Minimizing Effects of Foreclosure Crisis Essay examples -- Economics E

Even though I believe that education can help solve this problem, I do not believe that it alone can prevent our current foreclosure crisis. Other factors, along with education, need to be considered. Our financial mess is not only due to our own ignorance regarding financial matters and personal responsibility, but it has also been elevated by our government’s failed policies that have exacerbated an already fragile market. Politics have played a major role in our failures for a majority of Americans. When government policies are created to elevate a particular sect of the American population, for example, home ownership, those who were on the bubble for loan approval are susceptible. These individuals who were eventually approved, but then cannot sustain monthly payments, are doomed for at least a fall if not a total failure. To address the issue of education, I will point to a 2004 survey conducted by The National Council on Economic Education. The survey points out that since 2004 there are only seven states that mandate their students take a course on basic finances as a requirement for their high school graduation. Comparing the results of the survey to the individual states ranking in the category of home foreclosures, we see that this type of education has a dismal effect. According to the NCEE’s survey, thirty-eight states set school standards that indicate they want money issues and financial themes to be taught; however, many states do not enforce the standards and have not made them a part of their curriculum. By looking at the survey, we see that the following states have implemented a basic finance class as part of their required curriculum since 2004: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, New Y... ...ollment surpassing that of our higher education system. A Responsible Citizenship curriculum will do no good unless the principles of that education are embraced and applied to our daily lives. If applied, people may be able to avoid or minimize a future foreclosure crisis and the resulting economic fallout. Works Cited Fulmer, Melinda. "States Ranked by Foreclosure Rates." MSN Real Estate. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. . "Public School Spending." Epodunk: The Power of Place. June 2004. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. . "Survey of the United States: Economic and Personal Finance Education in Our Nation's Schools in 2004." National Council on Economic Education, 2004. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. .

Latin America Transformed

This work focuses on four different areas for understanding the dynamics of Center America and the Caribbean. The first is the comparative evaluation of development policies in the region prior to neoliberalism. The second involves analytical work that combines the nature of the neoliberal model applied in the Caribbean and Central America. The third is the study of the role of migration and trading blocks in contemporary Caribbean and Central American development. The fourth considers the Cuban exception as a socialist state in a capitalist sea. The republics of Central America and the Caribbean share many historical characteristics. All of these countries formed part of the Spanish colonial system for three centuries or more. However, both regions have inherited highly unequal distributions of agricultural land (Gwynne & Kay 104). Although the countries spun out of the Spanish colonial orbit at different times and in different contexts, Spanish colonialism established important elements of coherence that helped lay the foundations for the challenges of nation-state construction after independence. Furthermore, Central America and the Caribbean have shared, since the late nineteenth century, the strong political, social, and economic influence of the United States and the development of agro-export economies. Either through the direct creation of classic enclave economies (mining, sugar, timber, bananas, and so on); the development of export infrastructures; or the less visible participation in the production and marketing of other products, such as coffee, cattle, or food, foreign -especially U.S., German, and English – entrepreneurs helped connect the region firmly to the North Atlantic economy. Beginning at the end of the nineteenth century, national elites struggled to channel and contain social and political movements in order to promote the kind of order and progress they and foreign investors depended upon and also to construct memories, histories, and images of nations that were functional to their political and economic projects and their dreams of national power and stability. At the same time, foreign political and economic control and their own internal weaknesses and contradictions led them to seek, at least rhetorically, national unity and independence and to make strategic concessions to popular classes in an attempt to form nationalist or populist alliances. This kind of opening both influenced the ways popular struggles came to be defined and created situations in which popular forces could effectively make their voices heard in the national political arena. CBI should be seen as a vanguard policy for a reconstituted US regional hegemony under neoliberalism (Gwynne & Kay 105). Caribbean governments in the context of their efforts at promoting economic and social development and with the external debt crisis hanging heavily over their heads had been stressing the need for a meaningful, coordinated program of emergency assistance in the form of aid and market and investment preferences. Indeed as early as 1979, Edward Seaga, then the opposition leader of Jamaica, proposed the need for a mini-Marshall Plan and a Puerto Rico-style relationship between the US and the Caribbean. CBI could therefore be regarded as a response to those appeals. The most salient studies in Cuban history written in the 1970s and 1980s focused on the transition from slave labor to free labor in Cuba's plantation economy and were led by the research of Manuel Moreno Fraginals into Cuba's plantation sector and Rebecca Scott's work on the abolition of slavery and its impact. Since then, studies have addressed issues of racial and ethnic formation and identity, immigration, and social banditry, as well as the women's and labor movements. Jorge Ibarra has begun a process of revision and reconsideration of the classic themes of Cuban historiography, including the island's social structure. Since the nineteenth century Cuba has essentially had a one-crop (sugar cane) exporting economy with the concomitant vulnerabilities of output