Tower of Pisa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tower of Pisa - Essay Example As suggested by Puzrin, Alonso and Pinyol (2010), experts have not been agreeing on the problem leading to the failure of the project. Some argue that it is static while others argue that it was the ground sinking or the effects of the design used by the particular architect. The main cause of the leaning is attributed to the reaction of composite clay, sand, and shells on which the tower is built on. The tower was prone to two major risks one being a failure in the structure of the fragile masonry and toppling as a result of the breaking up the of the foundation’s subsoil. One of the solutions put in place to counter this problem was the installation of a counterweight on the northern side of the base of the tower so as to stop the tilting. This solution did not succeed and therefore another solution was initiated in 1995. This involved inserting compressed steel cables and the same compressing was done to the subsoil. This instead increased the leaning of the tower. After th e period of structural restoration, the tower is now undergoing surface restoration so as to repair visual damage especially corrosion and darkening. In 1964 the Italian government requested for assistance in saving the tower from collapsing, however it was considered to leave the tilt as it was vital for promoting tourism in the city of Pisa, as suggested by D’Alfonso (2005) Owing to the failure of the solutions used for restoring the tilting of the tower, the Italian commission embarked on a subsoil study program in 1965.

Gender and Sexual Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender and Sexual Studies - Essay Example This essay demonstrates that academic literature on indigenous family violence indicates that men were permitted to hit their wives and children. On the other hand, it was rare for a woman to hit a man, no matter how much wrong a man commits. Any form of punishment meted out to men was determined and exercised by community â€Å"elders† who mediated most family issues (Vheim, 2013:39). The question as to why men were allowed to judge and prosecute women so quickly while their transgressions were judged by â€Å"high courts† is another grey area that creates confusion in the everyday understanding of gender violence issues (Otto, 2013:26). In retrospect, it is important to consider that societies have always been patriarchal in nature; there are little or no documented examples of matriarchal societies. Modern thinking, although it accepts that society is still patriarchal, has been geared towards creating a balance between genders or a sense of balance that insinuates equality. For example, contemporary everyday understanding holds that all children, regardless of their genders, must be given equal opportunities to access education and other basic services (Otto, 2013:29). However, academic literature on indigenous family violence postulates that men and women are unequal from childhood, with young girls being inferior to boys and therefore second-class citizens when it comes to access to any privileges. The evolution of mentalities has created two perspectives on gender issues that oppose each other (Vheim, 2013:37). The first world is that informed by academic literature on indigenous gender issues, and the second is that informed by modern views on gender issues.

Inquiry Brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inquiry Brief - Essay Example My research question is as follows: do medical advancements and biomedical progress outweigh the controversial ethical and moral acts made in stem cell research? My argument is that medical and social benefits stem cell research brings to humanity the past progress and future development of the research. For the purpose of the analysis and argument on stem cell research, three academic sources were selected. The article by L. Leydesdorff and I. Hellsten â€Å"Metaphors and Diaphors in Science Communication: Mapping the Case of Stem-Cell Reseach† in Science Communication examine the term â€Å"stem cell† and how it varies in different contexts of research, applications and policy debates. From the very beginning, authors emphasize the pressing importance of stem cell research, indicating that the United States President George W. Bush addressed the political and social issue of stem cell research, specifically, embryonic stem cell research and it was the first time an American President had gone on national television in a special broadcast on a bioethical issue (Leydesdorff & Hellsten, 71). Later in November 2001, Bush convinced Congress to ban reproductive and therapeutic cloning of stem cells (Leydesdorff & Hellsten, 71). Authors points out that these restrictive policies have greatly affected both scientific research in the United States and the public debate over stem cell research. More specifically Leydesdorff and Hellsten focus on communication of stem cell research to general public and the importance of it to the latter. From the authors’ perspective, it is evident that stem cell research will receive the fullest reception of society. In her book â€Å"Stem Cell Research† Lillian Forman provides a thorough analysis of almost every aspect around stem cell research, from its medical potential and future benefits to policy

