focused on expanding its US retail banking business. TD bank consists of the shareholders, board of directors who appoint cooperate governance committee, the human resource committee, the audit committee, the risk committee as well as the management. TD bank consists of almost 79,000 team members. With globalization, there has been great development in the international banking as cross boarder capital movement as well as the unification of financial institutions across the globe. Many banks across the world have had a hard time to cope with constant cha nges and intense competition in the banking sector and this has led to many banks merge so as to cope with the competitive global economy. A merge can be defined as the buying of one company by the other or the unification of two or more banks to form one new bank with an aim of achieving mutual benefits. The reason why TD bank and Wells Fargo should merge is because unifying will enable the banks restructure their entrepreneurial work and look deeply into their strategies of wealth and insurance, personal and commercial banking, wholesale banking and community banking. Wells Fargo services $ 1.8 trillion in home mortgaging. The merging will help the companies provide financial goals by offering financial services to the customers. According to Sylvia Reynolds, Wells Fargo’s marketing director, showing stability to the customers will enable the customer’s earn the company’s trust and this may be acquired through re-shaping and changing some policies to best serv e the customers’ needs (Adubato 2011). The merging will therefore lead to restructuring the companies’ policies towards offering qualitative and quantitative services to their customers. Through the merge, the size of the Well and TD banks will increase. Their production procedures will be rationalized and the banks will be efficient in terms of providing services. The banks will increase the margin of interest rates on loans and deposits in the retail banking market since the customers will have few alternative sources of finance services. The merging of TD bank and Wells Fargo will promote better customer care and this will make TD maintain their customers and reduce the number of customers shifting to other banks due to poor customer care. This is because Wells Fargo is committed to maintaining customers through constantly offering additional services, thanking them and greeting them on a regular basis and this drives more customers to the bank (Adubato 2011) and ha s over 70 million customers World Wide. The merging of the two banks will therefore promote betterment in attending to customers’ financial needs including offering insurance, brokerage and investment services among other services. This will attract new customers and maintain the old customers. The merge of Wells Fargo and TD bank is more likely to

Activity theory Essay Example for Free

Activity theory Essay Cognitive changes: There are several changes that occur with aging, one of which is cognitive slowing. The slowing that occurs in all cognitive tasks where speed of response is a component is considered the most pervasive cognitive change in developmental aging. The probable locus of slowing is in the central nervous system (Bob McCallum, 1998). Pigment lipofuscin builds up in the brain during old age and it gradually results in brain degeneration. The aged brain weighs less, the lateral ventricles tend to be dilated, and the ribbon of cortical tissue is narrowed (Hurlock, 1986). Such degeneration is held accountable for a decline in the brain’s capacity to function. But the average person’s intelligence is not likely to be seriously impaired before age 70 or 75 (Peterson, 1989). With good physical and mental health, adequate educational levels, and intellectual stimulation, it appears that there is not as a great decline in intellectual abilities with age as previously thought, especially in the 60 to 75 age group. Emotional changes: Emotional changes over the adult life span are a topic of considerable importance for psychotherapists working with older adults. At the psychological level, the older adults are more difficult to arouse but also have more difficulty returning to a state of calm once aroused (Woodruff, 1985). The accumulation of experiences leads to more complex and less extreme emotional experiences in later life. A review of research, using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory with older adults, noted that older adults were lower on scales associated with anger, impulsivity, and confusion and argued that people may become less impulsive with maturity (Gynther, 1979, in Bob McCallum, 1998). It was concluded that as a whole, emotionality in older adults may be both more complex and subtler than that of younger adults. Theories on Aging Attempts to understand and explain the lives and activities of those who appear to age successfully have led to the different formation of theories on aging. There are fourmain theories: (a) Disengagement theory: It is based on the notion that as people age they progressively withdraw from social, physical, and emotional interaction with the world. As they gradually disengage themselves, the society too withdraws from its engagement with the aging person (b) Activity theory: It stresses that older people should remain active as long as they possibly can. When certain activities and associations must be given up (for example, employment), substitutes should be found because life satisfaction is highly dependent upon continued social, emotional, and physical involvement. In a positive environment older people generally moved toward activity and informal contacts, rather than disengagement (Butler, Lewis Sunderland, 1998). (c) Socioenvironmental theory: This approach is based on the understanding that people respond to the social meaning of events. Two factors that affect the meaning old people place on events-and thus their interaction patterns-are the physical proximity of other persons and the age homogeneity of an environment (Gubrium, 1973, 1975, cited in Butler et al. , 1973). (d) Developmental theory: Erickson (1963) and Peck (1997) present a theory that describes human development in terms of progression through a series of stages. Old age is a stage of life in which the individual must try to balance the search for ego integrity with a sense of despair. Out of this conflict emerges wisdom the human virtue most commonly associated with old age. The negative emotions associated with this stage, are in part a result of the limitations of a person’s physical and psychological energy (Butler, Lewis, Sunderland, 1991). (e) Biological or medical perspective. Moberg (2002) further elaborates this physical and psychological decline and it’s effect on the elderly. Highlighting aging from the biological/medical perspective of physical decline along with losses of friends, employment, mobility, income, and so forth, has contributed to a pervasive negativism among biosocial scientists that is evident in their different way of talking to (hardly with) elderly persons, avoidance of touching seniors, and other indications of ageism. Opportunities for service are withdrawn from many who are retired, even in churches that use the Bible with its high value for elders, so ‘disengagement theory’ becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Time spent in solitude and meditation can be wholesome, contrary to assumptions of ‘Activity theory’ that lonely outer activities are worthwhile, for being alone is not the same as being lonely!

Phillippe Jaques :: History

Phillippe Jaques When people hear the name Louis Riel, some fill up with anger, others fill up with a thankful sense of happiness, like me and my grandfather for example. Louis was Metis, this was the product of a Voyageur and Indian women having a child. The Metis were famed for their hunting and tracking abilities and were often employed individuals or groups as guides or interpreters. Their farming tradition had its roots in the Red River settlement of Manitoba. Following the massive exodus into Sasketchewan, the Metis again established farms and homesteads. The difficulties encountered by the Metis in gaining clear entitlement to their land and the intervention of land speculators when scrip was issued caused most Metis to lose possession of their farms. "York" boats played a major role in the fur trade industry as they replaced freight canoes on the main water systems of Canada in the late 19th century. They had a larger carrying capacity and required fewer men to operate them. This enabled furs to be transported faster and more economically than by canoe. It took eighteen men to run the York boats: a helmsman to give the orders for rowing, a man to steer and sixteen men to pull the oars. Sails were often used to catch favourable winds. The inland sailors who manned these boats were predominently the Metis men who worked for the fur companies. The The Voyageurs wanted to remain friends with these they married the Indian women. He was a man who stuck up for the rights of his people, such as my grandfather. In this essay I will tell you how Louis Riel contributed to the Confederation within the years 1869-1885, and how it affected my life. I was born on a very cold night on November 16, 1867. I grew up in a very poor family, we barley had enough food for my four other brothers and sisters, and my grandmother. We had to take my grandmother in our home because my grandfather, at the time had to fight with the other metis people to try to get us some reasonable rights. My grandfather, Phillippe Jaques, looked up to, and respected Louis Reil greatly, that's why Phillippe went through this journey with Louis. The reason that Phillippe respected Louis so much was because Louis Reil stood up for everything that he belived in. In 1821 the Hudson Bay company had created a union with the first nations people.

