Ecomomic Forecast For 200 Essays - Inflation, Monetary Policy

Ecomomic Forecast For 200 Evaluating the bull market today, it is almost impossible to pick up a financial journal without seeing news on the bull market that some consider to be overvalued. Overvalued or fairly valued, only the future will show the truth. Either way, this market is one that has shown greater run ups and returns, than any other market in history. (Reference Appendix #1a) Recently the Dow Jones Industrial Average has reached historical highs and then receded back to previous levels, leaving investors who are used to consistent and record setting gains month after month, baffled. Both the Dow Jones and the S & P 500 indices have seen modest and even flat performances over the past three months. (Reference #1b) A recent article that was published on the front page of the Wall Street Journal emphasized that returns were flat due to the fact that investors were concerned of the possible on set of inflation. If these concerns are warranted and inflation is thus expected, the Bull market may very we ll be over. This after all makes sense, inflation has slowed and stopped many run-ups in the past, and the onset of inflation now could very well do the same. While the article introduced some possibilities, it said nothing of the likelihood, the causes of, the Fed.'s reactions to, and the probability of expected inflationary increases in the future. This paper is thus dedicated to expanding on these ideas by exploring the rationality of these concerns by examining the circumstances surrounding inflation. It is my speculation that the Bull market may eventually correct itself in the future, but not in the short term due to immediate inflation. That is, that the market was in fact flat due investors concerns, but actual imperative inflation does not look to be expected in the near future. In order to begin to understand the nature of market trends and forces, one must first consider the current state of the U.S. economy relative to its' business cycle. Certain aggregates can be measu red that tell us a great deal about this. These aggregates have a strong history of leading, coinciding, or lagging the relative business cycle with a high amount of regular correlation. Appendix 2a contains illustrations, which show graphically the trends of the leading, lagging, and coincident indicators over the past few years. These graphs are composites of each group, and upon examination it is clear that all the indicators are rising. In fact the composite index of leading indicators shows that they have not experienced a significant downturn since the early 1980's, and have been increasing rather sharply over the past 3 years. The fact that all of these indicators are currently rising indicate that the economy is in a period of robust growth, or an expansionary phase. The fruits of this expansion have proven to be many, however it is often said that too much of a good thing can be bad. In this regard there are factors associated with the degree and nature of this economy, whi ch could cause slowdown. For example, how is inflation measured, and to what degree should we be concerned with the effects and attributes of cost- push and demand- pull sources of inflation in this robust economy? According the Baye and Jansen, inflation can be measured by considering the growth of the money supply, the growth of M velocity, and the growth of real output. Algebraically this is represented by the equation: inflation = (gm + gv) - gy. This equation thus considers the monetary, supply-push, and demand-pull factors. When the rate of inflation is measured in this way one can see, that over the last few years inflation has been relatively stable about its' trend. This is in part, a result of the steady growth of GDP over the same period, and is testimony to the success of the Federal Reserve Board's monetary and fiscal policies. The rates of inflation over the last 10 years are graphically illustrated in Appendix 3A. Cost-push inflation incurs when the prices of inputs f or production increase and thus cause profit margins to diminish. If firms are unwilling or unable to accept the declination in operating income, they will pass

How To Be A Successful Blogger In 12 Steps From Popular Bloggers

How To Be A Successful Blogger In 12 Steps From Popular Bloggers What do they know that you don’t? Those top bloggers, with their armies of fans, making waves  across the Internet. What do they have that you don’t? Well, in this research article, you’re about to learn the top 12 secrets of eight of the world’s top bloggers so you can learn how to be a successful blogger, just like them How To Be A Successful Blogger In 12 Steps From Popular Bloggers What Makes Them A Top Blogger? This list isn’t an official Top 8 like you hear on the radio. Nobody, not even Google or Alexa, has  enough traffic information to create a real ranking. The bloggers on this list are the top bloggers in their niche, or incredibly up-and-coming bloggers, based on  detailed research (and lots of coffee drinking). But what they did have to do was meet a certain criteria that looks like this: These folks are frequently featured on top ten and/or top blogger lists for their niche. They didn’t buy an established blog; they grew it from nothing. They have a mailing list or social media following of 10,000 or more people. They're actively producing content. A Look Behind The Research We care about content here at . And how you can create better content:  This research aims to reflect that. I’ve used