and price fluctuations and deteriorating terms of trade (Gwynne & Kay 118). Cuba is now almost totally isolated and potentially a source of future conflict and violence. Cuba has ceased to be the totalitarian state it once was as the state itself was severely weakened by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Spurred on by the international climate favoring regional trading blocs, Middle American countries have recently formed the Association of Caribbean States, but beyond several regional summits have taken no firm steps towards region-wide economic integration (Gwynne & Kay 100). The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) encompasses 200 million (plus) inhabitants of the region and, along with free trade arrangements between CARICOM and Venezuela, Colombia, and the Southern Cone countries, represents the consolidation of a Caribbean strategy to participate as fully as possible in the movement toward hemispheric free trade. Ironically, the Caribbean is moving in the direction of the foreign conception of the region in that U.S., European, Japanese, and other external policy-makers have long dealt with the Caribbean programmatically as a seamless, if culturally diverse, unit. Regional academics and policy-makers, however, depart from this programmatic view in recognizing that certain aspects of sub-group uniqueness must still be maintained. For example, the existing Caribbean Community (CARICOM) integration area will for the foreseeable future co-exist with the ACS. For both the Caribbean and Central America, the version of import substitution adopted to a large extent involved US multinational corporations (MNCs) relocating production facilities within the region to serve customers there, rather than a dramatic expansion of domestically-owned industries (Gwynne & Kay 100). Both liberal, free-market rhetoric and collective bodies of capitalists (domestic holding companies and multinational corporations) spearheaded the drive to enter foreign areas. The ideology praised individualism and free market values, but the actual agencies of penetration were collectivized planning organizations. U.S. businessmen and politicians looked first to Central America for markets because that region had long been expected to become a closer economic partner. But U.S. officials conducted little study of the Central American economic situation and entered into no systematic consultation with Central American leaders because the U.S. vision expressed in the doctrines of Manifest Destiny and the Open Door was restricted to resolving U.S. domestic problems, not meeting Central American needs. The Americanism initiated in the 1880s, which was expected to create the market conditions necessary to assure U.S. commercial expansion, also exposed fundamental differences between the U.S. and Central American visions. While the United States proposed mainly commercial programs, the Central American delegates often struggled to include political, social, and cultural affairs. Among the alternatives available, it seems that the neoliberal model has begun to prevail. This model, which is well known and well supported from outside, substantively modifies the structure of Central American countries. Its hallmark is the absence of attention to social aspects. In the case of Central America, it eliminates what little economic equilibrium had existed before, producing a growing concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, and a progressive pauperization of the rest of the population. Consequently, it will crumble democracy throughout the region. Neoliberalism puts pressure on already highly-trade-dependent Middle America to export more (Gwynne & Kay 104). The progress or modernization pursued by the Latin American governments required increasing sums of money to import the machinery, railroads, luxuries, and technology that would be used to try to transform their nations into replicas of the European nations the elites and middle class so much admired. To earn that money, the Latin Americans increased their exports, the foods or minerals they traditionally had sold abroad. The export sector of their economies received the most attention. In that sector, they increasingly concentrated investments, technology, and labor, leaving the domestic economy weak and increasingly inadequate. The number of those exports was limited. The highly prized railroads, built at staggering expense, opened new lands for exploitation but always were linked to the export sector, rushing the material products of the interior to the coastal ports where ships waited to transport them to Europe and the United States. Most of the modernization concentrated in the export sector. It contributed to some impressive growth but did little to develop Central America. In fact, modernization contributed to deepening dependency. Central America and the Caribbean is a region of small, economically vulnerable and trade-dependent countries surrounded by larger and more industrialized countries that are moving more aggressively towards economic integration (Gwynne & Kay 99). From one perspective, global transformations create challenges and opportunities for policymakers who can adapt to changing environments and prudently recalculate basic questions of survival, viability, and effectiveness. There is reason to believe that this process is under way in Cuba, though the nature of these calculations and their long-term consequences are unknown. For example, Cuba must carefully calculate its interests in a context of rapidly changing balances and one in which its currency – defiance, moralism, anti-imperialism – has lost much of its value. Systemic reasons rooted in a command model and a series of blunders and poor decisions by government largely explain Cuba's economic predicament. It is increasingly recognized in Cuba itself that its substantial economic, financial, and trade dependence on the former communist world actually deprived it of the advantages that would have accrued to it had relations been expanded with more capitalist countries. Unfortunately, Middle America denotes a region anxious about, and reacting somewhat defensively to, hemispheric movements towards trade alliances to its north and south. Spurred on by the international climate favoring regional trading blocs, Middle American countries have recently formed the Association of Caribbean States, but beyond several regional summits have taken no firm steps towards region-wide economic integration (Gwynne & Kay 100). The revival of the integration movement has been encouraged by the perceived world wide trend to form trading blocks spearheaded by the European Community (EC). This development led to a perceived need in the United States, Canada, and some Latin American countries to form a hemispheric economic block in order to counterbalance the strengthened European integration movement. Once the NAFTA movement got underway, some LAC countries realized the need to participate in it to avoid the possible negative economic effects that NAFTA may have on their economies. The Central American Common Market (CACM) consists of five countries with a long history of linkages: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica (Gwynne & Kay 121). Together, the original CACM members experimented with the development strategy known as Import Substitution Industrialization, or (ISI). This strategy called for a change in the nature and structure of demand – away from imported consumer goods and toward imported industrial goods, which could then be used to produce domestically the same goods that would formally have been imported. During its initial stages, ISI was considered quite successful and was often credited with the economic â€Å"boom† that swept the region at the time of its inception. In reaction to neoliberalism, a growing number of people have tried to emigrate to North America and Europe, where about 5 million Caribbean islanders have gone since 1945 (Gwynne & Kay 120). For example, Salvadorans initially migrated to San Francisco, while Hondurans migrated to New Orleans. Migration has been such an integral part of the Eastern Caribbean culture that almost every Eastern Caribbean citizen has a relative or friend living in a major country. This factor is significant when analyzing both the political and economic system of the Eastern Caribbean. Since 1979 there has been significant changes in migration patterns and, notably, in the volume of people leaving Central America. Not surprisingly, Nicaragua and El Salvador, both of which suffered tremendous damage from war and social unrest, witnessed one of the most dramatic migrations of their people to other Central American countries, Mexico, the United States, Canada, and elsewhere. To cite an extreme example, for every five people born in St Kitts and Nevis and alive today, two now reside in the United States (Gwynne & Kay 120). Neoliberalism, in particular, has made a major contribution to the dynamic and contradictory processes of globalization in the Caribbean and Central America. One important conclusion that comes from this study is that the neoliberal structural adjustment programs are very limited. Although export agriculture has produced some wealth, it has also created massive structural problems of inequality, and it has not achieved self-sustained, modernizing growth over the long run. In conclusion, a feature of Caribbean and Central American migration that deserves further exploration and research is the potential for continuous and circular migration, principally between the islands of the Caribbean and the United States. This phenomenon has important implications for labor markets in regions of origin and destination.   Many of the people now returning to their homelands are bringing with them the wealth of accumulated knowledge and experience. This should significantly enhance the level of human capital in these Central American economies and serve as an important element for the growth and development of the region. Works Cited Robert N. Gwynne, Cristà ³bal Kay. Latin America Transformed: Globalization and Modernity. Arnold: London, 1999.   

Characteristics of Human Greatness - 975 Words

The Iliad by Homer is about characteristics of human greatness. In this epic poem, characters vie for greatness and the thought of being remembered by all. By encountering many different warriors, kings, gods and goddess, the reader becomes familiar with both vice and virtue. In The Iliad there are many characteristics that could distinguish a warrior. The three most important of these traits are courage, honor, and determination, none of which may be lacking in a person who is ‘great. Courage is the most important quality of the three necessary for greatness. Courage is present in a person when they prove it is possible for them to overcome a perceived danger. Achilles displays courage when he is faced with the news of his own†¦show more content†¦471). Although he is suffering with the death of Patroclus, Achilles is determined to gain revenge on Hector. Soon there after, Hector proves of his persistence by standing in front of his troops and exclaiming, You fool, enough! No more thoughts of retreat paraded before our people (p. 477), speaking about forcing the Argives back onto their ships. Hector will not allow his army to disgrace the people again at this point. He wants to prove to them that they are capable of defeating the Achaeans. Without determination, many men would not acquire honor and would not obtain honor in their lives. By showing perseverance, they may just prove to the people that there is a reason for them to be remembered. Achilles seems to be the best portrayer of the characteristics of human greatness in this epic poem. Although he has some weaknesses as a hero towards the beginning, and feels invincible at times, he was quickly grounded by the gods, and continued to be ‘great. In the end, Achilles even showed mercy towards the Trojans and King Priam by returning the body of Hector and promising not to fight for as long as Priam required for the burial of his son. This only added to the many qualities Achilles showed in The Iliad. Courage, honor, and determination are essential to human greatness at this time period because a man could only be judged and remembered based on his ability inShow MoreRelatedIs Magnanimity Is Defined By Aristotle And How Virtuousness Separates The Magnanimous From The Pusillanimous And The Vain968 Words   |  4 Pagesin this excerpt from Nicomachean Ethics reflect on behavior and attitude, virtue and vices, and identification of self-worth, and how these might define one’s greatness. However, one might ask, what significance does this play in judging one’s character in modern times? Throughout book IV Aristotle discusses the defining factors of greatness, and how virtuousness separates the magnanimous from the pusillanimous and the vain. After analyzing the text, it is conclusive that some of Aristotle’s teachingsRead Moreâ€Å"by the Waters of Babylon† vs Epic of Gilgamesh. Essay632 Words   |  3 Pagesdespite the fact that they are not from the sam e era of time. Humans used these stories and writings to express their culture and religious views. â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† is very similar to the writings of the Mesopotamian writings in The Epic