managed healthcare of the elderly

Changes occurring in Health care delivery and Medicine are the result of social, economical, technological, scientific forces that have evolved in the 21st century. Among the most significant changes are shift in disease patterns, advanced technology, increased consumer expectations and high costs of health care. These factors have redefined medical practices to fit into the changing health delivery system. Thus, medical profession is ‘Accountable’ to the society. i.e,obliged to the laws regulating the professional activity. This ‘accountability’ is usually spelt out in â€Å"patient Care Documents† established by hospital associations and medical associations or councils of every country. In addition, medical profession has defined its standards of accountability through a formal code of ethics. There has been a recent significant increase in the number of elderly patients in palliative care units of hospitals in U.S.A and every healthcare delivery system aims to provide the elderly community in need of many services including physical therapy, speech therapy and chemotherapy due to many disabling and terminal diseases. But most of these elderly patients prefer to receive their end life care in a hospice rather than in palliative care units of hospitals. HOSPICE –A MANAGED HEALTHCARE FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ELDERLY PATIENTS Hospice is a coordinated programme of inter disciplinary care provided primarily in the home of the terminally ill patients. The palliative care is the comprehensive care for patients whose disease is not responsive to cure and hence are terminally ill. In the past two decades there has been a study of enormous magnitude in the palliative care segment and various factors have been identified like, respecting patient’s goals, preferences and choices, attending to the medical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the person, using strengths of interdisciplinary resources, acknowledging and addressing concerns and building mechanisms and systems of support. Many terminally ill elderly patients suffer only when they do not receive adequate care for the symptoms accompanying their serious illness. This is significant in the changing health care scenario where the patient is well informed, has the right to accept or refuse a treatment, issue advance directives and even appoint a proxy directive. Managed care for the elderly population is relevant in the present day health scenario where euthanasia and physician assisted deaths have found a legal niche as in the State of Oregon. THE MANAGED CARE ADVANTAGE Any health care delivery system is  primarily committed to the principles of patient self-care on the principles of Dorothea Orem (1971) with emphasis on client’s self-care needs. Self-care, according to Orem, is a learned, goal-oriented activity directed towards the self in the interest of maintaining life, health, development and well being. The ultimate emphasis of Orem’s theory is on client’s self care. Accordingly, care is needed when the client is unable to fulfill biological, psychological, developmental or social needs and the health care giver determines by duty why a client is unable to meet the needs or what must be done to enable the client to meet them. Health care of elderly population demands enormous resources of time, energy and money. Hence, every family looks up to any such programs with some faith element. Care of terminally ill population is   still more stressful for the family in a hospice setting and any hospice setting requires a inter disciplinary care provided primarily in the home of the terminally ill patients. Such patients are usually immobilized and it is not medically advisable to take them to a hospital for therapies. Thus, the significance of the services being taken to the patient’s home, especially the elderly, by health care organizations is the need of the hour and future with the time constraints faced by many families in the super fast world in taking these elderly people for a regular therapy, the advantages the patients get in terms of pain relief, effective communication capacity and symptom relief. This feature distinguishes the program from the rest of the health care programs that are currently available. The implementation schedule, i.e., the chronological sequence of events and activities that need to be achieved over a defined period of time to achieve the Goals and Objectives has to be defined by the Organizational Structure of the healthcare delivery system which identifies and describes the role of individuals, and their relationships in the system, who are key to the success of the program. THE DISADVANTAGE There is a perennial shortage of occupational, physical and speech therapists in the health care system in the USA. Thus, there is a growing demand and proportional short supply of professionals. Cognitive impairments pose a serious barrier on the reliability of geriatric assessments (Weiner et.al, 1999). Some of these patients may be marginally competent and some may be incompetent. Effects of cognitive impairment on the reliability of geriatric assessments has been studied recently to explore the relationship between cognitive status and reliability of multidimensional assessment data. The studies have proved that the reliability of the patient’s communication and sensory ability are affected by cognitive status. Thus, any such program aimed at the elderly population should be implemented with care with documented informed consent. REFERENCE Addington Thomas et.al, ‘Ethics and communication with the Terminally ill’, Vol 7(3), 267-281, 1995, Health Communication. Anderson Christina et, al, ‘Continuous Video recording; a new clinical research tool for studying the nursing care of cancer patients, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol 35(2), 257, July 2001. Astudillo Wilson et, al ‘How can relations be improved between the family and the support team during the care of terminally ill patients?.’ Supportive Care in Cancer Vol 3(1), 72-77, Jan 1995. Barrington Dianne et, al, ‘Facilitating communication and interactional skills with terminally ill patients’ -Teaching and Learning Forum 97, Australia. Chochinov Harvey Max et.al, ‘Prognostic awareness and the terminally ill’, Psychosomatics, Vol 41, 500-504, Dec 2000. Weiner D et, al, ‘Chronic pain associated behaviors in the nursing home : resident verses care giver’s perceptions’, Pain, Vol 80(3), 577-88, Apr 1999.

Does Sex and Violence on Television Have a Negative Effect on Children?

Does sex and violence on television have negative effects on children? The issue that I am addressing is the effect of sex and violence in the media on children. As long as there has been television, there has been an association made between media and violence – children who repeated what they saw on cartoons leading to their death, teenagers injured while emulating a popular movie, and mass killings blamed on video games. Primarily this relationship has been assumed to be causal with television being the assumed central cause in violent or risky behavior.Once you begin delving into the roots of violent and risky behavior, however, the association between modeled violence and expressed violence becomes less and less obvious. Violence in society in general is complicated and requires unpacking so that each aspect of the roots of violence can be analyzed and ultimately discussed in a meaningful way, including acknowledging that the origins are just as layered and complex as the solutions. Summary of Internet Information I began looking into various studies and articles about violence in media to see what kind of information was already available on the subject.There were a number of points of view represented, however, none of them outright dismissed that there was some relationship between sex and violence in the media and violent behavior. The studies also generally agreed that the complexities of violent behavior may potentially be ultimately unknowable because of that complexity. What may drive one person to violence may have little to no effect on another or the level of exposure to images of sex and violence in combination with other influences, including parental and peer attitudes towards sex and violence, may be a stronger relationship than media influence alone.The article â€Å"It’s not all sex and violence† by Agustin Fuentes set the tone for how I came to look at my research because it brought up the important point that sex and violence are over emphasized in modern culture and can give the false impression that sex and violence are at the very center of every human motivation rather than showing the reality that sex and violence are merely two aspects of the human experience, rather than central or common. The topics are scintillating and therefore more discussed.I also included research done to determine the effect of three safe sex campaigns run on Netherlands television during the mid-1990’s in order to see if there were positive messages that were also being sent on television about sex and sexual behavior (â€Å"Can public campaigns effectively change psychological determinants of safer sex? †), an evaluation of three Dutch campaigns that determined that the campaigns were successful in their goals of increasing safe sex practices in the Netherlands.I wanted to see if positive messages about sex and sexual behavior also had an effect on teenagers and young adults as this could be assoc iated back to imitating modeled behavior in general. The determination in the case of the Dutch safe sex campaigns was that effectiveness of the televised messages was related not only to the message itself, but also to the amount of exposure the subject had to the message.Those who were more exposed to the messages were more likely to engage in safe sex than those who were less exposed or not exposed at all. In â€Å"Mass Media Effects on Violent Behavior† by Richard Felson discussed in detail the difficulties of studying the effects of media violence on children because it’s difficult to measure intent and the inherent issues present in building experiments that have the greatest possibility of delivering reasonable results.It was the most comprehensive and inclusive article that I read as it looked at a number of different methods of measuring media effects on children – ultimately demonstrating that there is a provable corollary between exposure to violence seen on television and later violent behavior, however, the media input was shown to be part of a greater set of environmental concerns.What I could determine from my sources was that the greatest issue faced by researchers interested in studying the possible corollary between seeing sex and violence on television and that exposure being the driving force for later acts of violence by the subject is that there is no consensus in the data. Replicating a real world experience in the laboratory requires introducing controls that may cause the subject or subjects to feel freer to engage in extreme behavior as the environment created in the experiment can lack the third-party controls that exist in the real world.There is also some difficulty in repeating the results regardless of the conclusions drawn from the data. Additionally, there are complications where the studies are not necessarily using the same metrics in their research so their conclusions may be similar or even confirm the findings of other research but not using the same methodology. The scientific method relies primarily on replication of results when executing the same experiment and that doesn’t seem to be happening in the research done on this topic.The shared determinations between each of my sources all acknowledged the shortcomings in the research; however, this did not prevent them from coming to some kind of conclusion. The most common conclusion was that there was a relationship, however, that relationship was not a direct one to one corollary. This was true for both negative and positive messages. The general acknowledgements is that while there is an association between exposure to messages in sex and violence in the media, that these messages were not necessarily a driving force in later acts of violence, but were certainly a factor in later acts of violence.Summary of a Research Study The research study that I am summarizing is â€Å"Can public campaigns effectively change psych ological determinants of safer sex? An evaluation of three Dutch campaigns† by M. C. Yzer, F. W. Siero, and B. P. Buunk. The research was designed to establish the effectiveness of Dutch safe sex campaigns that were run between 1994 and 1996. There were several metrics being measured, â€Å"improved attitudes, perceived social norms, self-efficacy and intentions regarding safer sex (Yzer, Siero & Buunk, 1999)The methodology of the study was to use a representative sample of the Dutch population and then ask them to answer electronic questionnaires where you could not advance through to the next question without answering previous questions in order to minimize missing data. Each participant was issued a unique PIN number in order to further identify the participants. There were also five waves of questionnaires, and an individual participant could be eligible for more than one of these waves, however, they could only participate in one wave.The PIN numbers were also used to e nsure that there were no duplicate participants from wave to wave. These methods were also employed to exclude testing effects, history effects, cultural changes and sample differences as alternative explanations for the data collected. (Yzer, Siero & Buunk, 1999) The questionnaires measured attitudes towards safe sex practices, social norms , â€Å"self-efficacy† (Yzer, Siero & Buunk, 1999), and whether or not the participant intended to engage in safe sex practices in the future.The key results in this study were that while the initial levels of positive attitudes and practices of safe sex, there was indeed room for an increase in those metrics. The increases were the most steep immediately after a campaign aired, but that uptick did not dip below the previous level but maintained over time. It was also shown that increases were not always across the board in every category during every campaign. There were different effects that depended on which campaign was aired.When sp lit out into separate categories, â€Å"self-efficacy was enhanced by the 1994 campaign, and that intentions were enhanced by the 1994 and 1995 campaigns. To summarize, all target variables were generally more positive with respect to safer sex after a campaign than before. † (Yzer, Siero & Buunk, 1999) The thesis of the experiment was the following: 1. Attitudes, social norms, self-efficacy and intentions would become more favorable towards safer sex in response to each of the 1994, 1995 and 1996 campaigns. 2.In the period of time after the 1996 campaign when no campaign was conducted (but in a similar time interval as between the 1994 but in a similar time interval as between the 1995 and 1996 campaigns), attitudes, social norms, self-efficacy and intentions would become less favorable towards safer sex. (Yzer, Siero & Buunk, 1999) The data showed that after the campaigns were aired, that all of the measured areas showed an increase both short-term and long-term. They also noticed that there was a quick uptick in positive feelings shortly after a campaign was aired.Overall, the campaigns served to uphold and enhance already present social norms and attitudes towards safe sex and safe sex practices. The conclusions of this study also confirmed the conclusions of a study done in Germany that evaluated German safer sex campaigns. How this relates to the issue of what effect sex and violence on television effects children is that there is here a strong relationship between media messages and future behavior and that this relationship is related to amount of exposure to the message.It was already well established that there was an agreed upon corollary between violence seen on television and violent behavior, however, this study shows that the relationship is also built on frequency of exposure to the medium. Additionally, there can be changes in different areas over time, which shows the diversity of how media messages influence people and how that influe nce can be different while still present. Critical Analysis of Internet Information and Research Study In â€Å"It’s not all sex and violence† by Agustin Fuentes, the information provided by Dr.Fuentes is factual and points out that human beings are diverse and complex beings driven by a variety of things. The overemphasis on sex and violence in media is pervasive and dangerous to how we see ourselves as human beings. The amount of cooperation, joy, sharing, etc. that human beings do far outweigh the amount of violence we engage in as a species. However, we as a species are also fascinated with sex and violence and seek out that information – drawing focus towards it, rather than acknowledging their purpose and role in life and placing it among everything else in life, maintaining perspective.The evidence that is used is a walk through the development of human societies and what scientists know about the behavior of our ancestors and the results of primatologica l research with social behavior of primates. He shows that the majority of the behavior that we engage in is positive and helping behaviors, rather than negative behaviors. The strength of the evidence is weak, but the piece is intended to be an emotional appeal that includes appeals to the intellect. Because of the rhetorical mode of the piece, this is to be expected and does not immediately remove it from consideration as a good source of information.In â€Å"Can public campaigns effectively change psychological determinants of safer sex? † there is a great deal of factual evidence supported by strong evidence with a reasonable and intelligent analysis of the data gathered from their research. The strength of the evidence is significant, especially in light of the inclusion of the information that a German study came to similar conclusions. â€Å"Mass Media Effects on Violent Behavior† is a research study that gathers a number of different research studies and provid es that data along with the conclusions of the author.The information is good and because of the amount of provided data, the reader can see where the author’s conclusions came from. Because of this article’s appearance in a peer-reviewed journal, it can be assumed to be a trustworthy source of information with strong evidence supporting its conclusions. Conclusion In answer to the specific question as to whether or not sex and violence on television is harmful to children – there is no simple answer. Through looking at the evidence, there is an undeniable effect of what people see on television and their future behavior, but that link is not causal.The factors that exist in order to drive an individual to violence are difficult to measure due to basic problems with creating appropriate test trials, the complexity of human nature, and the overwhelming amount of input that everyone has on a regular basis. A worthwhile avenue for research would be to measure expos ure to specific stimuli in media messages and whether or not it’s the amount of sex and violence that someone is exposed to that is the deciding factor in future behavior. Another avenue would be to do a longitudinal study of children of ifferent socio-economic backgrounds to see what other factors exist (exposure to violence in daily life, attitudes about sex, etc. ) along with measuring how the child is interpreting the media messages that it is exposed to along with the frequency of that exposure. It would be holistic, but perhaps prohibitively complex and long term to execute. What remains unknown is what the full impact of media messages on children is, there is an effect, that’s undeniable, but that effect is clearly influenced by a variety of factors and may only be a reflection of what the child has already learned elsewhere.References Bushman, B. (2013). Why do people deny violent media effects?. Psychology Today, Retrieved from http://www. psychologytoday. co m/blog/get-psyched/201302/why-do people-deny-violent-media-effects Felson, R. (1996) Mass media effects on violent behavior. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 103-128 . Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org. libproxy. uml. edu/stable/2083426 Fuentes, A. (2013). Busting myths about human nature. Psychology Today, Retrieved from http://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/busting-myths-about-human- nature/201302/it-s-not-all-sex-and-violenceWalker, M. (1983). Some problems in interpreting statistics relating to crime. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 146(3), 281-293 . Retrieved from http://www. jstor. org. libproxy. uml. edu/stable/2981656 Yzer, M. C. , Siero, F. W. & Buunk, B. P. (1999). Can public campaigns effectively change psychological determinants of safer sex? An evaluation of three Dutch campaigns. Health Education Research, 15(3), 339-352. Retrieved from http://her. oxfordjournals. org/content/15/3/339. full

