European History

Different Styles Of Leadership Quality Company Culture

Introduction Each company has beliefs and values defining it. A company culture determines how employees and customers perceive the company, client treatment and how the company should react to various changes in the environment. An organizational culture is a mirror of the company leadership. Different styles of leadership ensure maintenance of various corporation cultures. The climate within an organization determines a company’s financial performance. A quality company culture integrates each employee or customer ensuring that their propositions are deemed important. Job-related problems, either personal or work related, are listened to, and the bosses find the best means to solve them. Work is delegated to employees and managers’ work by the employees’ side to ensure perfection (Alvesson, 2002). Case Study The survey presented by Debra and Nicole had fifteen questions divided into three sections of five questions each. Evaluating my company using the guidelines provided the following results. Section 1: 4 true, 1 False. Section 2: 3 True, 2 False. Section 3: 2 True, 3 False. According to the instructions, my organization falls under the company culture discussed in the first section. These are companies with a thoughtful and intellectual culture. It correctly describes the formal and flexible systems of dealing with client needs. The only place the survey errs is about the internal competitions within. The culture encourages competition among junior employees forShow MoreRelatedOrganizational Commitment and Communications Paper1151 Words   |  5 PagesJuly 4, 2011 Organizational Commitment and Communications Paper The selected organization is Walt Disney Company. 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Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development Free Essays

Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development â€Å"‘Discuss the relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development. What role do creativity and problem solving play in this relationship? † In today’s world, entrepreneurship and innovation are becoming increasingly crucial as drivers of the economy, especially so in the developing economies where trade plays a major part in generating revenue. In China, small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for almost 70 percent of all Chinese exports, a share that reflects the above statement about the importance of entrepreneurship to economic robustness. We will write a custom essay sample on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some questions may be raised on whether entrepreneurship lead to economic development or is the latter a prerequisite to facilitate the entrepreneurship and innovation processes instead. This essay , while recognizing the need of certain institutions and framework to be in place and functioning well in order to ease the functioning of business activities, takes the stand that entrepreneurship and innovation leads to economic development more often than of the other way around. Realising its potential, governments’ initiatives have largely been centred on encouraging more entrepreneurs to start up a venture or to expand their existing businesses. In the 2013 National Budget, the Malaysian Government has allocated a fund of RM 1 billion under the SME Development Scheme (News Straits Times 2012). This very government has also recently launched SME Masterplan (2012 – 2020). These initiatives are aimed at supporting and accelerating the growth and development of SME-s across all sectors of the economy. In evaluation though, more start-ups and new business ventures in an economy does not necessarily translate into economic growth and improvement. In order for the desired economic aims to be achieved, we need to ensure that the start-ups and existing businesses thrive and not fail, for doomed enterprises more often than not suck resources out of the economy. This essay will identify how businesses, using innovative practices and creativity in both business operations as well as in problem solving, can achieve greater performance and sustainability in order to positively contribute to economic development. Jospeh Schumpeter defines entrepreneurs as innovators who implement entrepreneurial change within markets (Ahamad, 2008). This can be in the sense of introduction of a new or improved good, introduction of a new method of production or business management process, and the exploitation of a new source of supply. In short, entrepreneurship is the act of identifying market opportunities and using innovative approaches to exploit them (Ahamad, 2008). â€Å"Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming† (McAshan, 2011). Such are the words Richard Branson has used to describe the ample opportunities available for entrepreneurs to capitalize on. An entrepreneur can either start a venture by either involving themselves in a established market with certainty of demand for the goods offered, or they can exploit a new market altogether, by identifying a market niche and work on fulfilling the needs of that certain segment. By undertaking the former, entrepreneurs face a large and possibly increasing pool of competitors. This market, as described in the book Blue Ocean Strategy, is the â€Å"Red Ocean†. In contrast, entrepreneurs who venture into an untapped market space, focusing on demand creation, have unlimited potential to grow profitably (Chan Mauborgne, 2005). â€Å"The only way to beat the competition is to stop trying to beat the competition. † Entrepreneurs should focus on undertaking the value innovation strategy proposed in the Blue Ocean Strategy. By creating a leap in value for buyers, a venture can open up new and uncontested market space, this makes competition irrelevant (Chan Mauborgne, 2005). To be successful, entrepreneurs will need to undertake innovative processes in creating the product or service as so to distinguish themselves from the rest of the existing options in the market. In other words, the product or services offered must stand out, have relevance and good purpose, and provides a high value add to consumers. It must provide the wow effect to the masses, which will in turn capture attention and help rake in revenues. Besides product and service innovation, innovation also can be implemented in improving the business management process. For example, all this while, organizations are shaped in the top-down organizational structure. Innovative entrepreneurs might have a different preference on running the firm, and choose to have a flatter structure, defying the norm. This can rake in benefits as in a flat structure, creativity and feedback are encouraged, there is more empowerment of young people by the executives, leading to a more open and vibrant organization. This will provide amazing esults in terms of business performance especially in today’s fast paced business world, which requires enterprises to be nimble and quick to adapt to changes (Griffin, 1999). Besides innovating and introducing a good and impressive product, an enterprise should also aim to develop strengths in multiple areas to gain an advantage over the rest of the field. Edges such as fantastic supply chain system which is due to good contacts and strong relationships with suppliers is a crucial factor in determining how well a business do es. Toyota for instance, are famed for their Lean Production System, which is a key factor contributing to their status as market leader in the automobile industry. Besides that, the ability to develop strong brand loyalty with customers by establishing a culture of responsiveness to them is also another example of what an enterprise can focus on doing. It is easy to knock off an innovative product, but an innovative business system is hard to replicate (Bhide, 1996). Businesses should thus focus on enhancing creativity, building strong networks, utilize technology available to enhance performance, devise effective strategies to be incorporated in the business process, aim to build good reputation among consumers by providing consistent and reliable service and also, be ever-ready to act quickly, on both opportunities as well as issues that will arise every now and then (Bhide, 1994). When faced with a problem, how fast and how well an entrepreneur responds to it will have a telling effect on the business performance. It can potentially act as a morale booster if dealt well, and have adverse effects if not. Spardlin (2012) suggests that a large number of enterprises are simply not rigorous in defining the problems they are attempting to solve. The Creative Problem Solving Process Model suggest the use of an explorer’s mindset, as well as a detective mindset when it comes to defining problems. This is so as to pinpoint the problem, also identifying the opportunities and future-oriented aspects involved (Lumsdaine, 2009). When you ask the right questions, chances are you’ll be able to tackle the right problems well. InnoCentive, an innovation-focused problem solving consulting agency, has devised a four-step process for firms, to be used in defining problems and later solving them (Spardlin, 2012). This process has four main focuses. First, it aims to help users pinpoint the need for the solution, and state what the desired outcome is. Next, it articulates the strategic importance of the solution to the firm. Then, it looks into the methods that may have already been used, recognize the constraints involved and lastly a clear and complete problem statement is produced (Spardlin, 2012). This multi-steps process is important to rally the organisation around a shared understanding of the situation, its magnitude and amount of resources needed to be devoted to the rectification of the issue. More often than not, firms allocate inappropriate level of resources to solving problems faced: too few resources are allocated to high-stakes ones and excess resources are devoted to tackling wrongly defined problems or low priority ones (Spardlin, 2012). After problem definition, idea generation and evaluation follows. Using the artist, engineer and judge mindsets, organisations are encouraged to generate solutions through a creative, innovative and evaluative process (Lumsdaine, 2009). This process works well in brainstorming groups. As ideas are being suggested, chances are a constructive build-on will occur. Ideas will then be synthesized, and the best solution(s) will then be picked. The Pugh Method can be used in tandem with the idea evaluation process: Concepts are compared in an advantage-disadvantage matrix. It can be used to compare the few available ideas in hand, choosing the best one ultimately, and it can also be used to benchmark against an existing concept in the market (Lumsdaine, 2009). With this, entrepreneurs can now be assured of a well-thought idea for their products or services or even when it comes to solving issues. The implementation of ideas, or the execution is a pivotal area of focus for entrepreneurs. Execution is as equally important as the idea itself. Entrepreneurship is not just all about being creative and inventing or innovating good products and services. A good idea without careful and precise implementation will not help a business reach its potential. Furthermore, an innovative new product or service may do very well when introduced, but its popularity will also attract new companies who will imitate and try to capture a share of the market. Thus the importance of laying strong foundations and fundamentals in terms of implementation must be stressed on by entrepreneurs. Aspiring entrepreneurs should realise the importance of working on establishing the business’ brand name as well as using creativity in erecting barriers that will deter imitators. This is especially crucial if their innovation of products are easily copied. This can be done by careful planning, acquisition and management of the necessary resources. Clearly, innovation, problem solving and creativity are all connected and play important roles in driving entrepreneurship. A society will be much better off with better products and services, as well as having the luxury of a wider range of product choices to choose from. Entrepreneurship will indefinitely spur economic development in a country. As mentioned above, enterprises contribute to the exports of a country, so in this aspect a country will record better balance of payments performances. Also, as consumers now have better quality goods produced locally, the dependency on imported goods can be reduced, and internal growth is spurred with increased consumption in the economy. Lastly, as firms embark on the innovation drive, more technology usage will mean investment activities are bound to increase, contributing to the long run health of the economy. In short, innovation in entrepreneurship is important for economic development. Efforts to strengthen these practices should be undertaken by all parties, including the government. References Ahmad, N. and R. G. Seymour (2008), â€Å"Defining Entrepreneurial Activity: Definitions Supporting Frameworks for Data Collection†, OECD Statistics Working Papers, 2008/01, OECD Publishing. Bhide, A. (1994). How Entrepreneurs Craft Strategies That Work. Harvard Business Review. Bhide, A. (1996). The Questions Every Entrepreneurs Must Answer. Harvard Business Review. Chan K. W. Mauborgne R. (2005), Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant: Harvard Business Press. Finfacts. (2007). Chinese SMEs boost exports and growth; More created in past 20 years than total number of SMEs in Europe and US combined. Available: http://www. finfacts. com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_1010697. shtml. Last accessed 20th November 2012. Griffin, D. (1999). Benefits in a Flat Organizational Structure. Available: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/benefits-flat-organizational-structure-281. html. Last accessed 30th of November. Lumsdaine, E . , Binks, M . (2009). Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation. Nottingham, University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise and Innovation McAshan, T. (2011). 50 Great Entrepreneurial How to cite Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development, Papers