of Gilgamesh more specificlay â€Å"The story of the flood† and â€Å"The Return†. These similarities include many gods in both, a unique quality in the characters of both than can include â€Å"born to greatness†, people of both writings lead to their death themselves, JohnRead MoreGreat Men Need Not Be Good Men1124 Words   |  5 PagesGreat men need not be good men. Greatness outweighs good qualities in an individual. It is defined as a state of superiority, a quality possessed by several individuals who stand out from the normal social construct. This quality places an individual under the admiration of the masses. It gives the individual a superior advantage over his fellow counterparts in a specific area of interest in which he has attained greatn ess. One is only regarded as a great when he has reached the pinnacle of successRead More Comparing Roman and Greek Art Essay example1185 Words   |  5 Pagespolitical and moral system. The primary objective of Greek art was to explore the order of nature and to convey philosophical thought, while Roman art was used primarily as a medium to project the authority and importance of the current ruler and the greatness of his empire. This change in the meaning of art from Greek to Roman times shows the gradual decline in the importance of intellectualism in ancient western culture. The earliest example of how art reflects the basic moral and philosophicalRead MoreDefining the Tragic Hero Essay632 Words   |  3 Pageswhose decisions determine the fate of others. He is a man who is superior then the average person, a character of noble stature and greatness. Though the tragic hero is pre-eminently great, he is not perfect. Otherwise, the audience would be unable to identify with him and his tragedy. His imperfection is what invokes pity and fear in the audience. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is the fact that he is trigger by some error of judgment or character flaw. The character flaw,also known as a tragicRead MoreEugenics, The Progressive Development Of The Idea1622 Words   |  7 Pagesemerged well before, in the 1700’s with the discussions of race and questions of the superiority of some over the others. Although the main aim of these scientific discussions and theories was to obtain a better explanation and more understanding of the human nature and to ultimately answer the question of why we have so many different races, it was nearly impossible to preclude the idea of a possible superiority of certain races being over others, or of a few to be less better than the rest. To supportRead MoreMat 5401103 Words   |  5 Pagesthere an actual point or goal of a human’s life? 3. If there is, by what means can a person gain understanding as to why they are alive.    2) List the six characteristics of civilized societies and of civilizations. According to the text in order for a society to be considered civilized they have to possess certain characteristics such as: 1. They have to appear to have an urban lifestyle which includes the building of permanent housing. 2. A structure of government that has madeRead MoreAn Analysis and Comparison of Modern Tragedy in Drama1485 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle the three most important variables that define a tragedy are plot, characters, and theme. Using Oedipus Rex as a sort of ideal, this philosopher demonstrates how a tragedy functions in order to evoke catharsis while exploring themes and human flaws, or mistakes. In Oedipus Rex, the main figure, Oedipus the King is a subject of fate, unable to escape himself and his desire to uncover the truth. In essence, this drama demonstrates the fall of a prominent figure brought down by his inescapableRead MoreThucydides at His Best Essays1418 Words   |  6 Pages The true essence of human nature is seen during times of great hardships as can be seen comparing Pericles Funeral Oration and the plague in Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides accounts for many different aspects of justice, power, and human nature through his text. The order, the style of his writing, choice of words, and relations of what he believes actually happened, allows the reader to make different inferences about the message hes trying to convey. The juxtapositionRead MoreThe Sublime Is Defined By Edmund Burke, Arthur Schopenhauer, And Immanuel Kant973 Words   |  4 PagesIn aesthetics, the sublime is defined as â€Å"the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual, or artistic.† The term is used to describe greatness beyond any possibility of quantification, imitation, or containment. The sublime has been a topic in philosophical discussions since Ancient times, first studied by Longinus. Since then, many great philosophers such as Edmund Burke, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Immanuel Kant have pressed the concept further

Similarities and Differences of Cupid and Psyche Essay...

In the myth of Cupid and Psyche there are different versions which have similarities and differences. Three of the writers are Padraic Colum, Edith Hamilton, and W.H.D. Rouse. There are many similarities between the different versions of Cupid and Psyche. There was a king who had three daughters, but out of all three of them Psyche was the most beautiful person that seemed like a goddess. Her beauty spanned the earth and men from all over the earth wandered to admire her beauty. Venus’ temples were abandoned and no one gave a thought of her. Venus called for her son, Cupid, to help her ruin Psyche by making her fall in love with the meanest and hateful man in the world. When Cupid laid his eyes upon Psyche he fell in love with her.†¦show more content†¦When Psyche invited her sisters into the palace, they saw its treasures and got extremely jealous. They told her that since she didn’t see her husband yet what if it was what Apollo’s oracle said it was and not a human. Her sisters told her that night she must hide a sharp knife and a lamp near the bed. In the middle of the night she took the knife and lamp and saw her husband. She discovered that it was not what Apollo’s oracle said, but a beautiful boy. Some hot oil fell from the lamp onto Cupid’s arm which woke him up and he flew away. Psyche went on her journey to find Cupid. Psyche went to Venus’s house and Venus made her do errands. Her first errand was to have the heap of smallest seeds sorted out. Little ants helped her sort it out because they felt sorry for the Psyche. Venus devised another task the next morning for Psyche which was to fetch her some shining wool from the sheep near the river bank. As she was bending over the water for the wool, she heard a voice telling her to wait until the