Transformational Leadership Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Transformational Leadership - Article Example Thus, the leader plays the crucial role of ensuring that people take action that is in sync with the objectives and goals of the group. Leadership is a social phenomenon. As such, there are elements of leader-follower relationships that are mainly subjective in nature and are influenced by individual personality and the philosophical outline of the group (Nozick, 2010 p27). Due to this, the definition of leadership in itself is not quite clear. Gallos defines leadership as â€Å"a complex social process, rooted in the values, skills, knowledge and ways of thinking of both leaders and followers† (p18, 2008). This definition therefore means that leadership is influenced by some variables that influence the relationship between leaders and followers. However, there has been debates in academia and practice about how leadership can and must be construed (Stevenson, 2004 p2). Leadership can be seen as a transaction through which the leader gets to instruct and force his followers to attain the objectives of the group. In this sense, leadership is seen as a transactional event. A transactional event is â€Å"an activity or event whereby a group of people need some form of direction to attain a clearly identified goal† (Paulsen, 2010 p17). In the concept of transactional leadership, followers are required to attain stated ends and the leader is there to ensure that. This means that a formal relationship exists between a transactional leader and his followers. This relationship does not extend beyond the confines of attaining the objectives at hand. On the other hand, several contemporary writers like Bass and Burns have put forward the concept of transformational leadership. Transformational leadership seems to encompass some social aspects which enhances the relationship between leaders and followers outside the normal scope of work or organizational goals. This paper examines the concept of transformational leadership. It begins by identifying the default position of leadership in organizations, which is transactional leadership. From that point, the paper goes on to evaluate the role of transformational leadership as an improvement and replacement of transactional leadership. The paper also focuses on elements of t ransformational leadership and examines some important aspects of this type of leadership. Transactional-Event, Leadership and Authority Max Weber stated that there are three sources of authority and these sources of authority puts a person in a leadership position in a transactional event (Walonick, 1993). Weber's three sources of authority are patriarchal/traditional, rational/legal and/or charismatic/informal. Patriarchal leadership results from historical activities which gives individuals and families certain social status. Thus, people who acquire leadership through patriarchal authorities are mainly people whose births and families have some inherent power or rights of leadership which are transferred to them through inherently. On the other hand, rational/legal authority comes about because a person is legally accepted to have acquired the necessary education, qualifications/certification and relevant experience to fill a given position (Kalinowski, 2005). Such a position of authority is legally recognized by the laws of the land. Charismatic authority comes about as a result of certain informal qualities that renders an individual more powerful in a group. This power, when exercised gives the individual some kind of authority. In exercising authority, a leader could see the followers as a means to an end or an end in itself (Grint, 2002). The approach used, makes the leader either

The reality of work cultures in the modern economy Essay

The reality of work cultures in the modern economy - Essay Example These issues range from difference in cultures and values as well as laying-off workers as well as closing of some plants aligned to the Cadbury Company. These issues have continued to create a lot of tension between the British public and the Kraft Company over the years since the takeover in 2010 (Rigby and Cohen, 2010, p. 2). The Unite, a workers organization championing the rights of workers in the United Kingdom has constantly pressed the Kraft Company to assure the workers of their jobs at the company after the takeover and at the same time to be honest and truthful with the public. The government has been under pressure to compel the Kraft Company to assure the employees that their job is safe with the company. Kraft and Cadbury cultures in the workplace The values that Kraft and Cadbury advance at the workplace are very different. Kraft Culture Kraft as a company is capitalistic in nature and the major goal is to maximize on the revenue regardless of the effect this may have on the people who work for the company. When the company took over Cadbury, it made a promise that it would not close any plant in the country. However, months down the line the same company closed the Somerdale factory in England. This is despite the fact that they made a promise not to do so. The major reason, according to the company management was a poor analysis of the viability of the company in Somerdale and greater investment that Cadbury Company in Poland.

Call to Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Call to Action - Essay Example porating communities, public and private sectors as well as families aimed at changing the negative notion about illness and obesity to a positive one peddled by alteration of national conversation with particular focus being healthy and fitness. The identified news article is the Public Health report Journal published in July-August 2010. It is traced from the PMC (PMC2882598) regarded as US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. The report has been a vocal tool based on call to action proactive strategy. The initiative assigned specific roles to different institution and individuals. It is inspired by the need to reduce overweight and obesity based on promotion of exercise across the board. The ‘Exercise Medicine Initiative’ being a multinational and multi-organizational, is embedded on promotion of physical activities as the pillars upon which treatment and prevention of obesity and overweight are pegged. It culminated into immediate exercised-based actions spearheaded by close interactions amongst clinicians and patients. The report culminated into beneficial linkages between fitness professionals, the public and clinicians presenting avenues for instructions aimed at ensuring active and healthy individuals. Actions thus emerged to proactively advocate for exercise as the new medicine for obesity. With respect to communities, schools and workplaces, physical activities have been promoted to ensure well-being and increased health stocks. Besides, policy makers have also refocused on physical fitness-attached policies (Kazaks, 2013, p.122). This has also extended to clinicians as well as fitness professionals who have been subsequently incorporated exercise in their interaction with patients and clients. Media has remained the centerpiece in mobilizing the public to be educated and empowered via physical exercise consultations and counselling. Websites have been developed to sensitize people and patients on the pros attached to this