BuzzSumo’s content analysis tool, as well as my own research, to focus on the content these bloggers have  produced and how it’s made them a success. This covers, but isn’t limited to: Content length Their content (and if their readers are content with it) Visuals Social media All with the goal of showing you what they do and how you can do it, too. Each section breaks down a blog, their content, and what they’ve done to become successful- and how to be a successful blogger all by yourself. If you’re ready, let’s get into it, shall we? How To Be A Successful Blogger With 12 Lessons From The ProsJon Morrow: Publish  Consistent Content To Build An Audience Of Loyal Fans Jon's blog,  Boost Blog Traffic, is a powerhouse in the blogging niche. It covers all the tools and skills a blogger needs to become a success in the least amount of time possible. And, Jon is reportedly making $100,000 per month from this blog alone, which is testament to his abilities as a blogger. Let’s look at how he’s done it... #1. Consistency Is Key Jon has a strict posting schedule of only one post per week, maximum. And, more often than not, that post is released on a Thursday. While that isn’t concrete- the blog occasionally posts on other days- that’s when he achieves the most success. Which shows his audience knows when to expect content, and is flocking there as soon as it’s released. That consistency doesn’t just apply to when he posts his content. It’s also in how he writes his content. For example, the introductions to all of the blog's posts (even the guest ones) follow the exact same style. Take a look at this from one of their first ever posts back in 2012: And this one from December 2015: The process may have been refined, but it’s still the same. That’s over three years of consistency just in their introductions. Heck, even the same opening sentences show up from time to time! What That Means For You... Be consistent with your content. And, not just when you post it, but the style you write it in, too. Give your audience something to expect, and a style that feels like ‘home’ when they read it. The more familiar and consistent it is, the more likely they are to return. Recommended Reading: How To Publish More Consistent Content That Will Help You Grow A Successful Blog Chiara Ferragni: Blog Frequently And Focus Your Energy On One Social Network Chiara Ferragni, or The Blonde Salad, is a prolific fashion blogger. And, thankfully, you don’t need to know your Jimmy Choo’s from your Louboutins to understand how she became one. Admittedly, she was employed as a Guess model which gave her some platform to build from. But that doesn’t make what she’s done with this blog any less impressive. Because to consistently get over 2,000 shares per blog post means that your content has to be good. From my research, this comes down to two easy-to-replicate steps: #2. Maintain A Predictable Frequency Between Monday and Friday, she posts content of different lengths at least once a day. As Matt Cutts from Google notes says, publishing content frequently can help you build an audience who checks in often to catch the latest information from your blog. #3. Build One Clear Distribution Channel While it’s definitely beneficial to get yourself out there on every form of media, it can be  more effective to focus on fewer, or as is the case here, just one channel: Facebook. By focusing on building her Facebook presence, Chiara's  able to predict and manipulate a large source of her traffic. Plus it’s much easier to build a following on one channel than on multiple. Which is why her blog's Facebook page has over 1,192,000 likes and counting. Post valuable #content frequently to build a loyal audience. #bloggingWhat That Means For You... If it suits the style of your blog, post content more frequently to drive more traffic back to your site. It doesn’t have to be long; it just has to be valuable and informative. Narrow down your social media focus instead of trying to cover all of them. Build up an authority standing on Facebook or Twitter and then expand. Recommended Reading: How To Promote Your Blog With Social Media Matthew Woodward: Know Your Audience And Dream Bigger I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Matt on a number of projects. And, in the world of effective SEO, he’s one of the go to guys. From working alongside him, I know three things to be true: He spends a painstaking amount of time getting to know his audience. He is extremely particular about his content. He’s a ferocious networker. So let’s see how that impacts his blog, and how he’s turned it into a success. #4. Understanding Your Audience, And Engaging Them, Is Crucial... Matt’s content doesn’t really go viral. In fact, his social shares are some of the lowest here: But what he lacks in social shares, he makes up for in comments and engagements. Matt goes out of his way to talk to, and get to know, his audience on a different level. It’s not blogger to audience, it’s friend to friend. And that's why his posts regularly exceed 60 comments. He constantly surveys and asks his audience what they want, how they want it, and when they want it. There is no such thing as filler content either. He doesn’t have any fluff that just fills a posting schedule. He only provides long-form, actionable, or insightful content that his audience will benefit from. This level of control for him- and his readers- makes sure that there’s a consistent flow of traffic, and that Boost Blog Traffic style of brand-standard-ness throughout his content. #5. ...But Not As Important