Social Media and Costa Coffee free essay sample

This report explores Costa Coffee’s market presence worldwide and within Singapore. First details the completed background research and product concepts for Costa Coffee. Next, listed is their current social media overview. This includes their presence and amount of activity on different platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook. After thorough research, Costa Coffee’s target consumers are students and working professionals, aged 20-40 years. Both segments are heavy consumers of specialty coffee and very active on many social media platforms. Currently, Costa Coffee is lacking awareness in the Singapore coffee market. To increase brand awareness, there are three effective social media strategies: Singapore Costa Coffee’s virtual tour, YouTube video channel, and the Costa Coffee Facebook page. Certain benefits will include brand awareness of the Mocha Italia coffee, user engagement, and increased online discussion. Lastly, the potential and inevitable risks are outlined. Company Overview Costa Coffee is a coffee house chain founded in London, in 1971, by brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media and Costa Coffee or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At the time, Bruno and Sergio Costa simply supplied coffee to local caterers and coffee shops. However, with the increasing popularity of their coffee they opened the first Costa Coffee outlet on Vauxhall Bridge Road in London, in 1978. In 1995, the Whitbred Company acquired Costa Coffee. Today, Costa Coffee is the largest and fastest growing coffee house chain in the United Kingdom. Costa Coffee entered the Singapore market in 2012 (Costa Coffee, 2013). Costa Coffee’s main mission is, â€Å"To serve the best quality coffee in true Italian style†. The company has incorporated this into all its brand touch-points, including its products, prices, outlets and campaigns. In addition, Costa Coffee’s vision is, â€Å"To be the best hospitality company that there is a family of related hotel, restaurant and leisure club brands recognized by its people, guests and investors as leaders in each market in which it operates. † (Whitbred PLC Annual Report and Accounts, 2012-2013). Costa Coffee has also established several goals which relate to its vision and mission statements, these include: Product Concept Costa Coffee is an Italian blend coffee, which is made exclusively from six different types of slow roasted Arabic beans. This gives the coffee a fuller flavor and a stronger aroma. Additionally, Costa Coffee is one of the few coffee brands, which has its own roastery. This ensures that each cup of coffee is of the highest quality. Moreover, in a day and age where corporate social responsibility is becoming a global concern, Costa Coffee harvests its coffee beans from only the very best: 100% Rainforest Alliance approved fields. Costa Coffee aims to signify luxury, excellence and perfection. All of which are incorporated in the various dimensions of the Costa experience, including, its products, prices, outlets, campaigns and employees. Apart from coffee, Costa also offers a wide range of food (paninis, toasties, sandwiches and wraps) and desserts (cakes, pastries, brownies, muffins, pies and bakes)(Costa Coffee, 2013). Costa Coffee customers are those who enjoy the true Italian taste that the Italian blend offers. Customers are not only coffee lovers, but are those who appreciate quality and variety. Today, Costa Coffee has become a favorite for individuals on-the-go, whether they are taking a break from work or just shopping in the mall. To increase customer convenience and accessibility, Costa Coffee has creatively designed 5 ways through which individuals can enjoy the Costa Coffee experience: Costa Outlet, Costa Metro, Costa Express, Costa Drive-Thru and Catering (Costa Coffee, 2013). By having these different types of establishments, Costa Coffee reaches out to all coffee lovers, increasing its competitive advantage and brand loyalty. Social Media Overview Costa Coffee is currently present on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Their Facebook page has about one million likes and Costa Coffee Singapore has about 7,500 likes. Costa Coffee is working intensely with their Facebook page by posting pictures of their products and new offers. The company is also active on Twitter, where they have about 60,000 followers worldwide. On their Twitter page, Costa Coffee is marketing their products and presenting offers that are specific for the current season. They also have three employers who are working on a daily basis between 9am-5pm answering customer questions. Their website is user-friendly as it includes a logical design about clear product information, their organization overview, and their commitment to Rainforest Alliance. Costa Coffee is active on most social media communities and is doing quite well when it comes to customer-to-company relationships. Target Consumer: Working Professionals and Students (Aged 18-40) The 2013 National Coffee Drinking Trends market research report produced by the National Coffee Association (NCA) reveals that the adult coffee drinking market segment is increasing. There was an increase in 5% of American Adults that drink coffee in 2013 (up from 83% in 2012) (Vending Market Watch, 2013). Likewise, â€Å"according to statistic from Euromonitor, the UK market for coffee†¦is forecast to grow by at least 10% in the next two years. Today, about 80% of UK adult population drink coffee (as cited in Urbantimes, 2013). In addition, a new report from the NCA states that one in three had drank a gourmet coffee yesterday, which solidifies the assumption that the specialty coffee market is growing at a stronger rate (Vending Market Watch, 2013). Well brewed, specialty coffees have turned into a commodity among working professionals and students. It has become universal over different income categories but still remains among the highly educated segment. Costa is focusing on students, professors, and other faculty due to their high consumption of coffee and their desire to use Costa locations as a convenient place to relax, gather, and study. According to a survey carried out by the National Coffee Association, 40% of 18-24 year olds are drinking a coffee each day. This is a drastic increase from the 31% of this age group who said they were daily coffee drinkers in 2010 (as cited in Urbantimes, 2013). It is important to notice that daily coffees are becoming part of the â€Å"student life†. Not only are students avid coffee drinkers, but also very active on social media sites. According to a survey done in 2012, 83% of 18-29 year olds are present on social media sites (Pew Internet American Life Project, 2013). The â€Å"student† segment is a critical target audience to Costa Coffee because of their coffee consumption and their ability to be reached through social media. As far as students’ expectations, more are saying they want convenience, consistency, and accessibility in a coffee shop. They are paying higher for specialty coffee due to its’ differentiation from cheap, inconsistent places such as Singapore Kopitiams. Not only do they expect quality in their coffee, but students also want a place to get their work done. It is often difficult to complete work in a dorm room, as it is loud and noisy. Likewise, the library can get very full and at times even be impossible to find a seat. Coffee shops provide a comfortable and relaxing ambiance where students can complete papers and study; they become places of refuge. Working professionals is also another heavily targeted group for Costa Coffee. In certain countries, over three-quarters of the adult population are coffee drinkers as revealed in the statistics above. Working professionals, roughly 25-40, are also increasingly active on social networking sites. Another survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet American Life Project states that 72% of online adults use social networking sites (2013). What is even more intriguing is use of social networking continues to grow among older users. In 2009, in the age group of 30-49 years old, 48% of adults were using social networking sites. In one year alone, there was a 27% increase in this age category (Pew Internet American Life Project, 2010). Therefore, these statistics clearly indicate why the working professionals segment is equally important to the Costa Coffee’s social media campaigns. Both of these segments are growing steadily on social media presences and have high consumptions of coffee daily. Working professionals value a coffee shop’s ambiance for different reasons than students; often times, they like to use their favorite coffee shop as a place to take a client, to hold a meeting, or as an office away from the office. Similar to students expectations, working professionals value the convenience, the consistency, and the accessibility. In addition, beverage quality, speed of service, and â€Å"customer intimacy† are highly valued to this market segment. Objectives A primary survey was conducted on 51 Singaporean respondents (from the target  audience as identified above) to get a better understanding about Costa Coffee in Singapore (survey, 2013). Findings of the survey are given below: Graph 1: The survey shows that Starbucks Coffee is the most prominent premium coffee brand, followed by The Coffee Bean Tea Leaf and The Connoisseur Concerto. Additionally, only 6% of the respondents know about Costa Coffee. This is an indication that Costa Coffee has co mparatively low brand awareness. Graph 2: Of 50 respondents, 71% have never been to Costa Coffee before. This supports the conclusion that Costa Coffee has low brand awareness. Graph 3: Of 36 respondents who have never been to Costa Coffee, 86% indicated that they are willing to try it. This implies a potential demand for Costa Coffee to grow its market share. The objectives with the social media strategy, i. e. the virtual tour, is to increase Costa Coffee’s brand awareness by marketing Costa Coffee’s Italian blend coffee and company owned roastery. In other words, reasons for unique taste. As the charts reveal, Costa Coffee has low brand awareness in Singapore and therefore needs further marketing in order to compete with other chains such as Starbucks, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Another factor that indicates low brand awareness was mentioned above stating the low number of likes on the Costa Coffee Singapore Facebook page (7500 in Singapore compared to 1 million worldwide). One reason for the low brand awareness might be the fact that Costa Coffee only has 8 stores in Singapore, compared to Starbucks which has about 100 stores (Costa Coffee, 2013), (Starbucks, 2013). Something that also needs to be kept in mind is that Costa Coffee Singapore is still in their growth stage since the first store opened in 2012. Message Strategy The overall message we want to get across to people through our social media strategy is why they should choose our coffee shops over competitors. We want to express what Costa has to offer that other organizations do not. There are three important messages we want to get across: Costa demonstrates corporate social responsibility (CSR), offers only the finest Italian blend of coffee and delivers exceptional customer service to a wide variety of customers. It is one of Costa’s goals to leave a lasting impression on its customers, not the environment (Costa Coffee, 2013). According to a Nielsen survey, â€Å"66% of consumers around the world say they prefer to buy products and services from companies that have implemented programs to give back to society†; â€Å"63% of those consumers are under the age of 40†; and â€Å"46% say they are willing to pay extra for products and services from these companies† (The global, socially, 2012). It is safe to say based on these stats why Costa has made sure that, â€Å"100% of the coffee used to make the unique Mocha Italia blend comes from sustainably grown beans sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms† (Costa Coffee, 2013). To attain this certification, farms of Costa must prove that not only are the fields carefully sustained but also the farmers working in the fields. This is why The Costa Foundation was set up: â€Å"to give back to the communities in which Costa sources its coffee beans from† (Costa Coffee, 2013). Costa coffee’s most recent CSR venture has been towards making a more recyclable, environmentally friendly coffee cup. From already using â€Å"certified sustainable pulp and vegetable, instead of oil-based, ink† to using â€Å"increased recycled content or using FSC certified virgin pulp paper† (Costa Coffee, 2013). Costa understands that its coffee lovers want quality Italian taste, which is why â€Å"only 1% of the world’s production of coffee is good enough to go into creating the unique taste and aroma of the Mocha Italia Blend† (Costa Coffee, 2013). Costa coffee drinkers can enjoy consistency and familiarity each time they take their first sip of a freshly brewed coffee or coffee specialty drink. They will experience a handcrafted drink accompanied with a stronger aroma and true Italian taste. Exceptional customer service starts with empowered employees, â€Å"With technical skill, personality and passion for coffee, they have all the right ingredients to make a perfect cup, time after time† (Costa Coffee, 2013). If you order a coffee you may notice one or two coffee beans on a barista’s shirt collar. If you see two this means that they are a â€Å"barista maestro†, the best of the best when it comes to coffee knowledge and creativity of drink making. Costa baristas are passionate about where they work and understand the love of great coffee. When a customer walks into a Costa coffee shop they will immediately recognize the warm and welcoming ambiance. To reach a wide variety of customers, whether its someone on the go, having a business meeting, or looking for a place to take a break, as mentioned above, Costa has carefully designed 5 different methods of delivery: the original Costa coffee shop, Costa Metro, Costa Express, Costa Drive Thru and even supplying of Costa coffee to local restaurants, pubs, bars, etcetra (Costa Coffee, 2013).