Investment Strategies Order Number Essay Example for Free

Investment Strategies Order Number Essay There are many methods an investor can use to determine if a stock is a good buy or not. Three indicators often used to assess the risk of a security are beta, alpha and the Sharpe ratio. One of the most popular measures of risk associated with a security is its beta. Beta is a measure of a stock’s volatility in relation to the market as a whole. The market is given a beta of 1. 0 and individual stocks are ranked according to how much they deviate from the market’s beta. Stocks with a beta of less than 1. 0 are considered less volatile than the market and, therefore, pose less risk. Stocks that have betas higher than 1. 0 are considered more volatile than the market and, therefore, pose more risk. All things being equal, an investor would expect to see higher returns on a stock with a beta higher than the market than one with a beta lower than the market. (1) Beta is also a key component for the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). The original CAPM defined risk in terms of volatility, as measured by a stock’s beta coefficient. The formula is: Kc = Rf + beta Km – Rf) where Kc is the risk-adjusted discount rate (also known as the cost of capital) Rf is the rate of a â€Å"risk free† investment, i. e. ten-year treasury bill Km is the return rate of a market benchmark, such as the SP 500 Kc is the expected rate of return you would require before you would be interested in a particular stock at a particular price. The CAPM expresses the amount of risk a particular stock has and gives an investor an idea of the expected returns he should expect given a certain level of risk. The more risky a stock is the higher the level of returns an investor would expect for that particular stock. (2) A stock’s alpha is a mathematical estimate of the amount of return expected from a stock’s inherent values, such as the rate of growth of in earnings per share, management strengths or other factors, as opposed to general market conditions. Stocks with an alpha greater than 1. 0 can be expected to outperform the market regardless of what happens to the market as a whole. (3) The Sharpe ratio helps investors determine the best possible proportion of securities to use in a portfolio that can also include cash. The formula for the Sharpe ratio is: S(x) = (Rx – Rf) / StdDev(x) where x is some investment Rx is the average annual rate of return of x Rf is the best possible rate of return of a â€Å"risk free† security (i. e. cash) StdDev is the standard deviation of Rx The Sharpe ratio is a direct measure of reward-to-risk. In other words, the Sharpe ratio is used to characterize how well the return of an asset compensates the investor for the risk taken. (4) Although beta, alpha and the Sharpe ratio are useful for an investor to gauge the risk of a security or portfolio of securities there are also other methods an investor can use to determine whether a security is a good investment or not. The two most common methods used to determine the investment potential of a security are fundamental analysis and technical analysis. Fundamental analysis is the process of looking at a business from its financial statements. This type of analysis typically looks at various ratios of the business to determine its financial health. The goal of fundamental analysis is determine the current worth of a stock and how the market values the stock. (5) Probably the most two important factors looked at in fundamental analysis are a company’s earnings and revenue growth. Investors like to see earnings and revenue increasing by at least 25% for each of the last three quarters and year-to-date. Return on equity (ROE) is also a major fundamental factor. ROE reveals how much profit a company earned in comparison to the total amount of shareholder equity found on the balance sheet. (6) The higher a company’s ROE compared to its industry the better. Investors typically look for an ROE of at least 17%. Technical analysis is a method of evaluating stocks by relying on the assumption that market data, such as charts of price, volume and open interest can help predict future market trends. (7) Investors using technical analysis typically look for trends in chart data and use a variety of technical indicators, such as moving averages, Bollinger bands, fast and slow stochastics, MACD, and RSI to determine the right buy point for a stock. More sophisticated investors use a combination of fundamental analysis and technical analysis to determine whether a stock is a good buy or not. They use fundamental analysis to make sure a company is healthy from a financial standpoint and is a leader in its industry. Once determining a stock is healthy from a fundamental standpoint, these investors will use technical analysis to determine the correct buy point for a stock. A stock’s chart will show the investor how the stock is actually performing in the market and whether it is rising out of a good base or is overbought based on how far its current price is from its 50 day moving average. If a stock’s price is 30% or more above its 50 day moving average, the risk that it will fall into a correction is greater. References: (1) http://www. investopedia. com/articles/stocks/04/113004. asp Beta: Know the Risk (2) http://www. moneychimp. com/articles/valuation/capm. htm CAPM Calculator (3) http://www. allbusiness. com/glossaries/alpha/4943389-1. html Business Definition for Alpha (4) http://www. moneychimp. com/articles/risk/sharpe_ratio. htm The Sharpe Ratio (5) http://stocks. about. com/od/evaluatingstocks/a/Fundanatools1. htm Tools of Fundamental Analysis (6) http://beginnersinvest. about. com/cs/investinglessons/l/blreturnequity. htm Return on Equity (ROE) (7) http://www. investorwords. com/4925/technical_analysis. html Technical Analysis