Quotes From The Handmaids Tale

Quotes From The Handmaids Tale The Handmaids Tale is a best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood set in a feminist dystopian future in which war and pollution have made pregnancy and childbirth increasingly difficult and women are enslaved as prostitutes  or virginal concubines - handmaiden - in an effort to repopulate and control the population. Atwoods beautiful, haunting prose in The Handmaids Tale is told from the first person perspective of a woman called Offred (or Of Fred, her master). The story follows Offred through her third service as a handmaiden and also offers flashbacks to her life before the Revolution that led to this new American society founded on religious fanaticism. Blessed be the fruit, Atwood writes in Chapter Four, an indoctrination for the handmaidens who have to go through intense training for their servitude before being assigned to a master whose child she will bear. Read on to discover more quotes from this famous novel and learn more about the not-too-distant-or-improbable future of Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale, which is also an acclaimed television series. Quotes About Hope In Dystopia The character of Offred carries with her a certain quiet optimism that her daughter, who was taken from her when she tried to flee to Canada with her husband at the start of the revolution, is still alive, though this hope is diminished by the harsh conditions she lives under as a handmaiden, as described in Chapter 5: There is more than one kind of freedom ... Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Dont underrate it. Of her daughter, Offred says, also in Chapter 5, She is a flag on a hilltop, showing what can still be done: we too can be saved. Here, the character reveals her hope hinges upon the fact that her daughter has still not turned up on the wall where the ruling class hangs sinners near where Offred is held. Still, this optimism and hope is nothing in the face of the reality Offred finds herself in, and she admits in Chapter 7 that shes pretending the reader can hear her, But its no good because I know you cant. The Other Handmaidens Offred seems to have contempt for her fellow handmaidens, perhaps for their complacency or their simplistic view of the world: They are very interested in how other households are run; such bits of petty gossip give them an opportunity for pride or discontent. Still, Offred shared similarities with all other handmaidens in that they were the people who were not in the papers, the ones who lived in the blank white spaces at the edge of print, which Offred said gave them more freedom. All of them also undergo an indoctrination, a brainwashing ritual at the Academy where they train to be handmaidens. In Chapter 13, Offred describes a scene where the handmaidens are all seated in a circle around a woman confessing to being raped - Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison, Atwood writes. The woman training them, Aunt Lydia, also encourages all the handmaidens that though the new concepts introduced in their schooling may seem strange at first, they will eventually become mundane, but if not, the handmaidens would be punished for stepping out of line like one woman Offred describes in Chapter 8: She doesnt make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home, but it doesnt seem to agree with her. How furious she must be now that she has been taken at her word.   Offred feels a pressure to fulfill these new standards despite herself, and in Chapter 13 says of her shortcomings, I have failed once again to fulfill the expectations of others, which have become my own. In Chapter 30 Offred says of her oppressors, That was one of the things they do. They force you to kill, within yourself, and ultimately in Chapter 32, she realizes an important lesson when her master Fred tells her,  Better never means better for everyone... It always means worse for some.   Various Other Quotes I dont want to look at something that determines me so completely. (Chapter 12)Give me children, or else I die. Am I in Gods stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? Behold my maid Bilhah. She shall bear fruit upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.(Chapter 15)Moira had power now, shed been set loose, shed set herself loose. She was now a loose woman. (Chapter 22)Maybe none of this is about control. Maybe it isnt really about who can own whom, who can do what to whom and get away with it, even as far as death. Maybe it isnt about who can sit and who has to kneel or stand or lie down, legs spread open. Maybe its about who can do what to whom and be forgiven for it. Never tell me it amounts to the same thing. (Chapter 23)There is something subversive about this garden of Serenas, a sense of buried things bursting upwards, wordlessly, into the light, as if to say: Whatever is silenced will clamor to be heard, though silently. (Chapter 25)Agreed to it right away, really she didnt care, anything with two legs and a good you-know-what was fine with her. They arent squeamish, they dont have the same feelings we do. (Chapter 33) And Adam was not deceived, but the women being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved by childbearing. (Chapter 34)There is something reassuring about the toilets. Bodily functions at least remain democratic. Everybody shits, as Moira would say. (Chapter 39)The trouble is I cant be, with him, any different than I usually am with him. Usually, I am inert. Surely there must be something for us, other than this futility and bathos. (Chapter 39)It makes me feel more in control as if there is a choice, a decision that could be made one way or the other. (Chapter 41)The crimes of others are a secret language among us. Through them, we show ourselves what we might be capable of, after all. This is not a popular announcement. (Chapter 42)Dear God, I think, I will do anything you like. Now that youve let me off, Ill obliterate myself, if that is what you really want; Ill empty myself, truly, become a chalice. Ill give up Nick, Ill forget about the others, Ill st op complaining. Ill accept my lot. Ill sacrifice. Ill repent. Ill abdicate. Ill renounce. (Chapter 45) Dont let the bastards grind you down. I repeat this to myself but it conveys nothing. You might as well say, Dont let there be air; or Dont be. I suppose you could say that. (Chapter 46)

My Childhood essays

My Childhood essays The experiences of my past are undeniable. It goes without saying that my childhood was more than just a learning experience. These are my greatest memories! This is an essay is not only on my childhood but also about the lessons I have learned throughout my childhood. At the age of 3 or so, my mom and dad moved to the states. My mother, originally from Germany, brought us overseas due to my father who was in the United States Army. I can not tell you what his rank was or pretty much any other detail about him because I honestly do not recall anything of the sort. I remember that at one point and time we lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. My sisters and I would play outside constantly more than likely because we had a tendency to drive our parents crazy with our wild and rambunctious nature. I recall we would run around in the yard jumping as high as we possible could trying so hard to catch the huge balloons that would float above us. As far as we could tell they were coaxing us begging for our attention! We were willing to give that attention struggling with our minds trying to find some way to get them down. The harder we tried the easier is seemed we were able to fail on that specific attempt. It seemed as though just as we had moved to thi s glorious land we were being forced to move. Feeling as though we had been given the worst punishment in the world, we packed up our possessions and moved away. This landed us into the great land of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. I really remember that city more than others that we had lived in. This is where the evil turkey once lived. I dreaded every day that I had to come face to face with this demonic animal. I would go outside to play and of course my picking on this bird that was four times my size really did not help matters. He would run after me pecking my clothes looking for god knows what and of course I would curl up into a ball begging it to leave...