Opening Remarks free essay sample

OPENING REMARKS by Mrs. Mary Grace Sumugat 16th General Assembly, PATTS Multipurpose Hall, 06 AUGUST 2011 Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests and Students, Good afternoon. I am honored to address this gathering of PATTS Tourism Society as we convene the 16th Tourism General Assembly entitled â€Å"Education for Touristic Tourism† here at our Chairman’s Penthouse. PATTS Tourism Society is committed to actively raise the quality of activities and experience for every tourism student. writing service in java We want all of you to achieve their full potential to become a competitive professionals in this career. Moreover, PATTS Tourism Society will foster activities and programs that will stimulate and enhance your skills in this field . In our eagerness to serve the interest of the tourism students, we have always displayed a thorough activities and have made every effort to develop new ideas and activities which, in one way or another, have contributed promoting and enhancing tourism here at PATTS have its edge among other institutions. We will write a custom essay sample on Opening Remarks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Our task is to make it possible. Our mission is to provide practical, step by step reinforcement through the activities provided by our organization. This year our theme is Tourmaline. Tourmalines are gems with an incomparable variety of colors. Just like Tourism, it is one of the gems of our country, which is full of colors. And as Tourism advocates we must learn how to efficiently use our resources. We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. So I commend that we should all live by the saying, â€Å"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step†. So now, prepare yourself to be challenged, excited and inspired. I want to say once more on behalf of the PATTS Tourism Society organizing committee, welcome to the home of the most beautiful and handsome students of PATTS College of Aeronautics. Its a pleasure to see so many of you here. Thank you and Good day!

Drug Awareness Essays

Drug Awareness Essays Drug Awareness Essay Drug Awareness Essay Drug abuse, also called substance abuse or chemical abuse, is a disorder that is characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or distress. It affects more than 7% of people at some point in their lives. Teens are increasingly engaging in prescription drug abuse, particularly narcotics (which are prescribed to relieve severe pain), and stimulant medications, which treat conditions like attention deficit disorder. What is drug addiction? Drug addiction, also called substance dependence or chemical dependency, is a disease that is characterized by a destructive pattern of drug abuse that leads to significant problems involving tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, as well as other problems that use of the substance can cause for the sufferer, either socially or in terms of their work or school performance. More than 2. 6% of people suffer from drug addiction at some time in their life. The term dual diagnosis refers to the presence of both a drug-abuse or dependence issue in addition to a serious mental-health problem in an individual. Substance abuse or dependence unfortunately occurs quite commonly in people who also have severe mental illness. This is important given that people with a serious mental illness are far more at risk of engaging in violence, being incarcerated, or contracting infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Individuals with dual diagnosis are also at higher risk of being noncompliant with treatment. Virtually any substance whose ingestion can result in a euphoric (high) feeling can be abused. While many are aware of the abuse of legal substances like alcohol or illegal drugs like marijuana (in most states) and cocaine, less well known is the fact that inhalants like household cleaners are some of the most commonly abused substances. The following are many of the drugs and types of drugs that are commonly abused. Cannabis: More commonly called marijuana, the scientific name for cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In addition to the negative effects the drug itself can produce (for example, infertility, paranoia, lack of motivation), the fact that it is commonly mixed (cut) with other substances so drug dealers can make more money selling the diluted substance or expose the user to more addictive drugs exposes the marijuana user to the dangers associated with those added substances. Examples of ingredients that marijuana is commonly cut with include baby powder, oregano, embalming fluid, PCP, opiates, and cocaine As these substances quell or depress the nervous system, they can cause death by respiratory arrest of the person who either uses these drugs in overdose or who mixes one or more of these drugs with another nervous system depressant drug .

The importance of analysis of Consumer Behavior Essay

The importance of analysis of Consumer Behavior - Essay Example Moreover, motivations on the other hand for purchase may also vary from being deliberate in intent towards more of an expression of "routines, habits, expectations and social norms, and dominant cultural values" Different conceptual models also enable the marketers in order to obtain a deeper understand of what actually motivates the consumer behavior and drives the change. Quite simply, these models do the following things: Consumer behavior has now become an integral part of the strategic market planning. It is also termed as the main base towards the approach of the concept known as Holistic Marketing. A marketing manager would always like to know that how the consumer behavior will help him in order to design better marketing plans, and also to get those plans accepted by the company. (Smith, 2000, pp. 40-47) This is one of the most important points which should be the top most priority for every marketer to know that what actually he is trying to do. How he wants to influence his customers, what are the main ideas and what are the techniques with the help of which he can very easily attract his customers. It is the second main responsibility of every marketer to know ... A marketing manager would always like to know that how the consumer behavior will help him in order to design better marketing plans, and also to get those plans accepted by the company. (Smith, 2000, pp. 40-47) 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT ALL THE MARKETERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CONSUMER BEHAVIOR: Following are the 10 important things which marketers should know about consumer behavior: 1. To Know One Own Self. This is one of the most important points which should be the top most priority for every marketer to know that what actually he is trying to do. How he wants to influence his customers, what are the main ideas and what are the techniques with the help of which he can very easily attract his customers. 2. Marketer should know the inner feelings of the customers. It is the second main responsibility of every marketer to know that what actually their customer want from them. What actually are their needs and demands and how they can cater to them. In order to know the inner feelings of the customer, the marketer should be strong enough; he should be creative and should be research oriented in order to know that what actually the customers want. 3. Atmospherics. Atmosphere is one of the important factor with the help of which marketers can easily attract the customers. For e.g. if an atmosphere is pleasant then customers will for sure feel comfortable and they feel good while shopping in any store. Following are some ways with the help of which marketers can attract the customers if they are providing good and pleasant atmosphere. Organized checking counters. Pleasant odors. Pleasant environment Good customer services. These above mentioned are some of the examples of maintaining good and a friendly atmosphere with the help of which a marketer can very easily

Credit card frauds Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Credit card frauds - Literature review Example Gomez (2008) observes in this regard that a rich businessman of United States Frank X. McNamara helped to enhance the concept of credit in regards to making purchases of consumer products and other utilities. McNamara worked to bring about the Diners Club cards which helped many people to avail meals on credit (Gomez, 2008, p.461). Definition and Type of Credit Cards Credit cards emerge as a better substitution for cash through which the consumers can go for purchasing different categories of commodities. Sander (2003) observes in this respect that credit card companies relate different types of products and services with the credit cards. However these companies are largely complained for charging high amount of interests and large amount of fees from the customers. Further, Sander (2003) observes that there are essentially three main different types of credit cards viz. ... In this regard, Bailyn (2007) states that use of credit cards helps in generation of protection to the consumers in regards to purchase of commodities. The consumers can easily return such purchases if availed through credit cards rather than cash. Again the use of credit cards also helps the financial organisations to gain easy access to potential information pertaining to the credit position of the individuals before rendering credit cards (Bailyn, 2007, p.30). Definition and History of Credit Card Frauds Fraud activities have earned a new dimension through the manipulative measures taken with the help of credit cards. Joshi (2006) states in this respect that fraudulent activities concerning misappropriation of financial resources through the use of credit cards constructs the basic premises of credit card fraud. Unauthorized access to accounts through the use of credit card or activities to gain possession of large number of goods and services through adulterated use of credit car ds are examples of credit card fraud (Joshi, 2006, p.40). Enhancement of fraudulent activities pertaining to credit card came into emergence with the development of internet. Montague (2004) observes in this respect that after the period of 1990s the development of internet technology has helped in the progress of electronic commerce. The use of credit cards to conduct such transactions online has led to the growth of hackers to retrieve potential information relating to such cards (Montague, 2004, p.43). Types of Credit Card Frauds With the growth of sophistication in consumerism the use of credit cards has gained huge momentum. Consumers around the world are found to increasingly gain hold of large number of consumer products through the extensive use of plastic