As Outreach. What has truly helped Matt get this blog to such heights is getting out there and networking with other people in the niche. You just need to look at his ‘As Seen On’ page to see just how hard he worked at that: And, all of that exposure has given his site thousands of backlinks from high quality, authority sites: Which helps him bring in over 30,000 sessions a month from Google and organic sources alone. What That Means For You... While social shares are important as a metric, they can sometimes cloud your measurement for success with vanity. And, it’s possible to have lots of success without ever going viral. Instead, take the time to get to know your audience- through surveys and emails and polls- to find out what they want and give it to them. While you’re finding out what your audience wants, be sure to reach out  and find opportunities to write for other blogs in your niche, too. Not only does this help for SEO, but it helps for your overall branding and drives traffic to your content from other authorities, too. Recommended Reading: 3 Hidden Google Analytics Reports To Help You Understand Your Audience 25 Lessons From Guest Blogging For The Top Blogs In The World Benny Lewis: Build A Personalized User Experience Benny Lewis is a language specialist from Ireland. His blog, Fluent In 3 Months, has rocketed him to Internet stardom in recent years. It’s led him to become a published author, and to even give a TEDx talk in Poland. Aside from speaking 11 different languages, he’s managed to build a mailing list of more than  150,000 people. While the BuzzSumo data on Fluent In 3 Months is a little fuzzy, a deeper look into the blog gives you simple insights into how he’s become so successful. #6. It Starts With Personalization... Benny’s blog is not about him. It’s not a way to boast about how many languages he speaks or about how good he is at teaching. Instead, it’s all about you and what you want to achieve. When you first come to his site, he asks you what language you want to learn, and provides a tailored email course for you right away: That means  he’s never sending junk content to his list. And, he’s getting all the benefits of email list segmentation, like the ones MailChimp found here: So not only is he providing consistent, valuable content to his readers directly to their inbox- he’s laser-targeting them and increasing his opens, and eventual social shares, by doing so, too. An average post gets 780 shares. That's quite an achievement. #7. ...And It Ends With User Experience. The rest of the site is built around what you want, too. Instead of wading through blog posts trying to find the one you want, Benny has set his site up to be: Tailored to you Easy to navigate And, because it’s an endless resource with instantly actionable content, that means you stay on the site much longer. It’s simple, but it’s effective. You need to give people a reason to stay on your site, because they’ll easily find a reason to leave. Does your #blog #UX  taylor to personalization? It can help you grow...What It Means For You... Where you can, personalize your experience. Segment your email list to fit different sections of your audience and their interests. Whether you’re a retailer, a blogger, or anything else in between, there are different reasons everyone visits your blog. So, do your research to find them. And, make sure your blog is easy to navigate. There is nothing worse than a blog site that’s clunky and hard to find your way around. If not for user experience, do it for SEO. Because the cleaner your site structure, the easier it is for Google to crawl it. John Romaniello:  People Crave  A Personal And Likable Brand John’s blog and site, Roman Fitness Systems, is personal branding perfection. He’s taken what could have been another drab, boring fitness site, and turned it into something spectacular. To give you a little feel of that, take a look at this excerpt from the About section on his blog: Love it or hate it, it’s unique and attention grabbing. And, he also does everything you’ve seen so far in this article, too: He focuses on one  social network:  Facebook. Remember that this is the social platform that he's found to work best for him. Play around with your social networks and test them. His site can be personalized to the fitness goals of the user: And, he consistently turns out long-form, valuable articles. #8. Use Your Blog To Build A Personal, Likable Brand But the real takeaway from John’s blogging success isn’t just in how well he does all these things. It’s the personal brand he’s built. Because people don’t just come for the knowledge bombs- they come for him. With a close look at the blog, you can see not all of the content is to do with health and fitness. Instead, he focuses on the attached subjects to it that he, and his readers, care about. Things like: Confidence Life skills Cooking Sex And, not only is this done in an informative way, it’s also done in a charming, funny, sometimes controversial way. Whether that’s through a Facebook post or the headlines he chooses for all the articles on his blog (even the guest posts). He always makes decisions, and chooses content, that builds his personal brand. By creating such a strong, audience splitting tone of voice, he rallies people towards him (or pushes them away from him). Which is exactly what makes his blog remarkable. Want to be a successful #blogger? Your audience craves personality.What It Means For You†¦ Building a personal brand- or a clear brand identity- is a must. It doesn’t have to be as quirky