Creating a School Computer Lab

Creating a School Computer Lab 2.1 Introduction Schools play a substantial role in the development of the growing youth. One way of doing so is the use of computer to boost learning as we are in the technological era. In Bangladesh, given its status as a developing country, there is a greater need to equip many schools with computer laboratories for children to have access in order to enhance learning. Bangladesh Computer Lab Co, a nationally owned company specializing in installing computers for schools in the country has been engaged to build a computer lab for Dhaka Primary School in the capital city of Bangladesh under the project titled; Dhaka Primary School Computer Lab Build Project. This project is an initiative of the Government of Bangladesh through the Ministry of Education. All the planning is done by Jasmin Nahar and Janee Jamaludeen who are the project managers of Bangladesh Computer Lab Co. The main stakeholders to this project are; The Bangladesh Ministry of Education and the Dhaka Primary School Board of Governors working closely with the company to see this project through. The project is fully sponsored by the Government of Bangladesh valued at AUD 167,500.00 with a duration of 3 months. Generally, this project is responding to Dhaka Primary Schools need for a computer lab to deliver its computer classes to enhance quality in education for its students. 2.2 Project Scope Statement Definition 2.2.1 Project Scope Description This project is guided by its project management plan that captures its project charter meeting all requirements after a close consultation with its stakeholders and very much in line with the existing organizational process assets. The table below further provides information as part of the project scope statement. Â   Â   2.2.2 Project Deliverables Finalized Project Documentation All project planning documents such as the scope management plan, project charter, requirements documentation and organizational project asserts are finalized. Finalized Lab Design The designing of the computer lab is finalized and approved for implementation. Installation of 50 desktop computers 50 x desktop computers are installed at 25 per lab. 2.2.3 Project Exclusion Lab Maintenance The maintenance of the lab to meet minimum computer lab standards is the responsibility of the administration of the school and its Board of Governors. Commissioning of the Computer Lab The commissioning of the computer lab is the responsibility of the schools Board of Governors. Development of the Computer Lab and Computer Usage Policy The development of the computer lab and computer usage policy is the responsibility of the schools administration. 2.2.4 Project Assumptions Electrical Capacity It is assumed that the buildings provided by the school will meet the electrical capacity including the cooling system required for all the computers. Security and Accessories It is assumed that all security measures including fire protection are provided by the school and its Board of Governors. 2.2.5 Project Constraints Limited Time Frame The project must be completed within 3 months with no provision for extension. Compliance Issues regarding Procurement Process The project must comply with the governments procurement process. Project Objectives LFM and KPI Project Title: Dhaka Primary School Computer Lab Build Goal: Dhaka Primary School has got a school computer lab that is of high quality that can promote learning. Purpose: Respond to the call of building Dhaka Primary School Computer Lab to promote quality education. Objective: To fully install 50 desktop computers in Dhaka Primary School. Input Responsible Output Performance Indicators Means of Verification Project Management (Planning, Implementation Closure) Project Manager Finalized Project Planning Documents -Existence of Project Management Plan, Project Charter, Requirements Documentations and Process Assets. -Project Completion Reports -Monitoring Evaluation Reports Computer Lab Designing Project Manager Finalized Computer Lab Design -Existence of a computer lab design. -Approved Lab Design Project Communication Project Manager Established Communication Managed Plan -Existence of a project communication management plan. -Complete Project Communication Plan Lab Commissioning Stakeholders (Dhaka Primary School Board of Governors and the Ministry of Education Commissioned labs with certification -Existence of a Computer Lab Minimum Standards Report. -Certification Report -Project Commissioning Report Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE PROJECT: DHAKA PRIMARY SCHOOL COMPUTER LAB BUILD DURATION: 3 MONTHS Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17 WBS TASK ASSIGN TO WK1 WK2 WK3 WK4 WK1 WK2 WK3 WK4 WK1 WK2 WK3 WK4 1 Finalize Project Documents 1.1 Strategic Management Planning Project Director 1.2 Completion of Project Management Plan Project Manager 1.3 Completion