Roaring & Not-So Roaring Twenties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Roaring & Not-So Roaring Twenties - Essay Example Banking system started to progress, although this was on temporary grounds. Music industry also flourished. Jazz and other modern instruments were introduced. Radio transmission saw progress and more familiarity amongst the masses. Literature also flourished. The American dream was being followed more vigorously. Wall Street flourished and went global. European Industries also saw progress. The negative side was the too much reliance on technology and artificial existence of the markets and industries. This eventually led to the Economic Recession towards the late 1920s. The Great Depression again led the mindset towards an authoritative mindset. For example, fascism, Communism, and Nazism, all prevailed as a reactionary mindset, ideology and political concepts against the capitalist markets. Other draw backs of this concept were the fact that social competition came about. The novel The Great Gatsby is reflective of the impacts the roaring twenties had on the society and

Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives on Family

Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives on Family Introduction The functionalist and the conflict perspectives are two major approaches of sociological analysis. These perspectives can apply on different aspects to help us understand the society, for instance, deviance and social control, culture and socialization and so forth. In this paper, I will first focus on the particular features of these perspectives, then mainly focus on family and social stratification and comment on the insight or criticism of functionalist and conflict perspectives in understanding these areas in the society. Functionalist-the conception of society Firstly, let focus on the particular features of Functionalism, this approach is inspired by Emile Durkheim idea of society and his sociology is often referred as structural functionalism. (Dillon 2011, p. 79) The Functionalism suggested that the society is compared to a biological organism that can assumed as a system or structure made up of many integrated parts, the society seen as a structure will key institutions fulfil different functions for the survive and continuation of the society, it is named as functional pre- requisites. (Liu 2014, p. 6) Functionalist-the nature of society Also, the functionalists assumes the nature of society is characterized by order and stability, without collective conscience or shared values and beliefs, achieving social order is impossible, they believes in value consensus, which are members of society agreeing upon shared belief about right and wrong can help the society to run smoothly and is the best for the society as a whole.(Liu 2014, p. 5) And if members of society have shared values, therefore they also have similar identities, this helps cooperation and avoids conflict. According to Liu (2014), conflict is possible, but considered as dysfunctional from temporary disturbances in the system, and order would be restored as society develops. (Liu 2014, p. 5) The chief form of social conflict that Durkheim addressed was a crime. Durkheim saw crime as a factor in public health, an integral part of all healthy societies. (Durkheim 1938, p. 67) Functionalist-the relationship between individuals and the society Besides the nature of society, functionalist also had theorized about the relationship between individuals and the society. Functionalists believe that individuals are shaped by the society to perform different roles and have different norms that need to follow in accordance with their social statues that ensure the smooth running of society. Members of society have values consensus that I mentioned in the above paragraph, social order is based on this consensus and cooperation among members. Conflict perspectives-the conception of society The next perspective that we need to discuss is conflict perspectives, conflict perspectives are inspired by Karl Marx and mostly related to his theory. Marxism, similar with functionalists also has emphasis on the importance of the social structure. The society is made up of distinct groups that have different interest, values and belief. However C. Wright Mills, the founder of modern conflict theory, have a different view on this aspect with functionalists. In Millss view, social structures are created through conflict between people with differing interests and resources. Individuals and resources, in turn, are influenced by these structures and by the unequal distribution ofpowerand resources in the society. (Knapp 1994, p. 228-246) Conflict perspectives-the nature of society Unlike functionalists who believe people cooperate to maintain the social order and the stability, conflict perspectives suggested that the nature of society is characterized by conflicts, because of the struggles among group of scarce resources. The existence of separate interests mean there is always having possible for conflicts. (Liu 2014, p. 8) The conflict perspective believes rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the weak. Conflict theorists, for example, Karl Marx uses two class models to analyse the capitalist society. As the economic system is the base structure of society in Marx’s view, the capital class who owned the means of production exploited the working class who had to sell their labor by paying them less in wages than the wealth they could produce. The capitalists became richer through control the mean of the production. (Liu 2014, p. 9-10) Conflict perspectives-the relationship between individuals and the society We can observe that conflict perspective also have assumption of the relationship between individuals and the society. Similar with Functionalism, Conflict perspective believes individuals are shaped by the society and the positions of their social groups. However, conflict perspectives put effort to focus on the conflict side. Different social groups come into conflict and thus cannot have consensus with others. In capitalist society, the social order is known as â€Å"ruling class ideology† to support the status quo. It distorts the true nature of society and creating a mistaken belief about society which is â€Å"false class consciousness†. (Liu 2014, p. 11) After the discussion on the particular features of Functionalism and Conflict Perspectives, then we should focus on the usefulness of the two perspectives in understanding two essential areas in society, family and social stratification. However, let have a short introduction of these perspectives’ assumption first. The assumption of functionalism in family Broadly speaking, the functionalism has focused on the functions of the family in society and for its members. It looks at how the family as an institution to maintain the social order and stability, and the significance of the family for its individual members. George Peter Murdock, one of the major contributors to the field of anthropology and a functionalist in the field of Sociology has proposed that all families have four significant functions: sexual, economic, reproductive, and educational. These functions are important and fulfil needs in all societies. He proposes that the best institution to perform these functions is the family. The family is the primary point of socialization to provide children with values and norms. Family also stabilizes adult personalities. A family unit provides emotional security for each person in the relationship. (Haralambos Holborn, 2000, p. 509) We can observed that the insight of the functionalism is it can point out the essential features of family can provide positive role for people can become stable and maintain social order. However, Murdock’s approach was criticized as too mechanical with a classification system. Objections were also raised that his methodology was biased, because he has studied about 250 societies, from small hunting communities to industrial societies, but he used Western standards in comparative analysis of all different cultures. Also, Structural- functionalist perspectives emphasized the positive and functional aspects of the modern family, neglecting its dysfunctional aspects, which including conflict and violence that take place in the family, for instance, over 30% to 40% homicides in Hong Kong took place within family. (Liu 2014, p.13) The assumption of conflict perspectives in family Meanwhile, conflict perspectives, especially the Marxist have a different understanding in the family aspects. As we know that, in Marxist perspectives, the economy is the base structure that support several of the superstructure; Family is one of the superstructure was providing support to the economic base. Thus, the family institution helps fuel the capitalist economy with an abundance of labour. For instance, family can be an institution of nurturing children to be the next generation of workers, hence capitalist class can recruit them cheaply. Women also as a reserve army of labour can be cheap additional source of labour that helps to keep wages down. At the cultural level, the institution of family helps socializing individuals into accepting existing economic and political arrangements. It functions to implant the ideology of the capitalist class into the consciousness of the populace. (Liu 2014, p.150) Although the Marxist perspective points to the intriguing connection between the family and economy, and provide an alternative view, it has also received much criticism. One of the biggest criticisms is Marxist too simplified to explain the negative sides of the family, focus on the exploitation and inequality within family ignores the supports one can get from the family. Also, the various features of the family are regarded as no more the features and requirements of the economic base; family is only the institution solely develops to support the capitalist society. It is kind of reductionist explanatory framework that is too simplistic. (Liu 2014, p. 17) The assumption of functionalism in social stratification Functionalists consider that social stratification has important consequences for the operation of society. Davis and Moore argue that this system is both functional and inevitable. Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore (1945) gave an argument for social stratification as a solution to a problem by any societies. They argue that the most difficult jobs in any society have the highest incomes in order to motivate individuals to fill the roles needed by the division of labour. Thus inequality serves social stability (Davis and Wilbert, 1970, p. 242-249) In other words, social stratification can have a ‘placing and motivating’ function for individuals in the social structure.(Liu 2014, p. 9) The social stratification system allocates each individual to jobs and rewards them according to the functional importance of the job. This thesis implies that societies become more productive as they approach meritocracy. However, too much focus on meritocracy can erode the social structure of kinship and community. In addition, it might encourage some categories of individuals to look down upon others. Also, Tumin (1953) has critiqued that the differential rewards are more possibly a result of differences in power rather than of functional importance. The rationalization of existing system of stratification and inequality by an appeal to the inevitability of stratification and inequality is fallacious. (Liu 2014, p. 11) The assumption of conflict perspectives in social stratification Rather than functionalists believe the social stratification had the positive role in the society, the Marxists believe the stratification in term of class is more divisive than integrative. Marxists use Two-class model, owners and non-owners of the means of production to determine the class stratification. The class conflict between the capitalist class and the working class would soon fall into either the bipolar class positions of capitalist or worker. The extreme polarization of the two classes would lead working class to realize the conflict and their class interest; they would eventually organize themselves into a potent social-political force to protect its class interest and fight back, at the end leading to a revolution that bring a new economic conditions, the end of the capitalist system and later to communism in which all classes and states are abolished.(Liu 2014, p. 14) Although the Marxism has it insight of the social stratification, there is still some criticism of it. For instance, it is a dispute over the bi-polar class structure, the class structure of society is difficult to depict; two-class model is too simplistic. In fact, in modern society, there is a new class rising, which is middle class that have professionals who manage but not own the means of production cannot easily categorize into the two-class model. Moreover, Marx’s prophecy of class struggle and revolution took place in the pre-industrial societies, but we can observe that Russia, China and Vietnam both are not industrial societies or a great capitalist society, but happen the revelation of the communist revolution. The revolution of worker is fewer in the rapidly industrializing western rather Asia. It is not like Marx’s theory suggested. Also, Marx predicted the inevitability of the worker revolution in capitalist societies. However there are several of factors can account for the absence of the revolution predicted by Marx, for instance, more extensive worker organisation, the demands of workers have been institutionalised through the creation of trade union and more extensive legal protection, capitalists provide better conditions of work through law enforcement and security systems contain workers frustrations. Through the welfare provision and improve the conditions for workers can made compromises between two classes. (Liu 2014, p.16) Conclusion To conclude, we can observe that both two perspectives had their insight and criticisms. Because of the societies are rapidly changing in nowadays, hence it is hardly suitable to apply in the every different societies. Work Cited Davis, Kingsley and Wilbert E. Moore. Some Principles of Stratification.American Sociological Review,10 (2), 242-9. 1970. Dillon, Michele.Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and Their Applicability to the Twenty-first Century (2nd Edition). Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print. Durkheim, E.The Rules of Sociological Method.Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1938. Liu, Garland. Lecture notes: Topic 4 (Sociological perspectives). The Open University of Hong Kong, 2014. Print. Liu, Garland. Lecture notes: Topic 5 (Family, social change and women’s role). The Open University of Hong Kong, 2014. Print. Liu, Garland. Lecture notes: Topic 6 (Social stratification). The Open University of Hong Kong, 2014. Print. Knapp, P.One World – Many Worlds: Contemporary Sociological Theory(2nd Ed.). Harpercollins College Div, 1994.