sheep rest beside the river and she can find some of the golden wool hanging on the sharp briars. Her next task was to get black water from the river Styx. A bird flew up and grabbed some of the black water for her. Psyche’s last task was to take the box and give it to Proserpine to fill with some of her beauty. On her way back to Venus, she opened the box thinking that it will make her more beautiful for Cupid. She opened the box finding nothing inShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Beauty And The Beast And Apuleius s Cupid And Psyche2226 Words   |  9 PagesJeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont’s â€Å"Beauty and the Beast† and Apuleius’s â€Å"Cupid and Psyche† both use a pair of sisters as a shadow figure to the beauty in the story. A shadow figure is a term used from Carl Jung’s â€Å"Process of Individuation†, that describes the character who impedes on beauty’s growth is a shadow character. The sisters in both stories hold features that beauty should gain in the end, such as marriage, being confident, and wanting more for herself. The sisters also hold features thatRead MoreDifferences and Similarities of Greek and Roman Gods1714 Words   |  7 Pagesa person thinks of the goddess of love they may think of Venus or Aphrodite and think that they are one and the same. They are not though, Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and Venus her Roman counter part. When thinking of the God of Love, Cupid is the first that comes to mind and therefore, he should be Aphrodite’s son but he is Venus’ son. Along with their different names, they have many variations as to how they were born how they lived and how the mortals viewed, worshipped and were influencedRead MoreLove in Mythology Essay1776 Words   |  8 Pagesrecord of the original Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche also relates a story of amorous pursuit. In Apuleius account, Psyche is the most beautiful of all mortals. The fame of her surpassing beauty spread over the earth and men would even say that Venus herself could not equal this mortal. 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Cupid is a good-looking God who falls in love with a human girl that his mother, Venus, despises because of her beauty and attention. Cupid marries the beautiful girl, Psyche, and takes care of her. When Cupid’s wound heals at the end of The Golden Ass, â€Å"he could no longer bear to be parted for so long from Psyche† (104). The Greek gods and the people who follow them are not very forgivingRead More Eros and The Modern World Essay2413 Words   |  10 Pagesworld he is more often recognized by his Roman name Cupid. By using the name Cupid it becomes much easier to find depictions of the god Eros. For this assignment I have chosen to use three depictions from the modern world and one from the nineteenth century. Of these depictions, three come from video clips and one is a painting. All of these depictions encompass different aspects of the god. In some of these depictions he is the only cupid and in others he is just one of many. 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Teen Suicide Essay - 891 Words

Nobody ever thought that Tyler Clementi- an 18 year old freshman at Rutgers University- would jump off the George Washington Bridge on September 22, 2010. But after a video was streamed of Clementi having a sexual encounter with another man without Clementi’s knowledge, Clementi committed suicide. The actual definition of suicide is â€Å"the action of killing oneself intentionally†. The act of suicide is a serious matter, and is particularly prevalent among teens and young adults. The best way to prevent teen suicide is through informing people of its existence, and educating them on the warning signs and prevention methods. In this essay I will explain why suicide is a major public health problem through statistics, show the warning signs,†¦show more content†¦Studies show that girls are more likely to attempt suicide, but males are four times more likely than females to complete the act. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates that 81 percen t of suicide victims are males. While the reasons of suicide are mostly unknown, there are many causes that have been proven to lead to suicide. One of the biggest known factors are drugs and alcohol. â€Å" Studies have shown that suicide rates are five to 20 times higher among drug and alcohol usage† , thats because depression mixed with drugs or alcohol can make people feel even more depressed. Some of the other contributing factors for adolescent suicide are Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS), Bullying- also known as â€Å"Bullycide†, and the â€Å"contagion effect†- where one suicide motivates the other, common with depressed teens with shared circumstances, or teens influenced by media or memorials (Mental illness, 2012). Even though many people dont know why a person killed themselves, there are warning signs that can tell if a person may be having suicidal thoughts or actions. Such warning signs include: Depression, drug abuse, change in eating, change in habits, signs that lead to depressi on, and withdrawal from friends. â€Å" Because the fact is that two-thirds of those who commit suicide give some warning first. That means it’s up to us- as friends, relatives, or parents- to recognize the signal and respond, person to person†(Teen Suicide, 2000). There areShow MoreRelatedAn Essay on Teen Suicide798 Words   |  4 PagesTeen suicide My essay is on teen suicide there are a lot of suicides that happen in the U.S they are caused from being bullied also it can caused by being depressed. There is also a high increase of suicides for people who take antidepressants. All this information is true based on the sites below. 