Correcting an Incorrect Business Email

Correcting an Incorrect Business Email What is the best way to correct an error in an email sent to multiple recipients, if you are listed in the cc: line of that email, along with other recipients? It can be a little confusing, because if you are listed on the cc: line you can assume you are being informed, with no expectation of a response from you. However, the one exception to this rule is when you know the message to be incorrect, requiring you to correct the misunderstanding. If time is not critical, do not reply to all and correct the sender. Instead, email the sender, explaining your correction, and ask him or her to resend the corrected information to the same recipient group. Only if the sender does not correct the message should you alert the group with your correction. If time does not allow you to alert the sender to correct the message, only then should you reply to all with your correct information. And, be kind and phrase your correction clearly but tactfully. This applies in both business email and personal email. I received a message from a friend this morning alerting me and a large group of recipients how to detect a two-way mirror in case we were being spied upon in clothing dressing rooms. Ok, it was silly. Still, my friend who sent this message is well-intentioned and a nice lady. Another recipient replied to everyone, providing a terse message that the sender was incorrect and included a Snopes link (a site which identifies urban legends) refuting her two-way mirror test. This correction was unkind. The corrector should have sent the Snopes link to the original sender and given her an opportunity to make her own correction. Give a colleague or a friend a chance to wipe the egg off their own face, before you throw some more. Master business email in your career in this Email Course.

Common Welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Common Welfare - Essay Example One of the first elements that define common welfare is with regards to the fact that the very same values that are used to fulfilling interpersonal relationships are also used towards fulfilling the needs of broader society; namely cooperation, appreciation, democracy, confidence building, and solidarity. With respect to the way in which this would work within and implementation level, it must be understood that this particular aspect of the theory is inarguable and must be accepted due to the fact that it is been proven to work throughout society and to be true as a whole. A secondary core element of this economic and social theory is that a fundamental shift must be made away from seeking profit and dominance within a given market alone. Instead, individuals should seek to maximize the common good. With respect to this particular approach, it must be denoted that this is an idyllic vision of the way in which a business interactions should take place; and one that is unlikely to su cceed in the real world. A third core element of the common welfare approach is the understanding that a regulatory framework is needed in order to encourage the shift away from a competition and profit based approach. This could foreseeable be engaged; however, the costs of implementing such a system, with respect to the lost efficiency that this would necessarily entail, could be massive. A fourth key factor of the theory is that the more effective/better the common welfare is, the more legal advantages will be passed along to the company in question; i.e. lower taxes, reduced customs/duties, loan rates etc. Although this may be true, the ultimate time that would take for the common welfare approach to signify a total and complete change to the entire economy could be far longer than might be expected; thereby leading to a breakdown in the system. A fifth cornerstone that is noted is that the financial balance sheet, the gold standard that has been used to measure success within p revious models, must become a secondary balance sheet alongside the common welfare balance sheet. The difficulty in this is that elements of common welfare are extremely difficult to measure; as compared to their more numeric and quantitative economic counterparts. This calls into question the efficiency or effectiveness of that such an approach could engender. Items 6 points to the fact that once a company is free of the drive to continue to promote profitability, it can then focus upon growing to the optimal size; keeping in mind that this optimal size does not necessarily denote complete domination of the market. The shortcoming that is inherent within this particular approach is the fact that such an approach decreases the incentive that a firm has to continue to provide a high quality of goods/services and merely seeks to survive. Item 7 discusses the way that cooperation and solidarity can become evidenced within firms that espouse the common welfare approach. This may indeed be true; however, once again, the incentive to cooperate and work together to

The Tadic Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Tadic Case - Essay Example Nonetheless, ICTY has brought about various issues regarding the legality of institution of the international tribunal and its authority. ICTY statutes give concurrent jurisdiction to the national courts as well as the international tribunals1. ICTY, Trial Chamber, Decision on the Defense Motion on Jurisdiction In the case of Prosecutor v. Dusko Tadic, the defense challenged the primacy of the ICTY because there was no basis in international law to give primacy to the ICTY and it generated an infringement upon state sovereignty. The appellant used three reasons to attack the tribunal: unlawful establishment of Tribunal, its illegal dominance over state courts and its lack of jurisdiction2. Tadic argued that the Tribunal was not lawfully established; those who drafted the UN Charter did not envision such a tribunal, the General Assembly did not take part in its creation, the Council did not act in relation to individuals, and there was no threat to peace. According to Tadic, the Tribu nal would not promote peace and a political body could not create a judicial organ. Tadic argued that in establishing such a Tribunal in accordance with the rule of law, the council should have the appropriate worldwide standards; it has to offer the assurances of justice, fairness, as well as evenhandedness in total compliance with international renowned human rights implements3. This led judges to dissent arguing that the ICTY did not have any competence to decide on the issue. ICTY, Appeals Chamber, Decision on the Defense Motion for Interlocutory Appeal After an appeal on the sentencing, the appeal chamber decided that the Tribunal had the authority to articulate the statement that challenged the legitimacy of institution of the Tribunal; it had jurisdiction to determine whether the ICTY was lawfully established (la competence de la competence). The judges also dismissed the challenge to International Tribunal dominance over state-run courts and decided that the Tribunal had jur isdiction of subject matter in the state. In defense to the legality of institution of the Tribunal, the trial chambers decided that there were evidently adequate jurisdiction issues that were open for the Tribunal to determine the issues of place, nature of the offence and the time committed. The chambers decided that the legitimacy of establishing the Tribunal was not a matter of jurisdiction; it was a matter of the lawfulness of its creation. The defense did not have any right to raise the matter of Internal Tribunal primacy over national courts since only a sovereign state that should raise issues related to sovereignty and a person should not put itself in the position of a state in order to challenge the jurisdiction of an international tribunal4. The state is the only one that has the exclusive right to plead violation of the state sovereignty5. Only a self-governing state can raise the appeal or not claim it; the accused did not have any rights to take over the state’ s rights in this case6.The most affected states in this case were the Germany where the accused lived and Bosnia-Herzegovina where the crimes were committed; the two states accepted the International Tri

Animal rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Animal rights - Essay Example The domesticated animals play important roles in the home environment. However, over the years, animals have been mistreated or even treated to cruelty of a vast nature. From the handling of heavy luggage for donkeys to being killed for food, animals have been used in the society for various reasons. In contrast, human rights have been advocated for by several organization until it has been understood by the society. The rights and privileges of animals have been abused and not advocated for because of the inability for animals to stage demonstration against problems facing them (Owen 23).   Man can definitely live without eating flesh foods but the society today has engaged in eating flesh more than the healthier foods provided by nature. The truth is from research conducted plants offer healthier nutrients than the animal proteins. If the research is true the major question remains, â€Å"why do men kill animals†? The question may raise more questions than answer but my pe rsonal opinion is animals can be left to live their lives and still humanity make ends meet.Response oneThe writer covers issues of treatment and provision of the basic needs of the animal. The author highlights and compares the difference between the pet and the animals kept for food. The main contention area is the treatment differences of the pet and the domesticated animals. In conclusion, the author advocated for equal and even treatment of animals.Animals should be handling well and treated with courtesy.

In the Name of God Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

In the Name of God - Assignment Example According to the findings, it can, therefore, be said that religions generally promote concepts of love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Yes, there are also instances of horrific acts justified by most all ancient religious texts but, still, the main theme is generally of tolerance. The motivations for, along with the act itself of genocide doesn't seem to make sense until one peeks just under the surface.  As the former Eastern European nation, Yugoslavia broke apart in the early 1990s into what are today Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina had not yet been able to secure recognition from the European Union. The delay was due to a lack of racial purity in that emerging country, unlike the circumstances in its neighbor nations. Three ethnic groups were prominent, Bosnian Serbs (Orthodox Catholic), Bosnian Croats (Roman Catholic ), and Bosniaks (Muslim). Former Yugoslavian Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, in an effort to unite the Serbs, absorbed t he small nation of Kosovo under his control by gaining a huge public following. He accomplished this by using his political influence to fill media positions with his political supporters. Kosovo was a prime location to begin his vision. Passions already ran high among Christian Serbs who were being oppressed by the majority Muslim population. Franjo Tudjman, a Serbian and Croatian leader, wished to expand Croatian territory. After fighting between themselves, Tudjman and Milosevic decided to join forces to conquer than to divide Bosnia Herzegovina. The problem was the Muslim population in that country made for a very difficult takeover. Ethnic cleansing was publicly made state policy by both leaders.

Comunication Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comunication Disorder - Essay Example This includes the difficulty in communicating our feelings and emotions with others. Such disorders not only affect our communicating ability, but also reduces our relationship with others. With this small introduction, now let us move on to the next part where we shall discuss about a specific communication disorder. In order to have a clear idea about this communication disorder, we shall begin with the definition of the term 'autism'. Autism is really a brain development disorder that affects our behavior in terms of communication, understanding and so on. It normally begins as a childhood disorder. How this occurs or the actual cause of it is not understood, but it is quite clear that it has a strong biological and genetic connection. Though this disorder leads to many problems like unequal social interaction, impairments in communication, restricted interests and repetitive behavior, as far as this paper is concerned the focus is on the effects of autism in communication. Autism affects and prevents the progression of good communication by decreasing the natural flow of speech. It prevents the growth of communicating skills. Some symptoms include delayed onset of babbling, unusual gestures, diminished responsiveness. Individuals affected with this disorder find it difficult with consonants, words and word combinations. Sometimes their gestures are less often integrated with words.