Open Silences in Shakespeares Measure for Measure :: Shakespeare Measure for Measure

How Productions from 1720 to 1929 Close Shakespeare's Open Silences in Measure for Measure Prologue: Playtext. Performance. and Open Silences In the Preface to his edition of Shakespeare's plays, and even as he vigorously defended the playwright against attacks by other neo-classical critics, Samuel Johnson nonetheless also offered his own survey of Shakespeare's weaknesses. Among the more well-known and provocative remarks is his assessment of the endings of the plays: It may be observed, that in many of his plays the latter part is evidently neglected. When he found himself near the end of his work, and in view of his reward, he shortened the labour, to snatch the profit. He therefore remits his efforts where he should most vigorously exert them, and his catastrophe is improbably produced or imperfectly represented. [Preface, in Sherbo VII: 71-72.] That Measure for Measure, in particular, was taken to be an example of Shakespeare's tendency to "remit his efforts," and that these failures created problems about the ending of the play symptomatic about larger issues of genre, is testified to by Charlotte Lennox's often quoted criticism: The comic Part of Measure for Measure is all Episode, and has not Dependence on the principal Subject, which even as Shakespeare has managed it has none of the Requisites of Comedy. Great and flagrant Crimes, such as those of Angelo, in Measure for Measure, are properly the Subject of Tragedy, the Design of which is to show the fatal Consequences of those Crimes and the Punishment that never fails to attend them. The light Follies of a Lucio may be exposed, ridiculed and corrected in Comedy. That Shakespeare made a wrong Choice of his Subject, since he was resolved to torture it into a Comedy, appears by the low Contrivance, absurd Intrique, and improbable Incidents he was obliged to introduce in order to bring about three or four Weddings instead of the one good Beheading, which was the Consequence naturally expected. [Lennox, I: 27, quoted in Vickers, 4: 112.] As we shall see, these strictures reappear in at least one edition of the play, namely in Francis Gentleman's commentary on the play in the 1773 edition (Bell's edition) examined below. In this presentation, and concentrating on the issues raised by Johnson, rather than the wider issues raised

Power Learning Essay

Many students are surprised at the difference in studying for college courses versus how they studied in high school. No matter how successful a student you were, the learning skills you used in high school will likely not be sufficient to guarantee success in a college course. Students discover that they need to adapt their study habits to the college setting. There are certain dependable skills that you will read about that will make the difference between failure and success for a student in college. Success in college depends on time control. Time control means learning how to control your time instead of procrastinating. There are three important steps that will help to improve controlling your time. The first step is to prepare a large monthly calendar to mark important dates for tests, due dates, and study plans for the semester. The second step is to mark a chart for a weekly study schedule that will last the semester. The last, most valuable time-control method is to make a daily or weekly â€Å"to do† list. To perform well in a college course it is most important to take effective class notes. Follow these hints to become a better note-taker. First, attend class faithfully to increase your understanding of the teacher’s ideas by hearing them in person. Second, make use of abbreviations while taking notes to save time when trying to get down information. Third, look for signals of importance, if the teacher repeats a point assume it is important. Fourth, write down the instructor’s examples and mark them with an â€Å"X† to help understand abstract points. Lastly, write down the connection between ideas, that way you’ll have them to help tie your notes together. In college, success means being able to read and study a textbook skillfully. Taking the time to preview a section or chapter will help to get a birds-eye view of the way the material is organized. Make sure you study the title and read quickly over the first and last paragraphs of the section; these may contain important introductions to, and summaries of, the main ideas. Also use a highlighter to mark the textbook at the same time you read it than go through the chapter or section and take notes. After all of that is done, study your notes than use the method of self-testing to learn  the material. As a student transitions into the college atmosphere, they find out that the skills they used in high school are different than the skills they will need for college. The key to success in college is learning how to learn. The three most valuable skills that need to be learned by students are time control, classroom note taking, and textbook study. These skills won’t free you from doing the work, but they will make your work more productive. Using these skills carefully and consistently will make academic success possible for you.

How to Use the US Social Security Death Index

How to Use the US Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index is a huge database containing vital information for more than 77 million people (primarily Americans) whose deaths have been reported to the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA). Deaths included in this index may have been submitted by a survivor requesting benefits or in order to stop Social Security Benefits to the deceased. Most of the information (about 98%) included in this index dates from 1962, although some data is from as early as 1937. This is because 1962 is the year that the SSA began to use a computer database for processing requests for benefits. Many of the earlier records (1937-1962) have never been added to this computerized database. Also included in the millions of records are approximately 400,000 railroad retirement records from the early 1900s to 1950s. These begin with numbers in the 700-728 range. What You Can Learn From the Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is an excellent resource for finding information on Americans who died after the 1960s. A record in the Social Security Death Index will generally contain some or all of the following information: last name, first name, birth date, death date, Social Security number, the state of residence where the Social Security number (SSN) was issued, the last known residence and the location where the last benefit payment was sent. For individuals who died while residing outside of the U.S., the record may also include a special state or country residence code. Social Security records can help provide information needed to find a birth certificate, death certificate, obituary, maiden name, parents names, occupation or residence. How to Search the Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index is available as a free online database from numerous online organizations. There are some who charge for access to the Social Security Death index as well, but why pay when you can search it for free? For best results when searching the Social Security Death Index, enter only one or two known facts and then search. If the individual had an unusual surname, you may even find it useful to search on just the surname. If the search results are too large, then add more information and search again. Get creative. Most Social Security Death Index databases will allow you to search on any combination of facts (such as a birth date and first name). With over 77 million Americans included in the SSDI, locating a particular person can often be an exercise in frustration. Understanding the search options is extremely important in helping to narrow down you search. Remember: it is best to start off with just a few facts and then add additional info if it is needed to fine tune your search results. Search the SSDI by Last NameWhen searching the SSDI you should often start with the last name and, perhaps, one other fact. For best results, select the Soundex Search option (if available) so that you dont miss possible misspellings. You can also try searching for the obvious alternate name spellings on your own. When searching for a name with punctuation in it (such as DAngelo), enter the name without the punctuation. You should try this both with and without a space in place of the punctuation (i.e. D Angelo and DAngelo). All names with prefixes and suffixes (even those which dont use punctuation) should be searched both with and without the space (i.e. McDonald and Mc Donald). For married women, try searching under both their married name and their maiden name. Search the SSDI by First NameThe first name field is searched by exact spelling only, so be sure to try other possibilities including alternate spellings, initials, nicknames, middle names etc. Search the SSDI by Social Security NumberThis is often the piece of information that genealogists searching the SSDI are looking for. This number can enable you to order the individuals Social Security application, which can lead to the discovery of all sorts of new clues for your ancestor. You can also learn which state issued the SSN from the first three digits. Searching the SSDI by State of IssueIn most cases, the first three numbers of the SSN indicate which state issued the number (there are a few instances where one three digit number was used for more than one state). Complete this field if you are fairly positive of where your ancestor was living when they received their SSN. Be aware, however, that people often lived in one state and had their SSN issued from another state. Searching the SSDI by Birth DateThis field has three parts: the birth date, month and year. You may search on just one or any combination of these fields. (i.e. the month and year). If you have no luck, then try narrowing down your search to just one (i.e. the month or the year). You should also search for obvious typos (i.e. 1895 and/or 1958 for 1985). Searching the SSDI by Death DateJust as with the birth date, the death date lets you search separately on the birth date, month and year. For deaths prior to 1988 it is advisable to search on the month and year only, as the exact date of death was seldom recorded. Make sure to search for the possible typos! Searching the SSDI by Location of Last ResidenceThis is the address where the person was last known to be living when the benefit was applied for. About 20% of records do not contain any information on Last Residence, so if you are having no luck with your search you may want to try searching with this field left blank. The residence location is entered in the form of a ZIP code and includes the city/town which is associated with that ZIP code. Keep in mind that boundaries have changed over time, so make sure to cross reference the city/town names with other sources. Searching the SSDI by Last Benefit InformationIf the individual in question was married you may find that the last benefit and location of last residence are one and the same. It is a field which you will usually want to leave blank for your search as the last benefit could often have been paid to any number of people. This information can prove to be extremely valuable in the search for relatives, however, as next of kin were usually the ones to receive the last benefit. Many people search the Social Security Death Index and quickly get discouraged when they cant locate someone they feel should be listed. There are actually a lot of reasons why a person may not be included, as well as tips to finding people who arent listed as you would expect. Have You Exhausted All Your Options? Before concluding that your ancestors name is not in the index, try the following: Make sure that you have tried soundex search or alternate spellings for your surname.Many SSDI indexes allow wildcards to be used in searching. (You could type in Pat* Smith and it would find Pat Smith, Patrick Smith, Patricia Smith and so on). Check the rules for the SSDI search engine you are using to see what types of wildcards are allowed.If you have filled in several search fields and received no results for your ancestor, then try searching with less information. Just because you know your ancestors birth date, doesnt mean it is listed correctly in the SSDI or that it is even listed at all.If you are including the given name (first name) in your search, then be sure to check for alternate spellings. The search will only return results which match the given name you enter exactly.Middle names are not usually included. Even if your ancestor went by his/her middle name, you should be sure to check under their first name as well. In some cases the first and middle names may both be included in the given name field. The person may be listed with an initial or initials in the given name field.An individual may have only a single name entered (either a first name or a last name). You would be best off trying to narrow these down with other known facts such as birth or death date.Married women are most likely listed under their husbands surname, but if this provides no results then check for a listing under their maiden name. If a women was married more than once, be sure to check all married names.Titles such as military rank (Col.), Occupation (Dr.), Family Rank (Jr.) and Religious Order (Fr.) may be included with either the surname or the given name. There may also be variations in the way the title was entered. For example, you may find Jr. with and without the period and placed after the surname with either a space or a comma (i.e. Smith, Jr or Smith Jr.).Leave out the ZIP code field as this does not exist for the earlier records.Check a variety of dates - typos and transposition of digits is common. 1986 could have been entered as 1896 or 1968. 01/06/63 could be read as January 6, 1963 or June 1, 1963. Reasons  You May Not Find Your Ancestor The person who entered the information into the database may have made typographical or other errors. The information may also have been incorrectly recorded during the initial application process. This was especially true when Social Security numbers were first issued and involved a multi-step application process with an opportunity for errors at each step.Many of the records prior to 1962 (when the SSDI database was first computerized) were never added.Your ancestors death may have never been reported to the Social Security Administration.It may be possible that your ancestor did not have a Social Security card. Many occupations prior to 1960 were not eligible for social security enrollment.