1) http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/health/September-October-08/Teen-Suicide-Rate-Worries-Mental-Health-Experts.html 2) http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/20/nation/la-na-nn-funeral-illinois-teen-suicide-bullying-20131020Read MoreTeen Suicide Essay605 Words   |  3 PagesDaneshia Alberty Campbell EnglishIII-7 11 February, 2011 Teen Suicide Essay Teen suicide is one of the fastest killers for young teenagers. Every year thousands of teens die in the United States. There are many different reasons of why young teens commit suicide. Family issues, low self-esteem, and bullying are three of the many leading factors towards suicide for teens. Problems at home can cause a teenager to take their lives. Abuse in the home of the teenager can most often establish aRead MoreTeen Suicide Essay881 Words   |  4 PagesTeen Suicide Suicide is a growing problem in American culture. Sadly, teens are affected the most. Teen suicide is increasing rapidly. â€Å"About 5,000 teens in the United States kill themselves each year† (Peacock, 4). Suicide among teens is a serious and devastating crisis. More teens are taking their lives today than ever before. Teen suicide does not affect one specific type of teen; it affects any type of teen. There are a variety of reasons teens resort to committing suicide. Many people are workingRead MoreEssay On Teen Suicide1235 Words   |  5 Pages† offer little comfort, and even less hope to those considering suicide. Amongst U.S teens, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death more so than cancer, AIDS, chronic drug use, and heart disease combined. Common risk factors are bullying in school, history of sexual abuse, alcohol, and drug addiction, along with a history of mental illness in the family. There is also a direct correlation between socioeconomic status and su icide in urban, and remote areas. Factors such as social deprivation,Read MoreEssay On Teen Suicide1332 Words   |  6 Pagesbut if that s true then why is there an increase in teenagers committing suicide. We all know that the rate of teenage suicide has been on the rise just as fast as the rise of social media use. Teenage suicide is never a good thing and is heartbreaking to those it affects. As social media becomes more intertwined in young people s lives there has been an increase in teen suicide from cyber bullying. Often times young teens don t know the dangers and consequences social media can cause and makesRead MoreTeen Suicide Essay1080 Words   |  5 PagesTeen Suicide â€Å"Suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people between eleven and eighteen years of age† (â€Å"Introduction to Teen Suicide†). According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary: suicide is the act or an instance of taking ones own life voluntarily and intentionally. Meaning that when someone takes their life they are fully aware of their decisions. These decisions are clouded by the rational part of the brain not maturing until the age of twenty five. Looking at thisRead MoreTeen Suicide Essay1224 Words   |  5 Pages The rates of suicides in teens have been rising more and more over the past few years; with an increase of over 300% in adolescents since the 1950s. (Miller 2009) Teens are basically crying out for our helps, but it seems that we are ignoring them. But why? Do we not care? Or do we even know what signs to be looking for? ANd average of 1,800 young people take their own lives and almost 85,000 are hospitalized for attempts (CDC, 2008). With the statistics being this high we need to take some actionRead MoreTeen Suicide Essay866 Words   |  4 PagesNydria Daniel Leslie Campos Enc1101 31 October 2017 Emotional Suicide amongst Teens Suicide has become an extremely important social issue in our society. Did you know that suicide rate is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States according to the A.F.S.P (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)? Teen suicide rates continue to increase every year according to statistics. Today, teens are having mental struggles that can affect their everyday lifestyle and they can’t seem to find anyoneRead MoreTeen Suicide Essay1320 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish Language Arts 09 November 2017 Teen/Adult Suicides Suicides in the United States have increased in the last year has increased by 9%. The Problems With Suicide/ Percent of Deaths With Suicide In 1980 nearly 27,000 people took their own lives, making suicide the 10th most common cause of death. 57 percent of the cases of suicide in the United States involved firearms. In 2015 Suicide had been marked the second leading cause of death from ages 10-24. Suicide has been a major health problem in theRead MoreTeen Suicide Essay1679 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Suicide of any kind is an act in which a person takes his or her own life. FACT: Suicide is a prevalent cause of death among America’s youth today.Each and every day almost 1000 teenagers think about suicide and about 0.018% of them will be successful in committing it.† It is an ongoing problem that is often described as uncalled for immature and unnecessary. But having a deeper understanding and better knowledge are some key factors for preventing teenage suicide. This â€Å"problem† most likely start

Bed Bath and Beyond Capital Structure Decision (HBR Case Study) free essay sample

StockmarketIntroduction Bed Bath Beyond (BBBY) was founded in 1971 by Warren Eisenberg and Leonard Feinstein. BBBY held its initial public offering in June 1992, on the NASDAQ exchange. The company utilizes the â€Å"big box† retail concept and focuses its product offerings around domestics merchandise and home furnishings. Since its IPO BBBY has been favored by equity investors and long considered one of the best performing retail companies. They have never missed an earnings estimate and have experienced a fortyfold increase in stock price from the original $17 per share IPO. The company introduced its ?  rst superstore in 1985 and have since underwent large scale expansion operating 575 stores by the end of the ? scal year 2003. BBBY also owned and operated 30 Harmon stores and 24 Christmas Tree Shops stores by 2003. (See appendix four for SWOT analysis) The Problem Bed Bath Beyond has always conducted business under the old fashioned premise that â€Å"cash is king, a nd debt is bad†. As of late their capital structure has become a big issue amongst investors. They are concerned that the current unlevered structure is not maximizing value and are wary of the risks associated with the companies large and growing cash balances. Currently BBBY is facing the issue of trying to decide wether their current capital structure is optimal moving into the future, and if not, what decisions they need to make to achieve optimization. The following analysis will outline the key factors in? uencing this decision and ultimately suggest a course of action. Case 2: Bed Bath Beyond page | 1 Case Analysis Capital Structure BBBY? s capital structure is not optimal, as BBBY has a large cash position and they do not issue any debt nor do they pay any dividends during their operation. MM proposition I states that the value of ?  