of Project Charter Project Manager 1.4 Completion of Requirement Documentations Project Manager 1.5 Completion of Process Assets Project Manager 1.6 Approval of Project Planning Steering Committee 2 Finalize Lab Design 2.1 Designing the lab plan Project Team 2.2 Approval of the Lab Plan Project Manager 3 Installation of 50 desktop computers 3.1 Procurement Project Team 3.2 Licencing of all software Project Team 3.3 Lab minimum standards survey Project Team 3.4 Installation Project Team 3.5 Testing Project Team 3.6 Project Closure Report Project Director WBS Dictionary WBS TASK Date START END 1 Finalize Project Documents 1.1 Strategic Management Planning 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.2 Completion of Project Management Plan 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.3 Completion of Project Charter 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.4 Completion of Requirement Documentations 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.5 Completion of Process Assets 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.6 Approval of Project Planning 10.04.17 16.04.17 2 Finalize Lab Design 2.1 Designing the lab plan 17.04.17 24.04.17 2.2 Approval of the Lab Plan 24.04.17 30.04.17 3 Installation of 50 desktop computers 3.1 Procurement 01.05.17 21.05.17 3.2 Licencing of all software 22.05.17 28.05.17 3.3 Lab minimum standards survey 22.05.17 28.05.17 3.4 Installation 29.05.17 11.06.17 3.5 Testing 19.06.17 25.06.17 3.6 Project Closure Report 26.06.17 30.06.17 Linear Responsibility Chart (LRC) Activity Project Sponsor Project Director Project Manager Project Team Steering Committee Strategic Management Planning S R C I A Completion of Project Management Plan I A R I S Completion of Project Charter I A R S I Completion of Requirement Documentations I A R S I Completion of Process Assets I A R S I Approval of Project Planning I R C S A Designing the lab plan I A R S I Approval of the Lab Plan I R C S A Procurement C A R S I Licencing of all software I C A S I Lab minimum standards survey I C A S I Installation I A C R I Testing I A R S I Project Closure Report A R C S C R Means that the person (or role) is responsible for creating the deliverable. (Usually there is only one person who is responsible for creating a deliverable, although many people may provide input.) A -Means that the person (or role) approves the deliverable. S Means that the person (or role) provides support toward the matters pertaining to the deliverable. I Means that the person (or role) who is kept informed on the deliverable. C Means that the person (or role) is consulted on matters pertaining to the deliverable. Budget Summary Activity Description Costing (AUD) Administrative General Admin Overhead Costs including labour etc. $ 70,000.00 Project Planning, Implementation Closure Strategic Management Planning. Completion of Project Management Plan Completion of Project Charter Completion of Requirement Documentations Completion of Process Assets Approval of Project Planning -Stakeholder/Consultative Meetings -Designing of lab plan -Approval of lab plan -Lab minimum standards survey -Installation -Testing -Monitoring Reporting -Project Closure Reports/Consultations/Meetings $ 90,000.00 Procurement Purchasing of 50 desktop computers Accessories -Purchasing of Software Licences Miscellaneous $ 7,500.00 Total $167,500.00 Communication Plan Role Reporting Purpose When to Report Stakeholders Ministry of Education -Reporting to the Government of Bangladesh the start, implementation and closure of the project. After the start and end date of the project. Board of Governors -Reporting to Parents of the progress of the project. Monthly Parental Meetings Steering Committee -Management of the Project in consultation with the Project Director. Monthly -Report to the stakeholders status of the project. Monthly Scheduled Meetings Project Director Reporting to the Steering Committee on the Progress of the project. Monthly Scheduled Meetings Project Manager Report to the project director the operational status of the project. Bi-weekly Scheduled Meetings and informal meetings on regular basis. Project Team Reporting on the project implementation progress to the Project Manager On Daily weekly basis and informal daily meetings on regular basis when need arises. Risk Planning The project sees the following as immediate risks to the project and has identified mitigating factors to address these risks. No Project Immediate Risks Mitigating Factors 1 Time Limitations Identify at early stages the critical pathway of the project, and focus on meeting deadlines. 2 Government Procurement Compliance Process Maintain effective dialogue with stakeholders in the initial stages of the project and define the best approach to getting procurement issues solved. 