College Students Have Many Worries - 996 Words

College students have many worries. They have to worry about if they pass the class or not. If the students are in sports then they have to worry more. I really worry about trying in long papers. Students that are in sports really are in a hurry to find time to do their homework. Three biggest worries that I know of are financial stress, multitasking stress and academic performance pressure. Many college students deal with financial stress. This can involve the struggle of finding money to pay for tuition as well as securing the funds to cover the cost for living while attending class. Even those students who are able to qualify for sufficient financial aid to cover immediate college cost have to cope with the financial stress of knowing that they will have to face paying back the money from following graduation. The debt that students have can be a lot of stress. College students often join activites out of school. They might be taking classes at one time students maybe trying to ke ep a job on the side of keeping up with school work and maybe sports. By dealing with all the activies that students are in it helps them deal with growing up and handling multiple situations. The pressure of academically keeping up with a persons grades is the primary cause of stress of all college kids. Coursework can be very demanding and the competition for earning top marks can be very fierce. Students who want to do their best and who are planning to apply for admission to graduate schoolShow MoreRelatedCollege Tuition1075 Words   |  5 Pagesown work. If I have used outside sources, I have acknowledged them through correct documentation.† Student Loans Today college tuition prices are rising. Paying for college can often be a stressful responsibility. A college education is very important for many students, but when stressing on how to pay for college gets in the way, it becomes more of a burden. Kim Clark effectively states the rising prices of college tuition in her article, â€Å"The Surprising Causes of Those College Tuition Hikes.†Read MoreBenefits of Living On Campus995 Words   |  4 PagesStudents living on campus don’t have to worry about time because they live in the college. On the other hand, students who commute to school, have to worry about getting to class on time. Students living on campus don’t have to waste money on transportation or food since it is all covered under a plan. Unlike commuters, who aren’t covered under a plan, they have to pay more money to get to school as well as for food. Students who live on campus tend to know more people and they know more about what’sRea d MoreShould College Campuses Be Banned?1256 Words   |  6 Pagesthere have been heinous crimes on the campuses of the schools. These crimes have taken place everywhere, from Columbine High School all the way to a classroom on the Virginia Tech campus. To be more specific the most devastating crime that can take place on a collegiate campus is a mass shooting. So, with more and more states beginning to allow those who possess a conceal carry permit, to carry at more places throughout the state. The question is asked, should college campuses allow students to carryRead MoreCollege Pressures By William Zinsser939 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å" College Pressures,† William Zinsser discusses four types of pressures college students go through. Even though he wrote this in 1978, college students today still experience all four of the pressures. The four pressures Zinsser discusses are economic, parental, peer, and self-induced. Today’s college students are becoming more and more disconnected with their passions and are being thrown into the world of practicality. College should be a place of experimentation and discovery, but insteadRead MoreToo Much Pressure On American Teenagers1049 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican Teenagers to Go to College Everyday American teenagers are being pressured on graduating high school and going directly to college. Parents and counselors have such high expectations for teens that the students are unable to focus on going to college. Teenagers face many factors that cause pressure to go to college: worries about keeping up, fear of failure, feeling of stress and anxiety, social pressures academic pressure, human influences, the economy, and college itself . Pressure to succeedRead MoreAdvantages of Living with Parents While Attending College1730 Words   |  7 PagesDid you know about 60% of the college students live at home with their parents? According to the kark4 news today many college students prefer to stay at home than to stay in a dorm or rent an apartment.(kark4) There are many benefits toward living with family. The disadvantages of living in a dorm or an apartment are their finance problems, the influence of parties, having privacy and roommate problems, being lazy, not setting boundaries and goals, challenges of social life, being in relationshipsRead MoreCollege Is A Life Changing Experience For Students1334 Words   |  6 PagesStudents Should Live in Dorms College is a life changing experience for students. College is a new environment for most students and comes with lots of challenges. Things such as the increased difficulty of academic work and not being around the same social groups as a student was before college can make the transition very difficult. One of the best things a student can do to help with this transition is to live in a campus residence hall. Students should live in dorms because of the communityRead MoreThe Pressures Faced by College Students886 Words   |  4 PagesIn college campuses across the USA, college students are facing an abundance of pressure. They juggle family stress to, college stress, to peer stress, students are constantly pulled into a never ending cycle of stress. Constantly pursuing their education to do whatever is necessary for them to graduate from college. Today’s generation of teenagers/young adults, and older generation of people, face alike challenges that are dramatically differe nt from the before. Today we have an abundance of sophisticatedRead MoreOnline vs Traditional Education1054 Words   |  5 PagesPeople are choosing to get an online education more so now because people are busier than ever and more jobs are requiring a college education. Also with these larger companies closing and laying off employees, people who once had a job are now faced with the challenge of looking for a new jobs-sometimes with no skills to offer a new employer. There are more people who have waited until later in life to get their degree in order to get a job or advance on the current job. Online education battlesRead MoreSummary Of The Article Live And Learn 1018 Words   |  5 Pagesand Learn, in which he talks about his experience teaching college students as well as the many questions some may have about college itself. Menand went from working at a very prestigious Ivy League school, to one that had about 16,000 students with a tremendously busy faculty. Most of the students at his new school were underprivileged, worked every day or had to support their families. When he was asked a question regarding why the students had to purchase a certain textbook for the class, basically