m is independent to its capital structure and therefore the mix between debt and equity is irrelevant. However assumptions under the MM proposition are unrealistic in the real world, so the idea that an optimal capital structure is unattainable is discarded. Achieving the optimal capital structure depends on the mixture of debt to equity, depending on the amount of debt, it can help maximize the value of the ? rm while minimizing WACC. Another reason BBBY should consider taking on some debt is that they have more than enough cash to cover their expenses. Issuing debt can act as a positive signal to investors that they are able to make timely payments and are ? nancially stable. The tradeoff theory of capital structure states that a value-maximizing ? rm will balance the value of interest tax shields and other bene? ts of debt against the costs of bankruptcy and other costs of debt, to determine an optimal level of leverage for the ? rm (KISGEN, 2006). One potential reason why BBBY may not be taking advantage of the tax shields could be that they want to stay ? exible in the industry and avoid costs of ?nancial distress. According to Exhibit 8 from the case, Pro Forma 2003 of BBBY with 40% debt to total capital, the interest coverage ratio is 22. 519 ($644,836/28,635) and the debt to equity ratio is around 66. 67% ($636,328/954,492), which coincides with AA credit rating and the default rate, which Case 2: Bed Bath Beyond page | 2 is 1. 31% (Exhibit 7A). From Exhibit 2 in the case, we can ? nd BBBY? s total assets on Feb. 29, 2004 ar e $2,865,023 and taking the value of 15% and the bankruptcy cost for BBBY is approximately $5629. 8 (Heitor Almeida, 2004). Meanwhile, from Exhibit 8, the taxes on Pro Forma 2003 is $237,237, which is $12,838 ($250,075-237,237) less than actual 2003, which results in the tax bene? t generated from issuing debt is -$15,797 ($12,838-28,635). It is obvious to conclude that, with the implication of tradeoff theory, the pro forma 40% debt to total capital in 2003 is not the optimal leverage ratio for BBBY. The pecking order theory argues that ? rms will generally prefer not to issue equity due to asymmetric information costs. Firms will prefer to fund projects ? rst with internal funds and then with debt, and only when internal funds have been extinguished and a ?rm has reached its debt capacity will a ? rm issue equity (KISGEN, 2006). In 2003 10-K, BBBY management con? rmed itscommitment to ongoing expansion and stated its intention to use internally generated funds to ? Nance its expansion, which clearly implies pecking order theory is rooted in BBBY capital structure, and is the reason why BBBY keeps a large cash position (Artur Raviv, 2007). Agency Theory Costs Keeping a large sum of money on hand may be advantageous in uncertain economic conditions, and ? nancial crises. However, this can lead to potential con?ict between managers who do not act in the interest of shareholders, such as empire building and over-investment problems. Debt helps discipline management because they must pay interest payments or risk bankrupting of the ? rm. It also helps reduce Case 2: Bed Bath Beyond page | 3 wasteful investments as manager have less cash on hand to invest, in other words managers must be careful how they use the money of the ? rm. Debt creates a con? ict of interest between the shareholders and creditors though, such as the possibility of expropriating wealth from creditors to shareholders and the underinvestment problem so this must be monitored. The Cost of Financial Distress Debt BBBY? s current cost of ? nancial distress is essentially zero because they have no debt on their books. The bond class default rate of AAA bonds to BBB bonds, 0. 52% and 6. 64% respectively, were used to estimate default rates based on different capital structures. The most problematic key ratio on the list is BBBY? s â€Å"operating income to sales† at roughly 14%, which is low for the industry (see Appendix one for more details), and the highest and most consistent ratio was their EBIT and EBITDA interest coverage ratios, which are considered to be the two most important ratios. With this in mind, the default rates outlined (see Appendix one) should be a close estimate of what BBBY would face when they take on debt. Direct costs associated with ? nancial distress are historically small. The indirect costs, such as loss of suppliers, customer, and leases can be quite substantial. Using the high side of an industry estimate, 20% of total assets, to reasonably account for what BBBY could lose due to ? nancial distress. For the optimal D/E ratio of 0. 60 we have a present value of ? nancial distress equal to $127,432,000 and a present value of tax shield of $400,362,000. As we move to a higher D/E ratio we see the marginal cost of ? nancial distress and marginal bene? t of the tax shield converge. Case 2: Bed Bath Beyond page | 4 Repurchasing Shares The decision to repurchase shares and take on debt is overall positive news to the shareholder? s. They will receive a special repurchase capital gain and enjoy an increased upside on returns due to the increased beta of the company. The total capital structure of the company shifts from being totally equity funded to being 38% Debt and 62% Equity ($600 Million and $990 Million respectively). This also improves the WACC from 33. 75% to 28. 85% (see Appendix one), which will allow Bed Bath and Beyond to take on lower positive NPV projects and increase their options. Earnings per share (Appendix two) will improve due to the share buyback and the net income reducing effect of the new interest expense. Return on assets also improves due to the reduction in cash used to fund the share repurchase. The overall value of the ? rm will improve as the new tax shields that were generated outweigh the cost of ? nancial distress that faces them, from taking on the 600 million in debt. In Conclusion We would suggest Bed Bath Beyond do a mixture of two things: 1) Issue debt in the amount of 600 million dollars 2) Hold a one-time share repurchase of 1 billion dollars (approximately 27 million shares) ? nanced by 400 million in cash and 600 million from the proceeds of the debt issue. 3) Assume an optimal capital structure of 60% debt/equity. It is our belief that this will be the best method for BBBY moving into the future. The one time large scale share buyback would improve the WACC and boost the EPS by decreasing the amount of shares outstanding. The market value of the ? rm would Case 2: Bed Bath Beyond page | 5 increase and at the 60% ratio the value of the tax shield gained by issuing debt will far outweigh the cost of ? nancial distress. (See Appendix Three) Their old way of making ? nancial decisions has served them well in the past and has consistently made BBBY one of the top performing retail companies. But as times change businesses must adapt and evolve to meet demands of markets and investors. Case 2: Bed Bath Beyond page | 6 Works Cited Artur Raviv, T. T. (2007, 4 1). Bed Bath Beyond: The Capital Structure Decision.