3 Building not meeting minimum lab standards Conduct lab survey in the initial stages of the project to identify areas of need, negotiate with the Board of Governors and resolve issues before installation is conducted. Project Milestone Currently the project sees the following as milestones that need to be achieved; No Project Milestone Achievement Date 1 Project Planning Approval 16th of April, 2017 2 Computer Installation and Testing 25th of June, 2017 3 Project Closer Report 30th of June, 2017 Procurement Plan Below is a summary of the project procurement plan and fully guided the companys procurement policy. Date of Completion Activity/Item 16th of April, 2017 Development of the project procurement plan 16th of April, 2017 Approval of the procurement plan 16th of April, 2017 Identifying all expandable and non-expandable items for purchase 16th of April, 2017 Create Assert Registry 14th of May, 2017 Vendor Identification 14th of May, 2017 Preparation and Approval of Purchase Requests 14th of May, 2017 Preparation and Approval of Check Requisitions 18th of May, 2017 Payment of Items and Materials (All expendable and non-expandable items including 50 x desktop computers and their accessories and software licences 21st of May, 2017 Confirming delivery against delivery notes 21st of May, 2017 Register all items 30th of June, 2017 Prepare registry for project closure

Prejudice and Racism Today :: Sociology Racism Prejudice Essays

"...Everybody jumped on him, beat the hell out of him... Everybody was hitting him or kicking him. One guy was kicking at his spine. Another guy hitting on the side of the face... He was unconscious. He was bleeding. Everybody had blood on their forearms. We ran back up the hill laughing... He should have died... He lost so much blood he turned white. He got what he deserved" (Ridgeway 167.) The skinheads who performed this random act of racial violence in 1990, had no reason to brutally beat their victim other than the fact that he was Mexican (Ridgeway 167). Racism is objectively defined as any practice of ethnic discrimination or segregation. Fortunately, racial violence is steadily declining as the turn of the century approaches. Now a new form of racism, covert racism, has recently sprung from the pressures of political correctness. This new form of racism, although slowly declining, still shows signs of strong support (Piazza 86). Covert racism assumes a form of civil disobedience against politically correct thought and speech. Essentially, covert racism is a "hidden" racism, or a racism not easily detected (Piazza 78). "Racism is still strongly prevalent in today's society" (Gudorf 3). The three different basic forms of racism, open racism, violent racism, and covert racism all express forms of hatred towards distinct ethnic groups (Bender 47). These basic forms of racism, although different in form, all have the same main purpose, to promote racism. Open racism expresses freedom of racial thought and speech. Open racists promote their views through strictly persuasionary tactics. This form of racism is allowed in our society because of the First Amendment. Open racism is currently almost nonexistent and steadily declining, because it is considered politically incorrect and socially unacceptable. Violent racism promotes racism through violence, fear, and persuasionary tactics (Leone 49) This form of racism is not protected by the First Amendment because it promotes violence to express its ideas. Unfortunately many violent racial groups claim they do not promote violence, and therefore these groups are protected by the First Amendment because not enough sufficient evidence exists to prove their violent intent (Ridgeway 123). Covert racism expresses ideas of racism in disguised forms; sometimes the covert racist is not even aware of the fact that he is racist. "Racism, it is asserted, is no longer blatant: people nowadays are reluctant to express openly their dislike of and contempt for minorities, indeed are not prepared to express publicly a sentiment that could be interpretted as racist. Racism, it is said, is subtle: it is disguised, kept out of sight" (Enrlich 73) "The

French and Indian War Dbq

The French and Indian war, which lasted from 1754-1763, resulted in a victory for the British over the French, which led to the French leaving North America. It also resulted in negative political, economic and ideological differences between the British and the American colonies. Politically the colonies were not happy because they could not expand further west, economically they felt oppressed by the British with all the taxes being place on them, and ideologically because of the governing of the British without representation.Politically with the British, the American colonies were not pleased. After 1763 and the end of the French and Indian War, the colonies had more than doubled their land as shown in document A. However, due to the Proclamation of 1763 being issued, which stated the colonists couldn’t go past the Appalachian Mountains. If they did go