or controversial as John’s, but it needs to be a little more than the usual beige personality that brands go for. Pick a side or a stance on your niche and run with it. Hammer it into all of your content, from the small pieces on your site, through to your blog posts and social media updates. It’ll galvanize people around you and create an aura people want to associate with (or get the hell away from). Recommended Reading: How To Make Personal Branding Work For You How To Write Exciting Content Even If You’re In A Boring Industry Stuart Walker: Focus On Providing Value Rather Than Virality Stuart’s site, NicheHacks, has seen rapid success over the course of the last few years. In fact, in 2 years alone, he’s managed to build this site to generate more than  $80,000 a year. Now, as a disclaimer, I’m part of his writing team, so I’m a little bias to the charm of this blog. But the following he’s built over the last few years, and the critical acclaim the blog has started to receive, goes above and beyond any of the nice feelings I get in my belly when I think about it. For example, his Mastermind Group on Facebook alone has more than  10,000 members. So, how has he managed to build such a successful blog? #9. Give  Away More Than Just The Milk You’ve heard the saying, â€Å"Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?† before, right? Lots of bloggers and marketers believe this to be true. That you need to save your best, and most valuable content for your paid content, because it’s stupid to give away your knowledge for free. But, that’s not a belief he shares. The average length of content there is around 3,000 words (I used to write him a 5,000-word epic each month), and he covers any topic a niche marketer might ever need. Just look at this list of his most popular content. Any of these could easily become a downloadable product to sell to people: #10: Shooting For Virality Is A Waste Of Resources While this might not equate to a lot of social shares (his average is only 85 per post) what it does equate to is massive engagement, email subscriptions, and conversions into sales: Like Matthew Woodward, Stuart Walker doesn't focus his energy on creating tons of social shares for his content. Instead, he focuses on providing valuable information he knows his audience will seriously dig. What It Means For You... As odd as it sounds, give away your best content for free. Let people see that you can guide them to success and you have their best interests at heart. And, do it all as frequently and often as possible. By doing this, you build more trust, boost engagement and create a feeling of authority around yourself (or your brand). The more trust you have, the better your bottom line will be. Recommended Reading: 5 Things That Will Change Your Mind About Long Form Content Marketing Jeff Goins:  Authenticity Is An Audience Magnet Jeff’s blog is all about the art, craft, and lifestyle of being a writer. And, as you know as a writer yourself, good blogs about that are few and far between. Understanding how he’s built his blog doesn’t require a lot of stats and figures and fancy data breakdowns, either. Even though his stats are impressive- an average post gets 423 shares. What truly makes Jeff successful is how he approaches his content. Because all of it is aimed at empowering you- yes you, sitting there, right now- to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve. #11. Authentic, Transparent, And Personal... He grabs your attention with stories, both personal and of others, to maintain  your attention and keep you on the page: His stories are  insanely powerful because they give  authenticity to everything he does. That also  taps a deep psychological need of people. There’s a high level of transparency in what he does, too. He’s open and honest with his readers about everything, and even makes open commitments to his readers. And, he even goes out of his way to nurture relationships with people away from his blog, by communicating with followers, friends, and fans on their own Facebook feeds: So, where a lot of bloggers go for stardom and distance from their audience- like a performer on a stage or screen- Jeff aims to connect and become a friend with them and to get involved with them beyond his blog. What It Means For You... Break the fourth wall. Connect with your audience on a different, more personal level beyond the realm of your blog and its posts. But when you are writing your posts, aim to put yourself into your posts. Share stories and events and emotions that come from deep within you, or your brand, too. Gretchen Rubin: Create Content That Stands Out From The Noise If you don’t know Gretchen from her blog, you might know her from her book, The Happiness Project. A lot of blogs out there tackle to topics of happiness, habits, and personal development. But few of them do it as successfully and enthusiastically as Gretchen has over the last few years. She has frequency and consistency down to a T  by posting every day of the week. But what really makes her content special is the content of her content. She  treats herself as a case study all of the time†¦ #12. Breaking The Content Mould Where most blogs churn out content like, 5 Ways To Be Happier Today, and the yawn-inducing, 10 Habits Of Happy People, Gretchen grabs the topic by the scruff of the neck and creates content you can use. A few examples of her recent headlines are: Agree, Disagree? â€Å"Forming New Habits Can Actually Be Fun.