Supply Chain Operation of the Apple Inc-Free-Samples for Students

Questions: The Physical Logistic Network and supporting system are of equal importance to firm supplying goods to international market. Discuss this statement critically drawing on appropriate literature and a detailed example of a product supply chain. Answers: Introduction: In general, logistics can be defined as a place utility which is done to move a product from one place to another. This is one of the integral aspects of the entire supply chain operations. A logistics is mean to transport goods which the seller or the buyer uses it to their purpose. It serves the needs of a manufacturer that receives the required raw materials from the selected suppliers. The product reaches the distribution center and then to the market by means of the transport or the logistics only (Ascencio et al. 2014). Logistics operation does have a very well impact on the total cost of production. It also affects the firms reputation also (Ascencio et al. 2014). If the logistics operation is cost-effective then the entire cost of production will also be minimized. On the other hand, if a firm has a good control on its logistics such as it can track the operation or manage a timely delivery of the products or the services, it will definitely have an edge on its competitors. T his is due to a fact that logistics operation has become a complex issue to many reputed firms in the countries across the globe (Ascencio et al. 2014). The main purpose of this assignment is to analyze the logistics operation in the light of few selected journal or if required the book articles in the literature review section. Literature review: Islam et al. (2013, p.3) have found the origination of logistics from the ancient Greek word logos which means the word, the ratio, the reason, the calculation, the speech and the oration. According to the authors Islam et al. (2013, p.3), the term logistics since then is in the practice for a much longer time than its present-day concept. The term logistics have further been explained in this article as the follows: Logistics= supply of raw materials to the manufacturers + management of materials in the distribution center + sending the goods to the customer ends; The logistics operation at the global level as according to the authors Islam et al. (2013, p.3) is indeed a very complex operation which involves the reception of a single product with a different logistic operation as well. This can well be understood from the example of Tesco that receives thousands of items from the different parts of the world and for each single item; it has to follow a very different logistic operation. The logistics manager in such cases needs to have a very diverse knowledge of the logistics operation in the different parts of the world. The author's dos Santos and Marins (2015, pp.575-585) have further added another dimension in the concept of logistics operation by focusing on the reverse logistics management. Reverse logistics as opined by the author's dos Santos and Marins (2015, pp.575-585) can be defined as a process which is used to enhance the customer loyalty for a firm by receiving the rejected or canceled or the defective goods. This is also a very good mean of avoiding any wastage of such goods. Moreover, it also delivers a very effective organizational image of the firm. In addition to the above-mentioned facts, the author's dos Santos and Marins (2015, p.579) have further added another dimension to the logistics operation by stating the importance of ICT implementation in the operation. According to the authors, dos Santos and Marins (2015, p.579) can generate several benefits in terms of affecting individuals, transformation efficiency, functional units and the organization as a whole unit. In the light of the above-stated facts, this can be said that it is now very important to implement the ICT in the logistics operation to attain a much better and a competitive logistics. Moreover, this is also necessary to attain a competitive advantage where many companies have struggled in the past and are still struggling to attain a robust logistics operation which is both cost-effective and highly-effective as well. The importance of ICT and the different other strategies in the logistics and the supply chain operation can well be understood from the way Apple delivers its operation. The company has shown a very distinguished strategy in regards to the logistics and the supply chain operation. Apple does purchase the different materials from the various suppliers; however, it is then shipped to the assembling plant in China. In addition to this, the manufactured goods are not brought to the distribution center; indeed, these are transferred to customers directly from China by means of UPS/FedEx. However, customers make the purchase from the Apples Online Store (Liang 2016). The above-mentioned facts on the Apples supply chain operation do produce some very important facts. The company is able to save in its manufacturing process as the process is conducted in the Chinese firms where the manufacturing costs are much more cheaper which is due to many facts like the low labor cost. Additionally, they are also able to save on the distribution center which they facilitate directly through the Chinese firms. It does not only save on the logistics operation but also on the cost of the distribution center (Khan, Alam and Alam 2015). Moreover, the CEO of the company was able to reduce the number of suppliers which has helped the company to reduce its dependency on the suppliers and let the suppliers compete to each other for supplying both the quality and the cheaper materials (Liang 2016). Conclusion: To conclude, this can be said that logistics operation is a vast task which is not only confined to the transport of goods to the customers but it is also responsible for the reverse transport of good from the customer ends. Reverse transport happens when a customer rejects a product or if there is any fault with the product or some other reasons. Logistics, as understood from the study conducted in this paper, is a part of the whole supply chain operation; however, it really matters in regards to reducing the overall cost of supply chain operation and the cost of production. References: Ascencio, L.M., Gonzlez-Ramrez, R.G., Bearzotti, L.A., Smith, N.R. and Camacho-Vallejo, J.F., (2014). A collaborative supply chain management system for a maritime port logistics chain.Journal of applied research and technology,12(3), pp.444-458. dos Santos, R.F. and Marins, F.A.S., 2015. Integrated model for reverse logistics management of electronic products and components.Procedia Computer Science,55, pp.575-585. Grant, D.B., (2012).Logistics management. Pearson Higher Ed. Islam, D.M.Z., Meier, J.F., Aditjandra, P.T., Zunder, T.H. and Pace, G., (2013). Logistics and supply chain management.Research in Transportation Economics,41(1), pp.3-16. Khan, U.A., Alam, M.N. and Alam, S., 2015. A critical analysis of internal and external environment of Apple Inc.International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management,3(6), pp.955-961. Liang, G., 2016. The FoxApple Partnership in the Global Value Chain: How Did Foreign Direct Investment and Contract Manufacturing Reshape the Landscape of the Electronics Industry?. InUncovering value added in trade: New approaches to analyzing global value chains(pp. 141-166).