past the line drawn by the British, they would not be protected un the British due to their unwillingness to pay for their protection.The British knew that the Native Americans would fight for their land and were very protective of it as shown in Document B, a speech delivered by Canassatego, a Chief in the Iroquois Confederacy, to the representatives of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania in 1742. Canassatego most likely gave this speech because he was the leader of a people who did not want their land to be taken over. These actions of the British cause the American colonist's change in political views.The economic relations between the British and American colonies also changed dramatically because Britain was in debt due to the French and Indian War. This lead to them taxing the colonists to raise revenue and cover the costs of the war which was caused by the colonists. In document F, the British Order in Council in 1763 states that it is necessary to tax the American colonies because otherwise they would not have the means (money) to cover the colonists costs.These taxes were carried out in many f orms including the Stamp, Sugar and Tea Acts, as well as others that forced colonies to pay taxes on everyday goods. Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to John Hughs (document G), from London to Pennsylvania on August 9, 1765, describing how he was trying to get the Stamp Act repealed. This letter was most likely written by Franklin because he was a colonist from Philadelphia, who was a participant in government and owned the Pennsylvania Gazette, which meant the act hit him at home.Document H, represents the economic oppression the colonists felt that they were receiving from the British with a newspaper masthead showing how the Stamp Act was affecting them with skull and crossbones in the place were a stamp should be. The things done by the British to try and raise revenue from the colonies to cover the French and Indian War were causing a change in the future Americans' economic rationales. Asides from changing the American colonists' view on their political and economic relationsh ip with Great Britain, the French and Indian War also changed their ideology.They believed that the British were governing them with virtual representation, or without actual representation and unfairly. One example of the change in ideology is from George Washington himself, in letter written by him in 1755, he talks about serving his â€Å"King and Country†, when later on he fights that same king and country. In document D, an entry from a Massachusetts soldier's diary in 1759, the soldier describes how unjustly he and other colonial soldiers are treated by officers even though they were born Englishmen, but says they are not treated like they are, showing the growing resentment of British authority.In document E, Reverend Thomas Barnard located in Massachusetts in 1763 talks about how great the victory of the French and Indian War and the British were and how the American colonists would be able to expand further west. This viewpoint was most likely changed after the Procl amation of 1763, as the colonists could not actually expand westward with British protection. Document H, the Newspaper masthead from October 1763, also represents the change in ideology of the American colonists.It talks about saying farewell to liberty, stating â€Å"Adieu Adieu to LIBERTY,† showing how the British were taking away their freedoms. The British actions that occurred during and after the French and Indian War played a major role in the changing of ideology of the British. The French and Indian War was a major cause of the American Revolution. One type of document that would help show how the war changed relations between the colonies and the British would be a letter from a Parliament member to a member of colonial government concerning relations between the mother country and its colony.The French and Indian War caused the colonists to change their political, economic and ideological relations with the British. Political relations were tarnished by the Procla mation of 1763, the economic relations were strained by the taxes placed on the colonies by the British to cover the French and Indian War costs, as well as those in the future. The ideological relations were diminished due to Britain's governing without representation on the American colonies.. The French and Indian war played a crucial part in the American Revolution. French and Indian War Dbq The French and Indian war, which lasted from 1754-1763, resulted in a victory for the British over the French, which led to the French leaving North America. It also resulted in negative political, economic and ideological differences between the British and the American colonies. Politically the colonies were not happy because they could not expand further west, economically they felt oppressed by the British with all