† Always Late? 9 Tips for Overcoming Chronic Lateness. Do You Ever Get a Huge Pleasure Just From Looking at a Particular Object? What? She case studies herself, and others, to create actionable real world advice that’s proven. Not nice-to-knows or the occasional motivation booster. These posts work, and have been proven to work. And that’s why those articles get the most traction and shares. What she’s done, remarkably, is break the mould of her niche and create content of a different kind. As Seth Godin would term it, she’s created a ‘Purple Cow’ in her niche. What That Means For You... Look at your competitors and what they’re doing. Then, make it better. Improve on it. Break the mould and give them more than they’re getting elsewhere. It’s the only way to stand out in a more and more cluttered blogosphere. Recommended Reading:  How To Use The ‘Skyscraper Technique’ To Improve Your Content Marketing How To Be A Successful Blogger (In Short, So You Don’t Forget) That was a monster post, wasn’t it? I hope it was as enjoyable to read as it was for me to research and write. Let’s look at the key points of how to be a successful blogger one last time, so you don’t have to go through the whole post again: #1. Be Consistent: With your tone and with your schedule. When people know what to expect from your blog, they’ll be dying to come back every week. #2. Share Your Advice Frequently: Your audience will come back if they can expect new content often. Plan a blog posting schedule that shares great advice frequently to build a loyal following. #3. Focus On One Social Media Channel: Don’t spread yourself too thin, get a foothold on one channel, and then grow from there. #4. Engage Your Audience: Get to know them. Understand them. And, ask them what they want. It’s better to create a small army that loves you then try and please everyone. #5. Outreach: Get out there and network. Guest blog, comment and share. Make your name known by relevant people with similar audiences. Your next big hit may only be a conversation away. #6.  Personalize: Make the experience as tailored to your reader as you can. And, segment your mailing list accordingly. #7. Focus On User Experience: Make your blog easy to navigate and find information. Use blog categories and tags to group similar content. #8.  Create A Clear Brand Identity: Take a stance, find your tone and create something unique. Let people flock to you (or run away from you) based on how they feel about it. But always be unmistakably you. #9. Give Away As Much As Possible: Value will never die. And, you need to give it to your audience. The more you’re willing to share with them, the more they’ll trust you. #1o. Going Viral Really Doesn’t Matter: Most of the bloggers, from the biggest to the smallest, don’t have viral hits every time. Their average shares per post are always under 900. So don’t fret about it too much. As long as the number is going up over time, you’re okay. #11.  Be Authentic And Transparent: You’re not a movie star. You can connect with your audience on a more personal level. So, get beyond the computer screen and reach out to them and become a bigger part of their lives. #12. Break The Mould: Go above and beyond your competitors. Live and breath what you do and go to a level of depth that nobody else is willing to. It might be harder, but it’s definitely worth it. Now, where are you going to start? Let me know in the comments...

The history of the Muslim world in the period between the early 15th Research Paper

The history of the Muslim world in the period between the early 15th and early 20 centuries - Research Paper Example Islam is perceived to be among the oldest and the most widely followed religion of the world. Where on one hand, with the rise and expansion of new religions such as Judaism and Christianity, the Muslim world had to witness a fall in its political and social magnitude; on the other hand, benefited by the advent of successful trade relationships of Muslim community with the non-Islamic nations, the community was able to strengthen its foothold in global politics of the modern world. Some of the noteworthy events that can be remarked as best illustrations of the alterations witnessed by the Muslim world since the early 15th century till the early 20th century or the modern era include the rise of Mughals, Ottomans and Safavids, repeat clashes of the Muslim world with other religious communities as well as trade expansion of the Muslims in the global plethora. Historians have often argued that these events have led towards immense alterations in the religious beliefs as well as social s tructures of the Muslim world playing the key role in developing its advanced post-modern shape. However, these events, as argued by historians, imposed varying impacts on the Muslim world, some being strong enough to permanently change few aspects of this particular assemblage while the others having a short term influence Concerning these aforementioned aspects, this thesis will be focused on discussing about the various events which have been witnessed within the Muslim world during its experiences within the period from 15th century to 20th century. Correspondingly, the ultimate aim of the study will be to identify particular events and encounters which have been most influential in shaping the modern Muslim world. DISCUSSION The Muslim World during early 15th and 16th Centuries The most significant event which has often attracted intellectuals arguing on the historic transformations of the Muslim world during the 15th century was the fall of Constantinople after being conquered by the Ottoman Empire sultan Mehmed II. It