Free Essays on The Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act: Is it Working to Keep our Rivers and Streams Safe? Growing public awareness and concern for controlling water pollution led to enactment of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. As amended in 1977, this law became commonly known as the Clean Water Act. The Act established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States. It gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. The Clean Water Act also continued requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. The Act made it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions. It also funded the construction of sewage treatment plants under the construction grants program and recognized the need for planning to address the critical problems posed by non-point source pollution. This act lays the footwork for how we live day to day and how we are supposed to protect our country ¡Ã‚ ¦s water supply, but is it working? Are we working to protect our water supply? How clean is our water? In this paper I intend to answer these questions and others that relate to this act and also of its effectiveness. Water Quality Reports For a 1998 report, all 52 states, 2 interstate river commissions, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and 9 American Indian tribes rated water quality. These states and tribes assessed conditions in 842,426 miles of rivers and streams or 23% of the total miles of all rivers and streams in the country. Most were perennial water bodies that flow all year, though some of the assessments were conducted in non-perennial streams that only flow during wet periods. States and tribes rate water quality by comparing data to standards. These standards are in place so that they have something t... Free Essays on The Clean Water Act Free Essays on The Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act: Is it Working to Keep our Rivers and Streams Safe? Growing public awareness and concern for controlling water pollution led to enactment of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972. As amended in 1977, this law became commonly known as the Clean Water Act. The Act established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States. It gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. The Clean Water Act also continued requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. The Act made it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions. It also funded the construction of sewage treatment plants under the construction grants program and recognized the need for planning to address the critical problems posed by non-point source pollution. This act lays the footwork for how we live day to day and how we are supposed to protect our country ¡Ã‚ ¦s water supply, but is it working? Are we working to protect our water supply? How clean is our water? In this paper I intend to answer these questions and others that relate to this act and also of its effectiveness. Water Quality Reports For a 1998 report, all 52 states, 2 interstate river commissions, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and 9 American Indian tribes rated water quality. These states and tribes assessed conditions in 842,426 miles of rivers and streams or 23% of the total miles of all rivers and streams in the country. Most were perennial water bodies that flow all year, though some of the assessments were conducted in non-perennial streams that only flow during wet periods. States and tribes rate water quality by comparing data to standards. These standards are in place so that they have something t...

ART AND GENDER PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ART AND GENDER PROJECT - Essay Example The renowned masters had themselves these women with great diligence since immemorial time. After the assessment of such prestige attached to these subjects, Houbraken notes a devastating evaluation of the Rembrandt’s nudes. The critic followed by a long digression of the Rembrandt’s excursion on Rembrandt mistaken principle of working only from life (Sluijter & Rembrandt, 2006). The tensions between prestigious positions of nude and anxieties caused by sexual overtone understood in the observation. The tensions also dominate on the portrayal of the nude body by men heightened when it was the artist’s categorical role to represent utmost possible lifelikeness. The depictions gave the nude females a field traditionally occupied by pitfalls (Sluijter & Rembrandt, 2006). Ninety years before the Houbraken’s biography of Rembrandt, tensions strongly expressed by the minister Samuel Ampzing and Haarlem city chronicler. After the praise of the renowned Haarlem artists, the artists attacked the reason they painted some parts of the body. These areas of the body concealed, as by the law of nature. Mostly, the paintings and the drawings that revealed these parts were the women pictures. The drawings had naked women with their body parts unconcealed. During this period, the highest aim of art was on the depiction of the nude women. Therefore, in the earlier decades of seventeenth and the eighteenth century, many of the artists deliberated the portrayal of the nude women to be the primary aim of art. For Ampzing, the erotic outcome of the paintings gave a reason enough to denounce the paintings unequivocally (Sluijter & Rembrandt, 2006). The statement given by Ampzing and Houbraken had, implicit or explicit, the nature of Rembrandt’s paintings and the etching with the ugly female nudes. The notion that the depictions of the female nude comprised of the

Policing and HRA 1998 (UK Law) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Policing and HRA 1998 (UK Law) - Essay Example There are sixteen basic rights in the human rights act, all taken from the European convention of human rights. The main effects of the Human Rights Act, 1998 are thresholds.2 First, when deciding cases before them, all courts and tribunals are required to take into account the conventions, as well as the decisions made by the institutions.3 Secondly, the national courts should read, if possible, the primary and secondary legislation in a manner, which is compatible with the conventions. Thirdly, public authorities are under a duty to act in accordance with convention failure, which results into civil action being taken against them. Generally, the main purpose of this convention was to proclaim a series of universal human rights which militate against the repetition of those events which had caused such immeasurable suffering. All public officials, including the police, have an obligation to respect and act according to the convention rights.4 Acting in such a way to contravene or go against these laws is unlawful and the citizens can raise any inappropriate act before the UK court or tribunal.5 The statements in this convention have to be contained within its articles which are augmented in its protocols which have been added since its formulation. In this paper, we shall look at how the various articles in the human right act have affected the police practice in crime investigation. A person has a right to have their life protected by the law.6 No one shall be deprived of his life. The act outlaws the death sentence in the United Kingdom. There are only limited circumstances where one can take away another’s life, like for self-defense. The police are therefore, expected to be very careful when carrying out an investigation because any act that may result to the death of the criminal is not justifiable under the law. A police is not supposed to end a person’s life by use of excess force even if he is defending the person from unlawful act,

Hospice And Attitudes Toward Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hospice And Attitudes Toward Death - Essay Example In recent decades, particularly in the last century, there has been a great shift in lifestyles of people all over the world. The religious-centered lifestyles have now moved towards being more materialistic and social. This has affected the way people dress, eat, interact with others, perceive, and prepare them for what is not in their control (Corr et al., 304, 2008). Thus, unlike older times when people relied more on religious ceremonies and rituals to lessen the bereavement and pain before death, nowadays, people fall back on hospice care services and more techniques that are modern. One way this affects the process is through reducing the time span of this bereavement. With modern day facilities and parallel services available under one roof at hospice, time duration of the pain and grief before dying and shortened considerably. With the availability of priests, psychologists, drug experts, food experts and plain entertainers to read and talk to patients, it has become comparat ively easier for patients as well as their families to cope with the loss and the accompanying gloom (Gittings, 273, 2000). However, the old patterns are not inefficient.