the taxes being place on them, and ideologically because of the governing of the British without representation.Politically with the British, the American colonies were not pleased. After 1763 and the end of the French and Indian War, the colonies had more than doubled their land as shown in document A. However, due to the Proclamation of 1763 being issued, which stated the colonists couldn’t go past the Appalachian Mountains. If they did go past the line drawn by the British, they would not be protected un the British due to their unwillingness to pay for their protection.The British knew that the Native Americans would fight for their land and were very protective of it as shown in Document B, a speech delivered by Canassatego, a Chief in the Iroquois Confederacy, to the representatives of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania in 1742. Canassatego most likely gave this speech because he was the leader of a people who did not want their land to be taken over. These actions of the British cause the American colonist's change in political views.The economic relations between the British and American colonies also changed dramatically because Britain was in debt due to the French and Indian War. This lead to them taxing the colonists to raise revenue and cover the costs of the war which was caused by the colonists. In document F, the British Order in Council in 1763 states that it is necessary to tax the American colonies because otherwise they would not have the means (money) to cover the colonists costs.These taxes were carried out in many f orms including the Stamp, Sugar and Tea Acts, as well as others that forced colonies to pay taxes on everyday goods. Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to John Hughs (document G), from London to Pennsylvania on August 9, 1765, describing how he was trying to get the Stamp Act repealed. This letter was most likely written by Franklin because he was a colonist from Philadelphia, who was a participant in government and owned the Pennsylvania Gazette, which meant the act hit him at home.Document H, represents the economic oppression the colonists felt that they were receiving from the British with a newspaper masthead showing how the Stamp Act was affecting them with skull and crossbones in the place were a stamp should be. The things done by the British to try and raise revenue from the colonies to cover the French and Indian War were causing a change in the future Americans' economic rationales. Asides from changing the American colonists' view on their political and economic relationsh ip with Great Britain, the French and Indian War also changed their ideology.They believed that the British were governing them with virtual representation, or without actual representation and unfairly. One example of the change in ideology is from George Washington himself, in letter written by him in 1755, he talks about serving his â€Å"King and Country†, when later on he fights that same king and country. In document D, an entry from a Massachusetts soldier's diary in 1759, the soldier describes how unjustly he and other colonial soldiers are treated by officers even though they were born Englishmen, but says they are not treated like they are, showing the growing resentment of British authority.In document E, Reverend Thomas Barnard located in Massachusetts in 1763 talks about how great the victory of the French and Indian War and the British were and how the American colonists would be able to expand further west. This viewpoint was most likely changed after the Procl amation of 1763, as the colonists could not actually expand westward with British protection. Document H, the Newspaper masthead from October 1763, also represents the change in ideology of the American colonists.It talks about saying farewell to liberty, stating â€Å"Adieu Adieu to LIBERTY,† showing how the British were taking away their freedoms. The British actions that occurred during and after the French and Indian War played a major role in the changing of ideology of the British. The French and Indian War was a major cause of the American Revolution. One type of document that would help show how the war changed relations between the colonies and the British would be a letter from a Parliament member to a member of colonial government concerning relations between the mother country and its colony.The French and Indian War caused the colonists to change their political, economic and ideological relations with the British. Political relations were tarnished by the Procla mation of 1763, the economic relations were strained by the taxes placed on the colonies by the British to cover the French and Indian War costs, as well as those in the future. The ideological relations were diminished due to Britain's governing without representation on the American colonies.. The French and Indian war played a crucial part in the American Revolution.