was during this tenure of Muslim world history that Ottomans were emerging as the major Islamic dynasty to rule to Arab-Muslim nations. It was during the mid 15th century that Mehmed II acquired the throne of the Ottoman dynasty when the Muslim world was focused primarily on trade as well as political expansion, based on the notion of imperialism to gain superiority over other non-Muslim communities. In such circumstance, Constantinopolis (Kostantiniyye) was the most appropriate geographical area to expand trade and also to gain control on the activities of the neighboring continents, i.e. Asia and Europe. Both Asia and Europe, during this period was undergoing tremendous alterations being politically weak, but economically enriched with natural resources and flow of international commodities. Thus, conquering Constantinople was a golden opportunity for Mehmed II to expand the Ottoman Empire and almost effortlessly, obtain the benefits of an equipped trade relation between Constantinopolis and European as well as Asian dynasties. On the social forefront, the defeat of Constantinople further contributed towards the enrichment of the artistic patronage of the medieval Muslim world which is still considered to be enviable. Not only in terms of its artistic patronage, but also with respect to the political structure and policy concerns, the Muslim world

Answer the questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Answer the questions - Essay Example Developed countries have adequate education levels, political and economic independence, and freedom of speech. Some of the indicators of development are health, education, leadership, and standards of living. Health is a good measure of development in any country in which the availability of quality health care for all determines whether the country is developed or not. Developed countries have good health facilities for offering health services to all its citizens. Health facilities include well-equipped hospitals, health centres, and maternity facilities for expectant mothers. In developed countries, all citizens can access high-quality health services and acquire good nutrition to live a healthy life. In underdeveloped and developing countries, citizens have a challenge in accessing quality health care and good nutrition. There is a big gap between the rich and the poor in terms of the health facilities they attend. In some cases, the poor go for the traditional medicine while the rich attend good hospitals. The health care facilities are ill-equipped health facilities especially in rural areas. Education is another indicator of development measured by the number of citizens acquiring both the basic and advanced education in a country. Equitable education for all is a measure of development while the disparity in education portrays underdevelopment. In developed countries, quality education is a key priority for the government that receives a high funding. The transition in developed countries from one level of education to the next is high in which technology plays a very important role. In both developing and underdeveloped countries, there is a big disparity in education in which children of the rich attend good schools with all the learning facilities. Children from poor families attend poorly equipped schools

Dead Poets Society essay Essay Example for Free

Dead Poets Society essay Essay What ideas about discovery are conveyed by Peter Weir’s ‘Dead Poets Society’ and one other text? The process of discovery has the ability to greatly impact an individual resulting in them having new ideas and perceptions on themselves and others. These ideas differ for all individuals as each has their own experiences and develops from them in unique and personal ways. This is clearly evident in the film ‘Dead Poets Society’ by Peter Weir as it is a text which significantly focuses on the concept of contrast. Throughout this concept viewers are allowed an in-depth demonstration of the protagonists Neil Perry and Todd Anderson’s negative and positive experiences which have been caused by their strive to achieve individualism after a new English teacher John Keating introduces his pupils to poetry and free thinking attitude. ‘Firework’ a song co-written and performed by Katy Perry is also a text which conveys that discovery is a process that can lead to enlightenment and enable one to be more acceptant of who they once they disregard the socially constructed expectations that mass media communicates. Throughout Perter Weir’s ‘Dead Poets Society’ viewers are able to understand that discovery itself is a process of transformation that can lead to new ideas which in turn have positive effects on an individual. This can be seen in the scene where Professor Keating educates his students the act of conformity. When Keating states its definition as â€Å"the difficulty of maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others† the audience are able to identify the contrast between the professor Keating and principal Nolan’s attitudes and values towards educations throughout the mise-en-scene displaying Nolan in a small, dark and mysterious room caged by the large steel poles representing the strict and prestigious nature of the institution. This allows the audience to realise that the students are able to better develop their skills when allowed to be free from the forces of conformity the institution brings. When the students are told to find their â€Å" own walk† it clear that they do so to achieve becoming their own unique individual. Furthermore, during