In the Name of God Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

In the Name of God - Assignment Example According to the findings, it can, therefore, be said that religions generally promote concepts of love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Yes, there are also instances of horrific acts justified by most all ancient religious texts but, still, the main theme is generally of tolerance. The motivations for, along with the act itself of genocide doesn't seem to make sense until one peeks just under the surface.  As the former Eastern European nation, Yugoslavia broke apart in the early 1990s into what are today Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina had not yet been able to secure recognition from the European Union. The delay was due to a lack of racial purity in that emerging country, unlike the circumstances in its neighbor nations. Three ethnic groups were prominent, Bosnian Serbs (Orthodox Catholic), Bosnian Croats (Roman Catholic ), and Bosniaks (Muslim). Former Yugoslavian Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, in an effort to unite the Serbs, absorbed t he small nation of Kosovo under his control by gaining a huge public following. He accomplished this by using his political influence to fill media positions with his political supporters. Kosovo was a prime location to begin his vision. Passions already ran high among Christian Serbs who were being oppressed by the majority Muslim population. Franjo Tudjman, a Serbian and Croatian leader, wished to expand Croatian territory. After fighting between themselves, Tudjman and Milosevic decided to join forces to conquer than to divide Bosnia Herzegovina. The problem was the Muslim population in that country made for a very difficult takeover. Ethnic cleansing was publicly made state policy by both leaders.

The Birthday Paradox Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Birthday Paradox - Assignment Example The article shows that a birthday paradox is an essential method in mathematical world and for the same reason, it has its particular methodology. The birthday paradox which takes into consideration number of people in a group asks that two people have a birthday on the same day of a particular year. However, there is a contradiction to this fact from mathematician Abramson and Moser who suggest that 14 people would suffice in such a paradox. This is not agreed by many and that is the reason why birthday paradox has a clichà ©d 23 has group member. The conclusion of the birthday paradox helps to reduce the complexity of statistical assumption related with it. Birthday paradox gives an insight into the comparison problem and allows in eradicating the intuition attached with the paradox. It is interesting to understand that there is a parallel mathematical method which coincides with the birthday paradox and it is partition problem. However, this mathematical method has some drawbacks which make it a lesser important method in comparison to birthday paradox. The highlight of the birthday problem is that it gives alternative formulation and asks for the average number of people needed in order to fins a pair with the same birthday. This means the probability function comes into action and thus the birthday paradox can be conducted with more strength. The contrast of probability that someone in the football team might share the same birthday is the distinctiveness of birthday paradox.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding Essay Example for Free

My Big Fat Greek Wedding Essay In order for counsellors to help their clients evaluate their values in either work or personal issues, they make them look towards both their values and interests. In a study conducted by Neville and Saber (1986), it was found that â€Å"values are the objectives sought in behaviour, whereas interests are the activities in which values are sought. † Therefore, values determine why an individual may undertake a certain activity, whereas interests dictate what a person chooses to do. It has also been suggested that values are more correlated with work satisfaction (Rounds, 1990) as opposed to interests, which are more connected to the choices one may make in their career. The film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, broaches the subject of values in a very intricate manner. The protagonist, Toula Portokalos, is brought up on three essential values; `Marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and feed everyone. ’ As a result, she begins to resent everything Greek, as she feels that being Greek has overtaken everything she wants for herself. To the extent, that when she meets a man who is a regular American, she is almost ashamed of disclosing the fact that she comes form a Greek family. Dating a non-Greek and then eventually her decision to marry him evokes a guilt within her. This is because her parents have always taught her that marrying a Greek man and inevitably bearing his children is one of the fundamental points to her existence, the reason her parents had worked so hard to give her the comfortable life she has had. Therefore, she is made to feel indebted to them. At this point, we see a classic incongruence between values and interests. On the one hand, we have her intrinsic values, what she wants for herself, personally, juxtaposed to the extrinsic values she needs to fulfil in order maintain her prestige, status, etc. It is interesting to see how despite the fact that Toula resents the Greek values she has been brought up with, it is her values that Ian, her fiance, adopts when they decide to get married. For example, he converts to her faith, the wedding and reception take place in the Greek manner, and even at the end of the film, when they have a daughter, she is sent to Greek school. Ian is depicted as a ‘WASP-ish’ individual with a very middle-upper class up-bringing. He comes from a family of lawyers and has rebelled against what is expected of him by becoming a teacher and then by marrying a Greek. However, Ian doesn’t demonstrate the same guilt that is seen in Toula. In his academic study A Critical Analysis of Values Clarification, David Lipe argues that Moral education generally has been regarded as an integral part of institutions such as the family, the church and the school. This is very much evident in the film, as both Toula and Ian seem to be products of their environments. Therefore, if this couple were to receive counselling, the values that they have accumulated throughout their lives would be an integral part of the process. This is because values are a direct reflection of our attitudes and therefore our beliefs. For example, if we take Toula’s love for Ian as an example, she is willing to work hard to sustain that love, and to even make sacrifices. She has clearly learnt this ability from her mother, as this is also conveyed within the film. This childhood value therefore becomes a pillar within her personality. If a counsellor was to overlook this whilst counselling her, he would miss a vital component to her personality and therefore risk prescribing the incorrect treatment for her. Values can be assessed by either a values inventory or a values clarification, and counsellors generally utilise these processes to treat people who feel confused or uncomfortable with their values. Both treatments focus on the patient examining their internal blueprint and direction of their lives. These processes provide the means to both be retrospective and evaluating the values that have been instilled within us, which then in turn aids us to set goals and prioritise. Both exercises are carried out in the form of a questionnaire aimed specifically towards the individual’s needs. This allows the patient to decide which goals are important and which may be left aside. The clarification of our values would inevitably help us to strengthen our core values and achieve a wholeness. Inevitably, for the couple depicted in the film, this process would be vital if they were to ever need counselling. As essentially, their values are what makes the essence of them. References http://www. apologeticspress. org/rr/reprints/Critical-Analysis-of-Values-Cla. pdf retrieved 22/01/09 Hood, A. B. and Johnson, R. W. 1997, Assessment in Counselling: A Guide to the use of psychological assessment procedures, American Counselling Association, 3 ed