Africa and African continent Essay

Slavery is and it involves conditions of controlling people against their expectations or lives; this can especially be done with violence, compulsion and force. Slavery is practiced so as to obtain cheap labor from people that have been illegally against their will. Slave trade was experienced in almost all African countries the most common form of slave trade was trans-Atlantic slave trade. ( E. W. Duggan (2003). â€Å"Generating systems requirements with facilitated group techniques. † Human-Computer Interaction 18, 373–394. ) Slave trade was the trading of the illegally obtained labor for exchange with cheap goods and services from the western countries, the slaves used to do too much work with very little pay or exchange for goodies from the people who took them as slaves. Slave trade had both negative and positive effects on the traders, the slaves and the African continent as a whole. The impacts were felt in the economical, social and psychological welfare of the African societies. (Thornton, John K. â€Å"Sexual Demography: The Impact of the Slave Trade on Family Structure. † In Slave Trades, 1500-1800. Ed. Patrick Manning. Variorum, 1997: 133-143. ) Impacts of slavery on the African people were; it took away healthy and strong young people who were working in the industries, this slowed down industrialization in Africa; slave trade brought about African racism with the Atlantic world which still affects Africans up to date because Africans were looked down upon as dirty workers; it led to a polygamous society as most of the slaves who were taken were men leaving behind women and children; slavery brought about hatred with different African communities because some rulers wanted to trade their people while others did not want; slave trade brought civilization to the African people as they were able to obtain material that they were not manufacturing locally and at very cheap price. ( J. Mustajoki, R. P. Hamalainen and M. Marttunen (2002). â€Å"Participatory multi-criteria decision analysis with Web-Hipre: a case of lake regulation policy. † Systems Analysis Laboratory, Helsinki University of Technology. ) Impacts on the continent of Africa were; due to slave trade Africa was able to be exposed to the outside world; it led to slow growth of population in Africa as most of the slaves were relocated another continent most people were taken as slaves and some died on their way during their shipment; Africa was able to develop economically as there was development in infrastructure, growth of urban centers it also improved living standards in the Africa because the traders and African rulers received a lot of exchange I return for the slaves they sold; it also brought about region a class of very wealthy and highly Europeanized traders who took their children to get better education. ( Thornton, John K. â€Å"Sexual Demography: The Impact of the Slave Trade on Family Structure. † In Slave Trades, 1500-1800. Ed. Patrick Manning. Variorum, 1997: 133-143. ) To conclude slavery and slave trade had impacts in the African people and the African continent. There were either negative and positive impacts on the slave trade depending on your argument one can talk about the positive or the negative impacts. Some people view the slavery and slave trade as the best thing that ever happened in Africa and Europe and some view it as the worst. Because the impacts are still being felt up to date in both Africa and the rest of the world, things like racism are still affecting blacks all over the world because they were taken as slaves though too many efforts have been used to make sure that there is no racism its still affecting Africans allover the world positively it brought a great deal of urbanization in Africa which brought about industrialization, urbanization and all that Africans would have not done that by themselves. If we look at a country like South Africa that attained its independence recently there are great things that the slave trade which led to colonization did in South Africa that any other country in Africa. Reference: 1. Thornton, John K. â€Å"Sexual Demography: The Impact of the Slave Trade on Family Structure. † In Slave Trades, 1500-1800. Ed. Patrick Manning. Variorum, 1997: 133-143. 2. J. Mustajoki, R. P. Hamalainen and M. Marttunen (2002). â€Å"Participatory multi-criteria decision analysis with Web-Hipre: a case of lake regulation policy. † Systems Analysis Laboratory, Helsinki University of Technology. 3. E. W. Duggan (2003). â€Å"Generating systems requirements with facilitated group techniques. † Human-Computer Interaction 18, 373–394.