Political Campaign Videos Essay Example for Free

Political Campaign Videos Essay Shifts in the campaign films â€Å"The Sky is the Limit† by George Bush and â€Å"A New Beginning† by Ronald Reagan must have been very evident to expert media critics, but were not at all noticeable for average reasonable television viewers, making the films more effective materials in campaign. Let us first take a look at the campaign film of George Bush. The first of the film â€Å"A New Beginning† engaged the viewers to listen and take a look at Bush’ personal life. It contained clips of Bush’ father, mother and wife talking about him and that is where â€Å"personal† or â€Å"emotional appeal† comes in, because it was the family of Bush speaking. Bush’ parents talked about how loving and wonderful he is as a son. Even his love life was discussed by his wife, telling the audience that Bush is a type of person who keeps his words which he proved when he married Laura right away as promised. At this early part of the film, the film seemed to be just a simple documentary of George Bush’ personal life, until a clip of George Bush saying â€Å"I am the person who likes to smile† came in. He was saying that he likes to laugh, with his face extremely closed up while driving, followed by a very short clip showing himself laughing at a political assembly. This, then, is the start of political campaign and is also the first shift in the movie. The shift was made very subtly, though, because there was a mix of personal appeal and political campaign. The next clip was Carlos Ramirez talking about Bush being a person full of family values. While the topic was still very personal, the interviewee was a political person, Carlos Ramirez being the mayor of El Paso. With this, the combination of politics and personal appeal was created, signaling the second shift that was about to happen. This is indeed a clue that the next shift will be from personal-political to something that’s purely political. The third shift is marked by an interview with Ernie Ladd, a co-founder of a mentoring program for leadership called â€Å"PULL. † Ernie Ladd was talking about Bush’ performance as a leader. When the topic is about leadership, it clearly shows that the current focus of the clip was into politics. To soften the blow, Bush was shown on TV again, being back to a regular guy for another shot at personal appeal. Then again, it was still political because here, he was talking about change. At first, he was sympathizing over children who were coming from very difficult situations and comparing it to his wonderful life. He said he wanted to change this and make lives better for all children, while uttering the purely political line â€Å"This is the reason why I want to run as a governor of Texas. † The campaign, at this stage, is at its full swing. Another shift was created, but this time, there was an effort in emphasizing the goals of Bush in the elections. Phyllis Hunter, a representative from READ of the state of Texas, talked about changed which Bush caused in the state. She further explained the positive changes which took place in Texas which may not have been impossible without Bush. â€Å"She gave testimonials on how helpful Bush is as a person which can be seen through her exact words, I have seen a big difference since he has been governor of the state of Texas in the amount of supports that we have to help us as educators reach the standards. He said if you need it, we’ll get it for you. We have websites, we have grant programs, we have teacher training in the state of Texas, and we have George leading the way (Parmelee, 2003, p. 52). † From this point, the film became highly political because what were shown were purely campaign materials. There was Bush talking to kids while reading their letters to him, in which a letter even contained a wish for Bush to win. Here, Bush tells the kids that he hopes he wins, too. This campaign material was given drama and personal appeal when the kids were involved. Lastly, Bush was uttering the words â€Å"I’m confident I can do the job that people want me to do. I’m a proud member of my party, but Im more than that; I’m an American. I love my country. I love what America stands for. I’m going to remind people that were lucky to be Americans (Parmelee, 2003, p. 52). † Ending the film is a song entitled â€Å"We the People† matched with a loud applause. Ronald Raegans film â€Å"A New Beginning†, on the other hand, starts with a footage of his inauguration. While uttering his constitutional oath, a montage of Americans leading a normal life was overlapping with his voice. His oath, then, functioned as a voice over to regular citizens who tended animals, tilled the lands, worked in offices, and the likes. It was indeed a technique that made the film strong because the film was able to make portray that the heroes of the United States are the Americans, and not Ronald Raegan himself. From this scene, a shift was made to Raegan talking about how he finds his job in the political arena, saying that â€Å"hearing honest views while having meetings† coming from the executive branch of the government makes him inspired as a political leader. After mentioning people from the executive branch, the film shifts to ordinary people again, giving testimonials on how they have learned values like patriotism, respect and pride because of Reagan. It was in the fourth shift when a sudden change can be noticed, because the music suddenly became dramatic, having the lyrics â€Å"Freedom, they cant take that away, I am proud to be an American† as a contributing factor to the emotional appeal. This part extended to a few minutes (as long as the whole song) and converted the film temporarily into a music video until it was cut to a few clips showing Reagan’s trips to demilitarized zones in Asia. In this shift, the film showcased the military power of a country where Reagan shows how delighted he is to hear pride among soldiers. He then meets the soldiers from South Korea and greets then one by one with the words â€Å"I am proud to know you. † This way, he is sending the message that we should emulate his behaviour of acknowledging these soldiers or â€Å"heroes† everytime we see them. Testimonials from ordinary Americans are inserted again, in which everyone says that they get to spend more money and they can feel the progress of the economy since Raegan led the nation. The topic of inflation was also discussed, with statistics mentioned to prove that he is most concerned with inflation and security of elders. The music in this scene is lively and victorious, followed, again, by testimonials from other people. The most dramatic shift comes with the topic of the assassination attempt on him. This part was purely emotional and personal, sharing to the audience the moment he talked to the doctor and the doctor told him â€Å"God must be on your shoulder. † However, an abrupt change occurred when a sudden lively music entered the scene, showing again his trips to Asian countries. This time, he says that people go to the West, which shows that the West, then, provides future for the people. He says that Americans have a lot to offer, which brought a change on the clip by inserting a clip about the World War II veterans who risked and sacrificed their lives at Point d’Hoc. He tells us that men these days can be found in offices, stores, farms and shops as a result of a free society all because the military force helped the nation achieve it. After this, the film becomes political when Reagan started talking about reform, simplifying taxes and creating enterprise zones and business incentives. From this, he also talks about peace which he achieved because he is helping people. The film ended with the song God Bless The USA (Morreale, 1991, p. 84). The values common to these two films are pride, patriotism, generosity, leadership, spirituality and respect. What makes these films different are how these two define themselves. Bush defines himself as a person full of family values, someone who wants to make everybody happy, respectful of his parents, wanting to create change, full of optimism and reaching big dreams, in which his being a family-person and wanting to create change is emphasized. Reagan defines himself as a person who respects heroes, full of patriotism, prioritizes economy of the nation, advocates freedom, spiritual and a peace-lover. In this, his respect for heroes or military and his patriotism are emphasized. Musical scores that are lively and victorious support the progress, dreams and freedom the candidates are portraying in the film. The sentimental songs support the personal and emotional appeal of the film, which helped in making the audience feel what the candidates wanted them to feel. Visual images also had a role – American flags, innocent kids, boy scouts, soldiers, baseball, laughter, sunrises – all these promoting a positive vibe for their personality, making the candidates look as more positive individuals in front of the camera.