Advantages And Functions Of Clearing House

Advantages And Functions Of Clearing House In addition to the clearing of city and country checks, principally the former, and the settlement of balances, which may be called the primary clearing house functions, there are others not quite so much in general use but which nevertheless are of great importance. Many clearing house associations exercise a close supervision over their members, through the medium of the clearing house system of examination under the direct supervision of a clearing house examiner. The clearing house examiner supplements the work of Federal and State examiners. The National and State officers are limited in their powers of criticism to actual infringements on the law, and before they can take steps to correct such infringements capital has often become impaired and failure is threatened. Most bank failures are due to the gradual acquirement of undesirable assets over a period of years, and if some authority exists with power to make recommendations of a remedial character, with the further power to enforce such recommendations, if necessary, there is little doubt that many bank failures would be averted. The examinations include, besides a verification of the assets and liability of each bank, so far as is possible, an investigation into the workings of every department and are made as thorough as is practicable. After each examination the examiner prepares a detailed report in duplicate, describing the banks loans, bonds, investments, and other assets, mentioning specially all loans, either direct or indirect, to officers, directors, or employees, or to corporations in which they may be interested. The report also contains a description of conditions found in every department. One of these reports is filed in the vaults of the Clearing House, in the custody of the examiner, and the other is handed to the examined banks president for the use of its directors. The individual directors are then notified that the examination has been made and that a copy of the examiners report has been handed to the president for their use. In this way every director is given an opportunity to see the report, and the examiner, in every instance, insists upon receiving acknowledgment of the receipt of these notices. The detailed report retained by the examiner is not submitted to the Clearing House committee, under whose direct supervision he operates, unless the discovery of unusual conditions makes it necessary. A special report in brief form is prepared in every case and read to the Clearing House committee at meetings called for that purpose. The report is made in letter form, and describes in general terms the character of the examined banks assets, points out all loans, direct or indirect, to officers, directors, or employees, or to corporations in which they may have an interest. It further describes all excessive and important loans, calls attention to any unwarranted conditions, gross irregularities, or dangerous tendencies, should any such exist, and expresses, in a general way, the examiners opinion of each bank as he finds it. The examiners enter into an agreement not to enter the employ of any member or non-member of the association, or any other bank, banking institution, firm, or individual engaged in the business of banking, within a radius of miles, for a period of years after the expiration of services with the association. The Clearing House examiner is a very valuable man to the small bank or new institution. The officers of these banks very often do not have the facilities or experience necessary to pass upon paper which is submitted to them for sale or discount. They are apt to become loaded up with credits which have been rejected by their larger or better informed neighbors and must pay dearly for their lack of knowledge. The bank examiner is in a position to make valuable suggestions which often save failures and liquidations. Towns which are too small to be able to afford the services of a skilled examiner can combine with two or more other cities and thus secure a proper official. A great many associations have rules for the conduct of their members. These rules provide for uniform exchange charges on out-of-town checks, uniform maximum interest rates on balances, regulations regarding hours for business, advertising, etc. Most associations publish a weekly statement of condition of the members, and cooperate in every possible way for the general good of the members of the association and the community in which it is located. There are not enough clearing house associations in America today. Nearly every town and city having three or more banks could probably form one to advantage and the Clearing House Section of the American Bankers Association will be glad to furnish all information desired. Clearing House Services Benefits Some of the key drivers that result in the IATA Clearing House benefits are: 1. Netting Through multi-lateral, multi-currency netting of Members Associates receivables a netting ratio of more than 80% is achieved. This translates into an 80% reduction in the credit risk exposure of Members Associates, significant acceleration in collection of outstanding credit and reduction in the foreign exchange risk exposure. 2. Simplification one window operation Through a single net receipt from the Clearing House or payment to the Clearing House each month, Members Associates settle their accounts with all other participants. Cross-remittances, follow-up for credit collection and delays are eliminated. Members Associates receive full accounting and reconciliation statements. Clearing House provides the robust, cost-effective infrastructure for Members Associates to settle accounts with other airlines, travel partners and service providers to enable Members Associates to focus on providing integrated, quality services to their customers. 3. Clearance calendar The calendar of ICH clearances is notified to Members Associates up to one year in advance. Members Associates can plan their billing, receivables and cash management activities in advance. Clearing House notifies each Member Associate of its net accounts with all other participants and the net payable or receivable amount, in advance. Settlement is assured on the designated ICH dates. Members Associates are able to plan and optimize the usage of their financial resources. 4. Currency Exchange and Bank Transfers Multi-currency transactions are translated into the clearance currencies at the Clearing House Rates of Exchange. After netting, settlement of the net balance is effected by/to the Members Associates concerned through a single payment in the settlement. Members Associates avoid commissions/brokerage on multiple foreign exchange transactions, international bank transfer charges and float losses. 5. Protection on Devaluation of a Debtors Currency For miscellaneous transactions, use of the Clearing House ensures that in the event of a devaluation of a debtors currency the creditor is wholly protected, and any loss of exchange falls on the debtor. The debtors loss will be restricted, however, to the exchange loss on the balance after offset of miscellaneous charges. 6. Credit Control Although membership of the Clearing House implies no credit status whatsoever, Clearing House monitors the payment history of each participant. Where necessary, security deposits are taken to cover future transactions. In the event of a default in settlement by a member or associate of the Clearing House, all other members associates are notified concurrently and at an early date. To ensure continued wide interlining capabilities and efficient customer service, Members Associates tend to pay their Clearing House balance on priority over other bilateral arrangements. The enhanced security and efficiency of settling transactions through the Clearing House enables Members Associates to generate more credit than would otherwise be available to them thereby substantially improving their working capital management. 7. Exchange Controls A number of airlines are subject to stringent exchange control regulations and central bank approval requirements in their country of residence on remittance of hard currency funds. This leads to delays in settlement to interline and travel partners or service providers, resulting in business constraints. Membership of Clearing House greatly reduces the requirements and delays: by reducing the need to only one exchange control application to settle a net balance instead of numerous applications for greater individual sums and on account of the established reputation of the IATA Clearing House for settlement of interline dues. In certain instances, need for exchange control approval is entirely eliminated due to consistent net settlement balances in that Members favor. 8. Inter-clearance with ACH The IATA Clearing House has an inter-clearance agreement with the Airlines Clearing House (ACH) of the US, enabling Members Associates of both clearing houses to settle their respective claims by and against each other. For more than 300 Members Associates of the IATA Clearing House (ICH) and just under 100 members of the ACH, this means that each participant can settle with more than 400 other parties through these Services. http://riskinstitute.ch/135470.htm Institutional Differences Existing derivatives exchanges, SROs and governmental regulatory agencies all have rules intended to achieve the three basic regulatory goals. There are many similarities in the rules of different exchanges, regulatory organizations and agencies across different jurisdictions, but there are also many differences. These differences reflect, in part, differences in the way the markets are organized and operated. One such difference, for example, concerns the relationship between the exchange for equity derivatives and the equity exchange. In some instances, the two exchanges are part of the same organization. In others, the equity derivatives exchange and the equity exchange are entirely separate entities.. Another difference concerns the structure of the clearing house. In some cases, the clearing house is part of the exchange. In others, it is not. And some clearing houses clear for only one exchange while some provide clearing services for more than one exchange. Another fundamental institutional difference lies in the trading method itself. Most derivatives exchanges use open-outcry, but some use electronic trading systems. These differences appear to be so fundamental that there is a natural inclination to believe that a successful market or successful regulation of a market can only be achieved if the proper choice is made in each of these areas. In other words, the differences in organization and trading method appear to be so profound that some believe that a market or its regulators can only be successful if the best organization and trading method is used. Let us look at each of these issues more carefully. Exchange Structure This issue is of particular interest with respect to equity derivatives. There is widespread concern that the existence of a derivatives markets for which equities are the underlying product can lead to increased volatility in the equities market and that this volatility can be function of whether the derivatives exchange is a part of the equities exchange. In this regard , it should be remembered that the fundamental reason for the existence of a derivatives market is price volatility in the underlying market. In a well-functioning derivatives market, price volatility will be the result of changes in the demand for, or supply of, the underlying product. If both markets are working properly, prices in the two markets will move together and the futures and cash prices will converge as the futures contract expires. Large changes in supply or demand conditions, therefore, should cause volatility in both markets regardless of whether the derivatives exchange is part of the exchange on which the underlying instrument is traded. A poorly designed derivatives contract can cause volatility to be higher than it would otherwise be regardless of structural considerations. The key, therefore, to preventing derivatives from increasing volatility lies primarily in ensuring proper contract design and in having adequate protections against manipulati on rather than in separating or combining the derivatives and cash markets. Clearing House Structure There are two issues here. One is whether the clearing house should be a part of the exchange or a separate entity. This distinction itself is not very important. The critical issue is that the clearing house have the authority and commitment to impose and enforce prudential margining and collection standards for all market participants. Experience has shown that both types of structure can function very well. Moreover, it has not revealed that one type is more likely to function better than another. The other structural issue concerns whether a separate clearing house for each exchange (regardless of whether the clearing house is part of the exchange) or a common clearing house for the derivatives and equity exchanges is more likely to be efficient and to promote financial integrity. There are advantages to both arrangements. A common clearing house reduces costs to its members, makes more information about financial risk readily available, and makes it easier for regulators to monitor the entire portfolio of a member. A possible advantage of separate clearing houses (or disadvantage of common clearing) is that the consequences of inadequate margining or other mistakes would have more widespread consequences. There may also be operational disadvantages to common clearing. Margining arrangements for equity and derivatives markets are different as are requirements for marking to market. There is no generally accepted view as to which arrangement is better at ensuring financial int egrity, but there would seem to be little reason for regulators to require common clearing, although they certainly might permit it. The more critical issue is whether the appropriate rules for establishing financial integrity are in place and the proper procedures for monitoring and enforcing compliance with these rules are regularly carried out. Trading Method Most existing derivatives exchanges use the open outcry method in which a trade is executed only when the parties to the trade personally agree to its terms. A few use electronic or screen-based systems in which trades are executed by a computer based upon orders entered by the parties. This difference in trading methods raises the question of whether one system is superior with respect to achieving market and financial integrity and to providing fair treatment of customers. From a regulatory perspective, however, the difference between the two types of trading systems may not be as great as some believe. All modern exchanges, whether screen-based or open outcry, rely on electronics to a large and growing extent. An open outcry system can use electronic technology for such purposes as transmitting orders, recording trades, constructing audit trails, and monitoring compliance. This means that todays open outcry exchanges are able to construct and maintain much more accurate records than was the case previously. As a result, both SROs and governmental regulators can be more effective in monitoring trading activity and in detecting and deterring rule violations. The question of the type of trading system to use is fundamentally a business or economic issue rather than a regulatory issue. Both open outcry and electronic systems can achieve acceptable levels of integrity and fairness. Neither type of system is foolproof. No matter what type of trading method is used, problems can and will occur on occasion. Some people will violate the rules. Unforeseen circumstances will arise. When this happens SROs and other regulators must be prepared to discipline those who violate the rules and to modify systems and rules if necessary. From a regulatory perspective, the most important issue is not the type of trading system. It is to ensure that the exchange has rules which are appropriate for the trading technology used and systems for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the rules. In todays world these systems will necessarily rely heavily upon electronic technology even though the trading system itself may well rely upon open outcry.

Portrayal of Marriage in Wuthering Heights and Scarlet Letter Essay exa

â€Å"The convention of marriage is portrayed as a force which is detrimental to characters achieving their desires† Set in the North of England, the convention of marriage is prominent in Victorian society. This is shown as very detrimental to many characters in Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s ‘Wuthering Heights’ leading to marriages in which, neither the bride nor groom know each other well enough to spend their lives together, causing a breakdown of their relationship and pain for surrounding characters. Brontà « shows that, without love, a marriage is unable to function and prevents those involved from achieving their desires. In ‘Scarlet Letter’, Nathaniel Hawthorne proves to the reader that an unfortunate marriage can lead to adultery, revenge and unhappiness, caused by traditional conventionality. Catherine’s marriage to Edgar Linton is motivated by her desires to advance socially causing severe emotional damage for herself, Linton and of course, Heathcliff, who feels total adoration towards her. The force of conventionality is shown by Brontà « here, as although Catherine is so powerfully in love with Heathcliff and has such intense feelings towards him, she marries Linton instead, with whom she shares nothing like the love and connection that she has with Heathcliff. Brontà « not only shows here the faults within Catherine’s character but also the problems within society at the time, that money and status are most important in finding a husband. Heathcliff views this marriage as betrayal, bringing out the worst in his character as he dedicates his life to planning revenge. By denying herself union with Heathcliff she causes herself and Heathcliff deep emotional pain. The convention in Victorian society of marriage being a way of advancing socially ... ...as an obligation, where you were unable to choose your husband or had to choose for financial stability rather than love and companionship. The Church at the time of the setting was highly condemnatory against sin, most particularly in this case where a woman betrays the contract of marriage as men were seen as the most important and respect worthy in a marriage with women treated as second class citizens. In conclusion, one can see that in both novels the idea that the convention of marriage can cause many problems and can overall be detrimental to characters achieving their desires as in Wuthering Heights we see the torment of characters whom the marriage has caused pain and we also see the damaging effects of marriage in The Scarlet Letter as we see Hester’s love life shatter as she breaks the bond of marriage that was so sacred in the 17th century by adultery.