Huckleberry Finn Chapter 16 Analysis Essay

I just finished reading chapter 11 of my book The Adventures of Huckleberry fin. The woman lets Huck into the shack but thinks that he’s up to sometimes. Huck introduces himself as â€Å"Sarah Williams† from Hookerville. The woman chatters about a variety of subjects and eventually gets to the topic of Huck’s murder. She reveals that Pap was a suspect and that some townspeople nearly hanged him. Then, people began to suspect Jim because he ran away the same day Huck was killed. Soon, however, suspicions again turned against Pap, after he bought alcohol with the money that the judge gave him to find Jim. Pap left town before he could be lynched, and now there is a $200 reward being offered for him. Meanwhile, there is a $300 bounty out for Jim. The woman has noticed smoke over Jackson’s Island and has told her husband to look for Jim there. He planed to go there and fin him that night with another man and a gun. The woman looks at Huck suspiciously and asks his name. He replies, â€Å"Mary Williams.† When the woman asks about the change, he tries to cover himself by saying his full name is â€Å"Sarah Mary Williams.† She has him try to kill a rat by throwing a lump of lead at it, and he nearly hits the rat, increasing her suspicions. Finally, she asks him to reveal his real male identity, saying she understands that he is a runaway apprentice and claiming she will not turn him in to the authorities. Huck says his name is George Peters and describes himself as an apprentice to a mean farmer. She lets him go after quizzing him on several farm subjects to make sure he is telling the truth. She tells Huck to send for her, Mrs. Judith Loftus, if he has trouble.Back at the island, Huck built a decoy campfire far from the cave and then returns to the cave to tell Jim they must leave. They hurriedly pack their things and slowly ride out on a raft they found when the river flooded. Because Huck lied to the women giving her his fake identity, allowed him to potentially save Jim’s life. After the lady let him go he set up a fake campfire so the people that were going to kill jim went to a different place, which allowed Huck to find Jim and escape safely before anyone could kill either of them. His lying saved Jim’s life and even though he’s not the best kid he’s a genius. We see in these chapters that Huck, though open-minded, still largely subscribes to the Southern white conception of the world. When Jim assesses their â€Å"adventure,† Huck does admit that he has acted foolishly and risked Jim’s safety, but he qualifies his assessment by adding that Jim is smart, for a black person. Huck also genuinely struggles with the question of whether or not to turn over Jim to the white men who ask if he is harboring any runaway slaves. In some sense, Huck still believes that turning Jim in would be the â€Å"right† thing to do. Over the course of these chapters, as he spends more time with Jim, Huck is forced to question the facts that white society has taught him and that he has taken for granted. The arguments Huck and Jim have over Huck’s stories provide remarkable mini-allegories about slavery and race. When Huck tells the tale of King Solomon, who threatened to chop a baby in half, Jim argues that Solomon had so many childre n that he became unable to value human life properly. Huck’s comments lead me to compare Jim’s assessment of Solomon with whites’ treatments of blacks at the time as infinitely replaceable bodies, indistinguishable from one another. Later, Huck tells Jim that people in France don’t speak English. Huck tries to convince the skeptical Jim by pointing out that cats and cows don’t â€Å"talk† the same, and that, by theory, neither should French people and American people. Jim points out that both are men and that the theory is not fair. Although Jim is misinformed in a sense, he is correct in his assessment of Huck’s analogy. Jim’s argument provides yet another subtle reminder that, in American society at the time, not all men are treated as men. We see the moral and societal importance of Huck and Jim’s journey in Huck’s profound moral crisis about whether he should return Jim to Miss Watson. In the viewpoint of Southern white society, Huck has effectively stolen $800—the price the slave trader has offered for Jim—from Miss Watson. However, Jim’s comment that Huck is the only white man ever to keep his word to him shows that Huck has been treating Jim not as a slave but as a man. This newfound knowledge, along with Huck’s guilt, keep Huck from turning Jim in. Huck realizes that he would have felt worse for doing the â€Å"right† thing and turning Jim in than he does for not turning Jim in. When Huck reaches this realization, he makes a decision to reject conventional morality in favor of what his conscience dictates. This decision represents a big step in Huck’s development, as he realizes that his conscience may be a better guide than the dictates of the white society in which he has been raised.