the ending of the film a full shot is utilised to capture the majority of students standing on their tables portraying the extent to which professor Keating has made an impact on his pupils. Earlier in the film Keating too stood on his table to â€Å"remind himself to look at things in a different way† hence it can be said that his student are following in his footsteps allowing the professor to depart from  the academy without any regret. Even though discovery may lead to new understandings and perceptions these may not result in positive ways but will also have the ability to result in negative outcomes for both individual and those closes by .As a result of Keating’s newly introduced philosophies, protagonist Neil Perry further endeavours to fulfil his passion and desire to become an actor however does so by forging his father’s signature on a consent form that would allow him to perform his act. When Neil’s father objects to him p ursuing his dreams, he is told that he will â€Å"go to Harvard and become a doctor†. Through the use of the low camera angle looking up towards his father, strong facial expression displaying authority and superiority are apparent. As a result viewers are able to comprehend that Neil is in no position to change or even slightly alter his father’s decision. However, when Neil’s mother advises that he â€Å"get some sleep† a close up of the individuals face presents a mysterious and worrisome smile resulting in the creation of suspense and confusion in the audience. The mise-en-scene displaying a weak and still hand behind a table centimetres away from a gun, viewers are able to reach the tragic conclusion of Neil Perry’s death in a confronting and unexpected way. ‘Firework’ a song co-written and performed by Katy Perry is a text which significantly exemplifies the experience of discovering something that has been concealed by of society and in particular the expectations that are constantly forced upon individuals through mass media that must be disregarded to proceed to the new finding. The music video features a number of characters overcoming numerous social issues such as body image, homosexuality, bullying, the effect of conflict between parents on their children and the acceptance of having a medical illness. Throughout the chorus the term â€Å"firework† is used to symbolise the spark inside all individuals that must first be â€Å"ignited† or in other words believed in to enable them to achieve their goals and accomplish their dreams. Additionally, fireworks are used as visual metaphors to represent the time when one becomes enlightened and acceptant of who they truly are regardless of what society expects of them. In conclusion, both texts ‘Dead Poets Society’ by Peter Weir and ‘Firework’ by Katy Perry complement each other in the sense that they both successfully provide the audience with diverse concepts and ideas of discovery. Whether they may be negative or positive,  each educates viewers in having varying ideas about the consequences that may be caused by ones decision after they access new, original understandings and perceptions of themselves.

Artificial Intelligence :: essays research papers fc

Artificial Intelligence: Can Small Insect Like Robots Rule the AI World? The Question that I propose is: Can insect-like robots perform tasks superior to that of any other style of robot? I am going to prove to you that the answer is yes, of course they can! With their superior stability and many less drawbacks that larger wheeled robots the legged â€Å"insects† can out perform even the most powerfully computing machines in many tasks. The applications of these robots are only limited by our imagination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people believe that artificial intelligence and robots should only be for â€Å"unthinking and repetitive tasks, or for dangerous but straightforward undertakings† (Economist 83). But as human understanding and intelligence of computer systems and technology progresses the idea of artificial intelligence becomes more of a reality instead of a vision. Right now a computer can be a matchmaker, a chess champion, and a useful searcher of medical information. And many people and programs are changing that with their leaps and bounds by actually giving the machine senses like a database of knowledge and sight and sound in the forms of a camera and a microphone respectively. In one case a robot can sense â€Å"hunger† by making a decision when it is running low on fuel to choose to refuel before it completes its task that has been scheduled. It may have to refuel multiple times before the task is completed. The decision can even be made taking into effect the distance it is away from a refueling station (Economist 84). This is one reason why a small insect –like robot could be more useful, because it could be more efficient and adaptive to the task at hand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Much of the robotics community believes that a robot will have to be huge in size and programming to be useful in anything. But many of those types of robots could only mover across smooth surfaces like floors or roads for it to be stable and have no chance of it damaging itself by tipping over. The only way that robots could ever move where humans could, was to develop legs. But legs could be unstable causing the robot to fall, which concerned many people. But it wouldn’t be a concern if the robot was the size of an insect since insects fall down all of the time and they seem to still get around ok (Waldrop 963).