Research Movie Paper

In the beginning, the setting took place on a never ending road where Gilbert and Arine were sitting; waiting to see the campers come in. This seemed to be something they did often together. The lived in a town where nothing ever much happens. Gilbert worked at a local grocery store where he describes it as being â€Å"empty†. At home gilbert takes care of his youngest brother Arine. Arine has a disability problem and wasn’t expecting to live as long as he did. At any time his life was over. Gilbert has two sisters, a 15 year old name Ellen, and another sister who use to work at the school kitchen until it was burned down her name was Amy. He’s mother was a large women who haven’t left the house in almost 7 years but that was soon to change after an accident occurred with Arine. Gilberts farther died so most of the responsibilities were left with him. When Gilbert goes to work Arine sits there and waits for him. Just before Gilbert shift was over a women called by the name of Betty Carver calls for a delivery. Betty quickly alarmed the kids to go outside to play. Gilbert took the groceries to the kitchen where Betty starts to kiss him, showing that this was something that usually happens while he makes deliveries. The kissing stops when Gilbert sees Mrs. Carver husband outside on the trampoline with his kids. While walking out Mr. Carver sees ice cream that was fed to him by Mrs. Carver on his face and immediately tell Gilbert that he wants to see him in his office. When he got to his car he noticed Arine was missing. He sees Arine climbing the town’s water tower and sings to him to get him down. By the way the police were talking to gilbert Arine had done this before multiple times. On their way back to the car they notices the girl from one of the campers that where driving in. Later in the movie the family is planning an 18th birthday party for Arine. One day while they were visiting a cafe they saw the girl from the campers again. They got really close and Gilbert and Becky began to see each other more. One day when Becky and Gilbert were hanging out Gilbert had to go home and give Arine a bath, when he got there he told Arine that he was old enough to wash up by himself. So he left. When he got back home he noticed that Arine was still in the tub shaking back in forth from being in the tub all night. After then Arine never wanted to take a bath again. One night Gilbert tried to tell Arine that it was time for him to take a bath so they were in the bathroom and Arine wouldn’t get in so they started fighting and Gilbert hit Arine and Arine ran away to Becky’s house. When he arrived home the next morning it was his 18th Birthday party. Gilbert came home later that day to find out that Arine party had started when he got there he apologized to Arine for hitting him. Gilbert introduced Becky to his mother even though she hated people to see her because of her wait. After the party was over Gilbert, Amy, and Ellen began to clean up while Bonnie sat on the couch and watching television but not for long after sitting on the couch for 7 years without never getting up she finally got up and made an effort to go upstairs to her room that she haven’t been in since the death of her Husband. While she was upstairs she asked Ellen to get her some water while to talked to Gilbert she told him that he was her â€Å"Night and Shimmering Armor† after they were finished talking she asked to talk to Arine as she referred to as the Birthday Boy. When Arine got upstairs he started to call for his mother but she wouldn’t respond he thought she was playing a game and he got irraitted but his mother was dead. When Gilbert and his sisters were upstairs they cried. Later they burned the house down because they knew no one would be able to remove their mother from the house.

Heaney’s poems explore by varied poetic means the enduring significance of family and childhood in human life

Much of Heaney's poetry, particularly from his early selections, explores childhood and family. Heaney perhaps uses these themes as a means of discovering his true self by travelling back to his roots. His childhood experiences have certainly had a deep impact and acted as inspiration for many of the poems from his first book, ‘Death of a Naturalist', but there are also poems in later books that explore this theme. Aside from giving us an insight into Heaney's early life, his exploration of childhood and family also reflects the rural Irish culture at the time and the political situation in Ireland. The poet also explores the themes of childhood and family through the use of various poetic devices, including vivid imagery and structure. The first poem that I have decided to examine is ‘Digging' from Heaney's first collection, ‘Death of a Naturalist'. This poem focuses on the poet's father and grandfather, and his admiration for their digging skills. It also shows the great contrast between father and son, in that Heaney has â€Å"no spade to follow men like them†; his talents lie in writing. Digging' is the first poem in the selection, and certainly depicts Heaney's insecurities about his writing career and his early struggle to define himself as a poet, and break the family tradition of rural labour. The poem is littered with various poetic devices, which help to bring the poem and the poet's feelings alive to the reader. Firstly, Heaney uses the simile, â€Å"snug as a gun† to describe the way the pen feels when he holds it. This suggests that it fits his hand well and is very powerful. It could also mean that, whereas his father and grandfather use the spade as their weapon, Heaney uses the pen. Some have also proposed that the image of the â€Å"gun† is a reflection of the violence in Northern Ireland. However, this cannot be so, because this poem was published in 1966, before the troubles started. He also chooses to use rather vivid language to describe his father's actions while digging in the garden. For example, â€Å"a clean rasping sound† is almost onomatopoeia, as the word really sounds like the noise a spade makes when it sinks into hard ground. Further examples of onomatopoeia are, â€Å"squelch†, â€Å"slap†, â€Å"sloppily† and â€Å"gravelly†. â€Å"Straining rump† is also a good choice of language, as the reader can instantly visualise how hard the man is working and feel his pain. A further poetic tool is the use of technical language, such as â€Å"lug† and â€Å"shaft†, which show their technique and skill in their trade, as they know exactly what they are doing and thoroughly understand every part of their tool. Colloquial language is also used, such as â€Å"By God, the old man could handle a spade†. This is perhaps used as a way for Heaney to connect with the rural population of Ireland and associate himself with his roots. The structure of the poem is also a very important feature, as it helps to illustrate Heaney's insecurities with his writing career. The stanzas are very irregular, suggesting that the poet's thoughts are wandering aimlessly as he is trying to discover his true identity and accept his trade. However, the structure could also be said to portray the idea of digging, in that the first four stanzas grow in length, almost like a spade travelling deeper into the ground. Heaney uses the theme of ‘Digging' and roots as an extended metaphor, as through writing this poem, he is attempting to get back and identify with his own roots and dig into the past and his childhood, in order to discover his true self. He demonstrates the significance of family and childhood experiences and the impact they have on your actions in later life. Heaney was clearly worried that he was disappointing his father by not continuing the family trade, and this poem seems to act as an apology for this. The last stanza of ‘Digging' is very similar to the first stanza, but instead of the pen being â€Å"as snug as a gun†, Heaney resolves that he will â€Å"dig with it†. This implies that the pen is Heaney's tool, just like the spade was his predecessors' tool. The occupations may be vastly different, but they still require a great deal of expertise. The second poem that I have chosen to explore is ‘Personal Helicon', which is also from Heaney's first collection, ‘Death of Naturalist'. This poem contains many double meanings. On the surface, it would appear as if Heaney is reflecting on his favourite pastime as a child, which was playing with water and wells. This, indeed, is true, but he is also using the theme to talk about writing poetry. The word â€Å"Helicon† in the title refers to a place in ancient Greece where there are springs that supposedly give inspiration to anyone that drinks there. This suggests that, for Seamus Heaney, the memories of his childhood and his love for water and wells are his personal inspiration for his poetry. It is also an interesting choice of word because both sources of inspiration are associated with water. â€Å"So deep you saw no reflection in it† describes one particular well that Heaney encountered as a child. However, the image of the bottomless well also portrays what a poem is like, filled with different meanings. A further example of a double meaning can be found in the line, â€Å"A white face hovered over the bottom†. This refers to the literal reflection of Heaney that could be seen in the water, but could also mean that he is always evident in his poems; each poem connects in some way with the poet, no matter what the theme is. An important poetic device that the poet uses in ‘Personal Helicon' is highly expressive and vivid language, which helps the reader to envision exactly what the wells were like. Good examples of this are â€Å"fungus†, â€Å"dank moss† and â€Å"finger slime†, which all conjure up wonderful, yet repulsive images of exactly what wells are like and the enjoyment that children find in wet, dirty places. Heaney has also incorporated a clever metaphor into the poem, which is â€Å"the trapped sky†. The sky is obviously not trapped within the well in a physical sense, but it appears to be due to its reflection in the water at the bottom of the well. The last two lines of ‘Personal Helicon' are extremely significant, as they represent the motivation behind Heaney's poetry and illustrate exactly what he is like. â€Å"I rhyme to see myself, to set the darkness echoing. † This would imply that Seamus Heaney writes poetry in order to discover himself and approach subjects that cannot be approached in any other way. A critic once proposed that the â€Å"darkness† refers to the unknown, the things that remain hidden, concepts that have not been brought into the light and expressed in words. Whether it is personal fears or social and political injustices, poetry is a medium to bring these unspoken attitudes and opinions to the world, and to make them â€Å"echo† and resound with force. The mention of the word, â€Å"darkness† also links in with Heaney's next book, entitled â€Å"Door into the Dark†, suggesting that he was very insecure and apprehensive about his ‘debut' collection of poems and how successful it would be. Overall, ‘Personal Helicon' gives the reader an insight into Seamus Heaney's childhood and the features of rural Ireland, and shows, similarly to the previous poem, what effects childhood experiences can have on a person's later life. The final poem that I have chosen to study is ‘The Other Side' from Heaney's third poetry collection, ‘Wintering Out'. This poem chronicles the poet's childhood experiences of the vast divide between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, and tells the story of a Catholic family (Heaney's family) and a Protestant neighbour living on the other side of the stream. Heaney uses a great deal of religious imagery within this poem, perhaps in order to reinforce the theme of religious divide. A good example of this is, â€Å"‘It's poor as Lazarus, that ground'†. Lazarus is the name of a poor man in the bible, so this is a clever simile that not only depicts the poor quality of Heaney's farmland, but also underpins the overall theme of the poem. There are a number of other religious images within the poem also. â€Å"That tongue of chosen people† is a reference to Protestants and the fact that they are supposed to speak â€Å"properly† and in a superior manner to Catholics. â€Å"Chosen people† is a biblical image and â€Å"promised furrows† links in with the bible and the idea of the â€Å"promised land†. Tares† is another word used in the poem that suggests religious significance, as in the bible, these were weeds that the enemy deliberately planted to ruin others' crops. Another interesting simile within this poem is, â€Å"as if party to lovemaking or a stranger's weeping†. This is an excellent use of imagery, as it really portrays to the reader the extent of the neighbour's embarrassment at having interrupted Heaney's family's prayers. Another poetic device used in the poem is onomatopoeia, shown through the expression â€Å"moan of prayers†. The word â€Å"moan† really does sound like the chanting of prayers often heard in churches, as it is a rather extended, droning word, reflecting what the prayers were like. To conclude, ‘The Other Side' depicts the significance of family and childhood experiences, as Heaney has undoubtedly gained much inspiration from his memories of the division between religions in Ireland when he was a child. Overall, it is evident that a number of Heaney's poems explore the enduring significance of family and childhood in human life, as he openly acquires a good deal of inspiration from his early years. Within these poems, he uses various poetic devices as a means of expressing memories, feelings and objects in a highly vivid and engaging way. His fascinating and intelligent use of language is certainly at the forefront of all of his poems, whether it is shown through imagery, onomatopoeia or realistic descriptions. Heaney once said that, ‘Words themselves are doors', suggesting that they can open up new ways of understanding, expressing and interpreting situations and feelings.