Land and property Develeopment Diary of the 'credit crunch' Essay

Land and property Develeopment Diary of the 'credit crunch' - Essay Example Thus the diminishing supply of capital is further depleted as it becomes available for immediate government consumption. There can be a credit crunch because of panic disintermediation. Panic disintermediation is the dumping (rapid sale) of securities, commodities, and other assets in a scramble over possession of the limited supply of money (cash). Portfolio managers were telling investors, and each other, that being out on the long end of the yield curve was the best hedge against a downturn in the world economy. It took only 48 hours in the real-world classroom for them to learn differently. There can be a credit crunch because of a run on the currency. This source is actually the same as that of the only difference being that there is panic liquidation of financial assets in one currency, in exchange for cash in another currency. This happened in October 1998 as the yen rose in value from Yen 131/dollar to Yen 111/dollar in less than two days (Oct. 7-8). The dollar had become less attractive relative to the yen: the Fed cut the discount rate, hedge funds unwound short yen positions, and Japanese banks and other financial institutions dumped dollar securities because they needed the capital at home (especially after the Nikkei 225 dipped below 13,000). Borrowing in yen at extremely low inte... Borrowing in yen at extremely low interest rates was considered a free lunch. Then one day the free lunch disappeared. Tiger Management, a hedge fund which had been borrowing in yen to buy dollar assets, suffered a loss of almost $2 billion on Oct. 7 due to the surge in the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar. That was about 9 percent of the fund's value. Credit crunches used to be banking phenomena almost exclusively. No more. During the 1980s and 1990s formerly illiquid assets became more marketable or tradable. They no longer just sit on the asset side of some bank's balance sheet. "Securitization" is the process by which a collection of receivables is put together in a package, and then bonds are issued against the package. The package may be a collection (or portfolio) of credit card receivables, or automobile lease payments, or commercial mortgages, or some similar type of asset which provides "backing". Payments made to the owner of the packaged assets are then passed along, in part, as interest and principal to the bondholders. The bonds (which may have various strange and wonderful names, such as "CMOs"--collateralized mortgage obligations) trade in a secondary market, so the whole process has turned fairly illiquid items (the original credit card payments, or whatever) into tradable securities. The term "disintermediation" is also used, meaning that banks (or other financial intermediaries) are no longer the direct lenders, but rather bond purchasers become the direct lenders. Repayment to the bond investors depends on the good credit of those making payments into the asset pool (of commercial mortgages, or whatever), so that the interest payments on the bonds reflect a "credit spread" over some

National Branding vs Private Label Branding Essay

National Branding vs Private Label Branding - Essay Example Usually, it is hard to know, without the aid of chemical analysis or other forms of tests, whether private brands match national brands. Uncertainty may occur due to many reasons. For example, a bread company produces many private-label breads. This however does not mean that private brands are of the same quality as the name (national) brand. The bread company may differ in its formula when producing private brands, and we should also consider that the private brands may not be as fresh as the national brands (Kis 10). Similarly, we can also look at the case of say the largest brewer of beer in your region under its own national label; can also be among the biggest supplier of private-label brand of beer. Many private-label brands of wines and spirits as you have witnessed are produced by well-known national-brand companies. Consumers are usually willing to pay more for national brands, because they are confident in their quality. This way they evade the risk of purchasing a low-qua lity product, which is usually a private label brand. Hence, if they can be convinced to try out cheaper brands and find out that their quality is similar to the national brand they are accustomed to, they may switch (Lincoln 23). In a Gallup Poll, it was discovered that about 80% of consumers who tried a product with a private-brand label like a store brand, instantly became regular buyers. Store-brand customers are typically well-informed people, who pay attention to the labels. The Gallup Poll also showed that many consumers make an effort to study the labels and prices. The Poll indicated that 40% of shoppers are selective: this means that they compare products on different dimensions considering the quality, price and special offers; therefore they do not just choose the national brand. Most national-brand products are known to be of a superior quality; therefore, they are usually sold for significantly higher prices than private labels. In June 1984, the Private Label Manufact uring Association conducted an independent research where they compiled a "Market Basket List" for 17 staple items. Private labels’ total cost was found to be lower compared to national brands. It was found that private-label shoppers generally pay less as compared to national brand shoppers. Private-label strength is highly susceptible to economic conditions and will vary depending is this factor. This means that private-label market shares goes up when the economic situation is not good and down when the economy is good (Mennen 23). The main reason for the existence of brand names is because consumers usually need to be sure of quality when they lack the time, opportunity, or ability to examine other options. Brand names simplify the selection process, since you will find that the products are cluttered. A survey by DDB Needham conducted in 1994 indicates that 60% of consumers prefer factors pertaining to national brands, for example, security, value and comfort, as opposed to private label brands. National brand-name goods have better competitive advantage over private labels, due to their solid foundation. They have a running start. The strongest national brands have been in existence for decades and have consistent quality. National brands have value for retailers, which mean that retailers must have them, since consumers expect to find them widely distributed. If consumers fail to find them, they are