Optimal Economic Uncertainty Index

Optimal Economic Uncertainty Index Introduction Economic uncertainty states about the uncertain of future economic events. This means we cannot foresee what will happen to the country’s economic in the future and this is why this research is been investigate. There are many situations which caused the uncertainty to happen such as the changes in economic and financial policies, various views about the growth prospects, the productivity movements, wars and natural disasters (Bloom et al., 2013). The first innovative work which discussed about the effects of uncertainty is done by Knight (1921). Knight formalized a distinction between risk and uncertainty. Based on Knight’s research, risk was applies to the situations where is unpredicted but still can accurately calculate the odds. However, uncertainty applies to the situations where is unpredicted all the information we need with the purpose of set accurate odds. According to a theory of profit and entrepreneurship, Knight suggests that the function of the entreprene ur is to earn profit by undertaken the investments with uncertain outcome (Bewley, 2002). Thereafter, more and more researcher has constructed diverse models to investigate the uncertainty. Mises (1949) states that researchers never gave up in searching the best ways to reduce the problems which caused by the uncertainty. However, the results gain by most researchers which tested the uncertainty could not supply suitable and meaningful outcomes. This is because the researchers’ understanding and the modeling created has supply limited information from the empirical data and too much effort has been applied in explaining and estimating the characteristic of human beings under variety situations (Ellsberg 1961; Epstein 1999). However, an open question remains as to whether or not research in this area could better our knowledge of economic turbulences and other utmost uncertainties and improve the scientific accuracy of economic theory. There are fewer of empirical studies on the economic uncertainty index depend on normative analysis. This type of analysis creates value judgments about the economy or the goals of public policy to be archive. (Caplin and Schotte 2008). Thus, normative analysis cannot be used to refute the precision of the economic uncertainty index (Gan 2014). Monetary conditions indexes (MCI) have become famous in several countries over the past few years as a useful tool and indicator for the stance of monetary policy. Although MCI played as an alternative monetary policy rule sparked intense debate and yet whether a consensus can be reached remained unknown at the beginning however it has been losing its magnet effect on the economy from the past years. The main factor of this change would be exchange rate, which is merely determined by the market. Gan (2014) conducted a paper namely the optimal economic uncertainty index constructed is one of many in the economic uncertainty literatures, which the optimal form may reflect the true economic conditions. This study will apply two monetary policy rules which are MCI and OEUI in selected Asian countries to examine which rules would facilitate achieving the best economic outcomes and lead to rational and wise policy decisions through a comparison. Matters of the study The argument of monetary policy rules in an economic uncertainty A good monetary policy rule is very important to the economy. It can help the economy respond efficiently to economic upheavals by limiting the gap of actual economy activity from its equilibrium, without significantly changing the ultimate goals of monetary policy. As stressed by Svensson (2000), monetary policy rule can either describe a systematic response of policy instrument to events in the economy (e.g., changes in macro variables and changes in policy variables), or it can suggest a specific economic outcome, or it can target the central bank’s goals (e.g. output and/or inflation). This behaviour of the policy rule can be inferred only in the context of a full model that links the policy instrument to the targeting variables included in the rule. Levin, Wieland, and Williams (2001) investigated the performance of forecast-based monetary policy rules by using five macroeconomic models that present a wide range of views on aggregate dynamics. They categorize the characteristics of rules that are robust to model uncertainty. However, the performance of monetary policy rule in an economic uncertainty is still under debate. Dotsey and Plosser (2012) examine the design of monetary policy rules in an environment. The argument is lingering around the issue that people have only an imperfect knowledge of the economy to confront challenges arising from various forms of economic uncertainty. The inadequate of non-optimal monetary policy rules in an economic uncertainty Simple monetary policy rules – non-optimal – such as Taylor (1993) may involve a reaction to variables other than conventional variables such as inflation gap and output gap, which are considered intuitively relevant to the conduct of monetary policy. Generally, these rules are similar to those discussed in Clarida et al. (1998). The great virtue of the simple rules is simplicity, which makes them easy to understand. Simple rules still can be used in central bank communication, although the public would not be able to verify the exact rule that is being followed. The rule can perform well in a wide range of models, which makes it robust to model uncertainty (Taylor, 2000). As stressed by Orphanides (2007: 11), some useful elements of policy design surface from historical analysis of TR: (i) good stabilization performance have a strong relation to the inflation’s reaction; (ii) good performance is associated with policy rules that show considerable inertia; (iii) a strong reaction to incorrectly measured output gaps has historically proven counterproductive; (iv) successful policy could still usefully incorporate information from real economic activity by focusing on the growth rate of the economy. Additionally, financial market analysts, scholars and central banks’ staff have been using monetary policy rules increasingly to forecast interest rates and to evaluate and describe central bank actions. Despite the fact that simple policy rules can often provide a good approximation to fully optimal policy under perfect information and are typically more robust to uncertainty (Cateau, 2007), simple rules have a number of weaknesses. Although their performance is rarely disastrous, they can involve large welfare losses relatively to fully optimal rules (Nikolov, 2002). In the similar vein, Svensson (2003) argued that a commitment to a simple instrument rule might be far from optimal in some circumstances. Crucially, simple rules are rarely optimal. Some studies, for example, Batini, Harrison and Millard (2003) argued that Taylor-type rules are not robust to open economy features. Taylor (2007) recognized that the TR is not supposed to be followed mechanically, but he also argued that monetary policy might deliver better results in terms of low inflation and output variability by staying closer to the rule. The failure of monetary conditions index Generally an MCI is a measurement of demand pressure; demand pressure is often measured by the output gap (output gap is the difference between current output and the estimated output in equilibrium level). The MCI is simple economic uncertainty measure because it involves gap variables in estimation; any estimation of gap variables is subject to considerably uncertainty (Gan, 2014). The equation of MCI[1] is a combination of interest rate gap[2] and exchange rate gap[3]. Thereby, increases in interest rates as well as increases in exchange rates[4] indicate a higher MCI figure and, therefore, tighter monetary conditions rested here. The estimation of the weights of the two variables in the MCI is at the heart of calculating of the MCI. The ratio of these weights would encode whether an appreciation in interest rates can be compensated along with depreciation in the exchange rate. The weights also reflect the relative impacts and changes of the interest rates as well as in the exchan ge rate affected on monetary conditions. Therefore, the MCI is generally viewed as a summative and informative tool for the public; meanwhile it serves as an early indicator for the central banks. However, the benign MCI played as an alternative monetary policy rule still sparked intense debate and yet whether a consensus can be reached remained unknown. Noticeably, the MCI has been losing its magnet effect on the economy from the past years. The most contributive factor of this change would be exchange rate, which is merely determined by the market. Further, the MCI mixes up two variables that are situated on two fundamentally different stages of the transmission process. The evidences can be briefly summarized by the application of the two MCI formerly leading advocates, the Bank of Canada (BOC) and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). Since the early 1990s, BOC officially used MCI as an operating target (operating target is variable that the central bank influences directly by its monetary policy instruments[5]); however, the BOC did not directly control both the interest rate and the exchange rate simultaneously, but merely focused on the control of the interest rate. This means that central bank adjusted its interest rates to modify monetary conditions directly, which in turn is assumed to affect the exchange rate in various systematic approaches (usually via uncovered interest parity – UIP).[6] Due to its inability to target the exchange rate under MCI’s mechanical way, The RBNZ in 1999 gave up the concept of MCI may. The recurrent depreciation during the crisis and the evocable changes in the MCI were interpreted as signals of upcoming tightening that can cause long-term interest rates to rise and consequently exacerbate recessionary forces (Ito and Hayashi, 2004). To sum up, the concept of the MCI had lost a great part of its initial attractiveness in the end of the 1990s. The RNBZ abandoned published an MCI in March 1999 and concentrated its policy statements on a short-term interest rate. While the BOC continues to publish the MCI, its role in taking monetary policy decisions was reduced to that of many other indicators in recent years. The perform of optimal economic uncertainty In economics, optimal analysis is a normative analysis. It studies what the economic ought to be. However, the study about the optimal economic uncertainty is very limited. Most of the empirical studies are approximate form but not optimal. The optimal analysis is very common in most of the economic study such as the studies of monetary policy rule and others. In the late 1970s, the Federal Reserve stabilized the country’s economy by using the optimal Taylor Rule in the monetary policy. However, the Taylor Rule has misplaced the policy makers to face the real time data (Orphanides, 2003). This is because the optimal Taylor Rule only can perform better in the interest rate function. Giannoni (2000) investigated optimal policy rule in a simple forward-looking model, when the policymaker faces uncertainty about model parameters and shock processes. Other than that, Dieppe et al. (2004) examined the optimal monetary policy rule in the model of the euro area which is known as the ECB’s Area Wide Model, including a high degree of intrinsic perseverance and a restricted role for forward-looking anticipation. The optimal economic uncertainty index constructed by Gan (2014) is one of many in the economic uncertainty literatures, which the optimal form may reflect the true economic conditions. Since the economic uncertainty index is not observable. The rule of optimal economic uncertainty index suggests optimal economic uncertainty index can be computed by using grid search method based on small open economic model; a small open economic model is very close to a true economic model and it is not partial economic model. Motivation of the Study What is the response of optimal economic uncertainty to macro variables and policy variables? Until today, there are no policymakers (hereafter, central banks) have publish the optimal economic uncertainty index, for the reason they might be unwilling to publish such an index, or such an explicit formula simply does not exist. As stressed by Bernanke (2010a), economic engineering to address economic uncertainties needs to be improved. Optimality in this study can be given by particular specifications of the central bank’s loss function. Therefore, an optimal rule is the one that derived by minimizing a loss function. Two models are practically employed here. The first model is an optimal economic uncertainty index, which is proposed by Gan (2014). The second one is MCI concept which is based on the theoretical works by De Wet (2002). Thereby the optimal monetary responses can be derived. What is the welfare gain from taking into account the external variable? In order to answer this question, the study attempts to compare the derived optimal economic uncertainty index to a set that assumes with the exchange rate variable and a set that assumes without exchange rate variable. In line with this measure, one feasible approach is to measure the difference in the loss function values. For this purpose, the study would derive the optimal economic uncertainty index for a small open economic model in two setting, in other words, a model with the exchange rate variable and a model without the exchange rate variable. Objectives The objective is to examine the optimal economic uncertainty index (see Figure 1.1) while including the role of external variables – normative analysis. Specifically, this model is augmented and examined with exchange rates. The first model is the MCI of Bank of Canada is a variant of economic conditions rule, which can serve as a competitive rule; this rule consists exchange rates, interest rates and past output. The second model is the optimal economic uncertainty index based on a small open economy model, which was proposed by Gan (2014). Since the basic idea is to keep the rules at constant, i.e., MCI (De Wet, 2002) and optimal economic uncertainty index (Gan, 2014), these optimal rules would bring the economy back to its long-run equilibrium; the process can be indicated by MCI (i.e. an indicator that encompassed the total effects of interest rates and exchange rates), and by optimal economic uncertainty index (i.e. an indicator that encompassed the total effects of inter est rates, exchange rates, inflation and output at optimal level). This study also examines the dynamic profiles of monetary policy rules through a comparison. Eventually, this would enable us to draw an inference regarding which rules would facilitate achieving of the best economic outcomes and lead to rational and wise policy decisions and aid in assessing the behavior of the economic uncertainty in the future. Figure 1.1 Analytical Frameworks (theoretic framework of optimal economic uncertainty index) Figure 1 (a) 3D macro model and the optimal economic uncertainty index at zero uncertainty level of macroeconomic conditions. (b) 2D field of view of the optimal economic uncertainty index with zero uncertainty level of macroeconomic conditions. (c) 2D field of view of the negative-optimal economic uncertainty index with economic contraction. (d) 2D field of view of the positive-optimal economic uncertainty index with economic expansion. Significance of the Study The attainment of these objectives will certainly benefit the central banks. With the growing international mutual consent, both in academia and among central banks, maintaining the medium to long-term price stability is the overriding goal of monetary policy (Asian Development Bank, 2008). Research provides strong support in maintaining low and stable inflation, ultimately; this is beneficial for overall economic outcome (Mishikin, 2008). In line with this consensus, the proposed economic uncertainty index based on a small open economic model – suggested in this study may be considered by the central banks as an alternative framework with the end view of coming up with an improved and more effective economic policy strategy. This study provides exploration of two types of monetary policy rules in an economic uncertainty, the MCI of Bank of Canada and optimal economic uncertainty index based on a small open economic model of Gan (2014), where a set of parameters inducing different decision rules are determined. This study encompasses two macro variables (i.e., output and inflation) and two policy variables (i.e., interest rates and exchange rates) in the optimal model. Not only does this facilitate a better understanding of current policy actions, but it permits markets to better forecast the central bank’s future actions. The optimal policy in one setting may not be optimal policy in some other setting because there is no agreement on the best model of the economy (Plosser, 2008). The rules derived in this study can be contrasted. The optimal economic uncertainty index may outperform other rules (e.g., the Taylor rule and MCI rule) as it can be useful for the central banks. The proposed rule can serve asa policy of inflation targeting that in line with a welfare maximizing policy aiming at minimizing the output gap and inflation gap. This rule is superior that maintaining public confidence while giving monetary authorities to achieve the best economic outcomes in an optimal way. Conclusion This thesis is divided into five chapters. The current chapter sets the background and motivation for the thesis. Chapter 2 explores the theoretical and empirical literature on monetary policy rules with the aim of highlighting two research gaps that motivate the present study. Chapter 3 examines the MCI rule â€Å"true† policy reaction function through optimal TR, while Chapter 4 furthered the MCI rule by employing optimal economic uncertainty index based on a small open economic model. Lastly, Chapter 5 summarizes the major findings of the thesis and their implications, together with some recommendations for future study. [1] [2]Interest rates in the current period minus interest rates in the base period, i.e., changes in interest rates. [3]The level of the effective exchange rate minus the effective exchange rate in the base period divided by the level of the base period. i.e., changes in exchange rates. [4] A positive value for indicates appreciation of the domestic currency. [5] Cf. Burton and Lombra (2006: 671) and Thomas (2006: 608) for textbook definition. [6] Interest-rate-parity theorem states that the interest rate differential between two countries will be equal to the difference between the forward-exchange rate and the spot-exchange rate (equation), in other words, interest differential between two countries should be equally expected in term of the exchange rate change.