Human Resource Is the Most Important Assets in an Organization Essay

Assets can be defined as â€Å"tangible and intangible resources of a firm which can be drawn upon by a the firm when required to achieve its objective(s)† (Ray and Ramakrishnan, 2006). Tangible assets include financial and physical assets such as machineries and manufacturing plants while examples of intangible assets are branding, company reputation, technological know-how and human resource (Noe et al., 2012). Human resource is the most important asset of an organisation. Using studies which showed that effective use of human resources contributed to better corporate performance and/or productivity, this essay attempts to show that this intangible asset is a key driver in the survival and competitiveness of an organisation. For organisations to be successful, they need to survive and obtain an advantage over their competitors. There are many ways to attain a competitive advantage, including patented product and process technologies, protection and regulation of domestic markets and access to financial resources (Pfeffer, 1994). However, the aforementioned contributors of success are deemed to be less relevant in today’s societies because technologies can be imitated, markets are increasingly globalised and global capital markets ever more opened for worldwide movement of financial resources (Pfeffer, 1994). Instead, in today’s organisations, it is widely accepted that employees are key strategic resources for companies because their knowledge, expertise, ideas and services drive innovations, steer product developments and build relationships with clients. This in turn increase companies performances through multiple means such as driving profits, increasing productivity and building large customer bases. For example, Sears, a multinational US company, attributed its transformational success through its believe in the 3†³Cs† of â€Å"Compelling Place to Work†, â€Å"Compelling Place to Shop† and followed by â€Å"Compelling Place to Invest† (Yeung and Berman, 1997). The senior management at Sears believed that by optimising its human resources (through shaping of employee’s attitudes, increasing motivation and skills), it will become an attractive venue for customers to shop with high level of satisfaction. Consequently, it will be a good investment option due to strong financial results (through increase in customer expenditure) and productivity (through optimisation of human resources) (Yeung and Berman, 1997). Strategically valuable resources may give companies a competitive edge. Bartlett and Ghoshal (2002) argued that there is an evolving corporate strategy from one that competes for markets and products, to one that compete for resources and competencies, to the current strategy of competing for talents and dreams. Resources are deemed to be valuable when they cannot be easily imitated, their value depreciate slowly, they cannot be easily substituted and they are relatively better than competitors with similar resources (Collis and Montgomery, 2008). While these resources may be tangible or acquired capabilities, it is the view of this author that it is people that best fit the described characteristics of valuable resources. Creativity and expertise of an employee may not be easily duplicated. It takes time to groom talents, and their experiences and competencies cannot be easily replaced. Thus, to gain a competitive edge, companies need to invest in the hearts and minds of the key success factor – human resource. Many studies have shown that effective HRM (such as investments in training and strategic HRM) had led to increase in company performances, through proxy indicators such as increased profits return, labour productivity, and service quality. In the employee-customer-profit chain model devised by senior management at Sears, they predicted that a 5 unit increase in employee attitude will drive 1.3 unit increase in customer impression that will in turn increase revenue growth by 0.5% (Rucci et al, 1998). When put into context, in 1998, a 4% rise in employee and customer satisfaction translated to an increase in more than $200 million of revenues over a 12-month period (Rucci et al, 1998). Other than the example on Sears, Choudhury (2010) showed that there is a positive relationship between investment in human capital and company performance in India’s information technology sector. Similar positive correlation can also be observed from studies analysing quality of human capital an d sales revenue per employee in Romanian software companies (Camelia, 2012) and perceived effectiveness of rewards on corporate performance in Nigerian Banks (Ojo, 2011). As an important asset of the organisation, human resources need to be managed properly. HRM encompasses a multitude of responsibilities including recruitment, training and development, benefits, health and services (Noe et al., 2012). There are many case studies that have demonstrated that a highly-skilled workforce and appropriate training of employees play a key role in increased company performances. A survey done on 62 retail stores showed that percentage of personnel trained in their designed training programme correlated with the stores’ performances (Russell et al., 1985). Another study done in 15 manufacturing sectors of seven European Union countries suggested that intermediate- and highly-skilled workers increases labour productivity, which is a proxy for companies performances (Corvers, 1997). It is envisioned that with training, employees will be equipped with job-related skill sets and competencies. A company with cutting edge technology needs employees with the know-how to operate the machineries. A retail shop may distinguishes itself from another shop that sells similar merchandise through quality services that helps build a brand name and large clientele. Employees may learn how to serve customers through training programmes. A study of 2003-2006 Training Top 100 survey report published by the Training Magazine showed that there is a positive correlation between training expenditure and operating performances (Liao et al., 2011). This supports the general perception that training is an important HRM tool for companies to survive in the increa singly competitive market. Human resource is a key contributor to the success of organisations today. Examples used in this essay reinforced the argument that human resource is likely to the most important corporate asset as it is a unique resource that drives companies performance. In order to effectively tap on this valuable resource, companies need to train employees so that their potential can be harnessed.