Progressive Insurance Company

1. 1 Progressive Insurance Company offers its services to over 10 million people, making it one of the largest auto insurance companies in the U. S. A. There are various initiatives devised by Progressive to improve service quality under the five dimensions of service quality which are following. Reliability: a. Progressive offers a high-tech method for calculating auto insurance premiums on a pay-as-you-go basis to perform the promised, customized and differentiated services. b.Progressive group introduced Comparison Quotes: 1-800-AUTO-PRO, a technologically advanced auto insurance rate comparison-shopping service. c. A major innovation is Progressive’s implementation of fast service. With immediate response, Progressive could do their things better and reduce cost in business. Responsiveness: a. Progressive’s auto insurance policy is loaded with special features such as local response claims service, 24/7 live support and concierge level of claims service, without any additional fees. b. Progressive furnishes attractive discounts to their customers.These discounts can largely benefit people, who are good students, mature drivers or have a good driving record. c. Progressive’s innovative Gold Card could be broken in half, facilitating the exchange of information between drivers after an accident. Assurance: Progressive group offers auto insurance to all types of drivers. It respected for the customers and had effective communication with customers. Customers choose Progressive automobile insurance for its extensive coverage options, competitive rates and specialized claims service.Empathy: a. Since its inception, Progressive has followed an innovative approach to auto insurance. For customers who were unable to pay one annual payment, it allowed them to pay their premiums in monthly installments. b. Drivers who signed up for Autograph were offered an additional set of services that were unrelated to insurance. These service features, which included theft recovery, remote door unlocking, travel directions, low-battery detection, and emergency assistance help, were caring and sympathy to customers. Tangibles: . Progressive owned 350 local claims offices, which shared the information on the accident and customer through a centralized database, and 1400 IRV used for immediate response service. b. Progressive used Immediate Response Vehicles which were Ford vans outfitted with a desk, file cabinet, drapes, cell phones, generator, computer and printer, chairs, fax machine, and small refrigerator. The white vans, with the Progressive name emblazoned in blue, are tangible evidence of the care and service exhibited by Progressive. c.In the Houston office, a team consisted of ten persons with five in the field doing Immediate Response and five in the office answering phones , dispatching agents, and processing long-term claims. 1. 2 There exist two initiatives which either address the service dimensions not tackled by Progress ive or may further enhance the initiatives they have devised. a. Progressive could set up a department of service quality which is responsible for supervising the process of offering services, collecting the complaints of customers, and improving products and services from high quality perspective. . Progressive could attach more importance on human resource management through a comprehensive set of training, evaluation and incentive mechanism. Therefore, it is significant that stimulating claim representatives to work actively and newer reps to grow faster. 1. 3 a. Autograph relied on GPS satellites, mapping technology, and internal computers to determine when and how much a vehicle was driven. This information was uploaded monthly to Progressive’s database. b.Progressive’s ability to segment depended upon its sophisticated underwriting software, which allowed agents to set rates at finer levels than its competition. c. Advances in technology, particularly wireless te chnology and cell phones, made Progressive’s leap into 24/7 service possible. d. IR system facilitated the seamless flow of information and enabled Progressive claims representatives to work up estimates immediately. e. Progressive’s price segmenting consisted of data mining and extensive statistical analysis of customer behavior. f.Claims representatives relied on their cell phones in the early days of IR calling dispatchers to relay data and retrieve coverage information from the claims center and the company’s mainframe. 1. 4 Progressive Insurance has been selling reasonably-priced car insurance since 1937. They started by offering car insurance policies through independent insurance brokers. These brokers sold a variety of car insurance policies from various insurance companies. The initial policies were designed to provide insurance to consumers who were considered high-risk because of their driving record.The company has grown significantly since 1937 and now offers a wide variety of car insurance policies to all consumers. Progressive Insurance’s service oriented strategy has recreated the standard for how car insurance is sold and how claims are handled. –External customer Actions: Progressive enhanced customer satisfaction through various service manners. First, Progressive was one of the first insurers to enter the non-standard market, in which it quickly became a dominant player. , to offer their services for high-risk customers.Progressive’s strength lay in its ability to finely segment its customer base. Second, a major innovation was Progressive’s implementation of Immediate Response, which is one of the best ways to enhance customer satisfaction. Their mobile claims offices and Immediate Response Vehicles could verify information, soothe policyholders and expedite the claims process at the site of an accident. Third, Progressive’s Comparison Quotes provided prospective customers who called Progressive’s toll-free number with rates from Progressive and up to three competitors.In such way, they provided the multiply choice for consumer to compare different insurers. Measurements: The amount of complaints and advices collected from customers should be seriously considered. Besides, questionnaires could help Progressive know the first-hand information about the degree of customer satisfaction. –Financial Actions: Progressive set aside portion of the premiums collected from policyholders to cover losses. They invested funds set aside for loss reserves, unearned premium reserves, policyholders’ surplus, and shareholders’ equity.According to the Exhibit 2 table of Auto Insurance Costs and Profits,Progressive focus on cost reduction in several aspects including commissions fees, costs of operations, state premium taxes, and dividends to policyholders. Measurements: From Exhibit 5 table of Progressive Selected Financials, loss ratio, expense ratio, combined ratio could be necessary measurements for Progressive Insurance to understand the cost problems. –Internal business operations Actions: Progressive’s auto insurance was sold through both dedicated and independent agents as well as directly to the consumer via telephone and Internet.Meanwhile, Progressive made efforts on shortening the process of dealing with the customer request of car accident and other claims. Measurements: Progressive consequently se out to encourage policyholders to report accidents immediately. It instituted a Claims Reporting Index (CRI) that monitored how long it took a customer to report an accident. –Learning and growth Actions: Progressive had two simple operating principles: â€Å"hire the best† and â€Å"pay the most† for expressing employee satisfaction. They put their employees through crucible that is a highly competitive and challenging place to work.What’s more, Progressive was willing to train new representatives to help them grow faster to be more experienced ones. Measurements: Progressive had the best people in the industry as measured by education, intelligence, initiative, work ethic, and work record. Progressive could also utilize Employee Satisfaction Index including data from employee survey, focus groups, absenteeism, and voluntary terminations. 1. 5 The company is customer-oriented and has developed new business practices that use information technology with a customer focus.These IT practices are designed to provide high quality customer service and to create an environment in which the customer can quickly and easily purchase car insurance and handle their insurance claims. –Customer For external customer, purchase a boat or motorcycle policy on the Progressive website, customers can cut through the time and paperwork usually required to insure these vehicles. File a claim or manage the policy on Progressive website, customers can file your claim and monito r the settlement without having to phone or write to a claims representative.For internal customer, Progressive’s claims representatives relied on advanced technology, particularly wireless technology and cell phones to shorten turnaround time in responding to urgent accidents. –Financial For IT services provided to external and internal customers, Progressive focused on both revenue and cost. Progressive absorbed the cost of installing in the policyholder’s automobiles a GPS transponder, cellular communication system, and small computer as well as cabling and connectors (roughly $500 per vehicle). Besides, IT services provided by Progressive attracted more customers and increased revenue. -Internal IT operations Progressive should focus on how to optimize IT operation. The seamless flow of information facilitated by the Immediate Response system enabled Progressive to work up estimates immediately. Progressive could take actions to reduce downtime through bette r database capacity planning. –Learning and growth Progressive was committed to technological leadership in an industry that was growing increasingly excited about employing technologies such as GPS and cellular modems for enterprise growth. Progressive should provide more technical trainings to administrators.