When Ruth Is Dead At The End Of Chapter Six - 965 Words

The first death in this book is Ruth’s; Kathy casually mentions that Ruth is dead at the end of chapter six. However, it is not until chapter nineteen that Kathy reveals any details about Ruth’s death: [It] was three days after her second donation, when they finally let me in to see her in the small hours of the morning. She was in a room by herself, and it looked like they’d done everything they could for her . . . Now I took one glance at her in that hospital bed under the dull light and recognized the look on her face, which I’d seen on donors often enough before. It was like she was willing her eyes to see right insider herself, so she could patrol and marshal all the better the separate areas of pain in her body . . . She was, strictly speaking, still conscious, but she wasn’t accessible to me as I stood there beside her metal bed. (Ishiguro, 235-236) Kathy realizes that Ruth is dying and that she cannot be saved, and she just accepts it. She does not try to fight it; she simply stays with Ruth until she is forced to leave. Even though their friendship was complicated, they were still friends and had become closer near the end. The language Ishiguro uses to describe Ruth from Kathy’s perspective is simple and honest; nothing about the language suggests any resistance against her death. When it is time for Tommy, Kathy’s boyfriend, to complete, there is again no resistance. Kathy and Tommy had tried to get a deferral, but they simply give up when they discovered thatShow MoreRelatedThe Name Of The Author Of This Book Is Carol Ruth Berkin.939 Words   |  4 PagesThe name of the author of this book is Carol Ruth Berkin. She was born on October 1st, 1942 in mobile Alabama. Berkin is an American historian and author and is currently a professor of history at the city university New York. She has also received and grants from Bancroft foundation. Carol has written numerous books about history and some of her famous books are first generations (1996), civil war wives (2009), and revolutionary mothers. Revolutionary Mothers talk about the problems faced by theRead MoreBible 104 Worldview Essay6535 Words   |  27 Pagesus to the long years of Israel’s struggle to maintain control of the Promised Land and serves as the transition from the conquest to the kingdom. It deals with events following Joshua’s death (c. 1380 BC) The main body of the story revolves around six cycles of apostasy, repentance, and deliverance. God intervenes time and again to rescue the struggling Israelites from military oppression, spiritual depression, and ethnic annihilation. 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She studied the life of the Papago with her main subject an older Papago woman named Chona. She says at one point how she learned amongst these people and Chona, â€Å"I feel, nevertheless, that out of all this flurry there came theRead MoreLovely Bones Critical Analysis Paper2135 Words   |  9 Pagesby Alice Sebold, we dive into the mind of Susie Salmon; a 14 year old, dead girl. When Susie Salmon is murdered on her way home from school, she leaves behind a family and friends who care deeply for her. As each person deals with her death, most of them deal with a large amount of survivor’s guilt. The two characters that seem to have the hardest time accepting Susie’s death and their own survival are Lindsey Salmon and Ruth Connors. Lindsey deals not only with the drama in her family’s personalRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver1998 Words   |  8 Pagesplumbing, and so on. She concluded th at due to the different cultures one thing was not to be expected from the other; this is a continuous theme found in her novel, The Poisonwood Bible. However, Kingsolver did not learn what had really been going when she was there during the 1960’s: The United States secretly manipulated a coup where they assassinated elected President Patrice Lumumba and installed the dictator Joseph Mobutu, robbing the Congo of its independence. Enraged and betrayed, KingsolverRead MoreAnalysis on Conversation Features. Differenfes Between British and American English16034 Words   |  65 Pagesselected as a corpus two chapters of distinct TV series: The first one from the American series ‒Six Feet Under‒ and the other one from the British series – Teachers. Our corpus contains approximately 12000 words, each script having around 6000 words. Both series belong to comedy genre, with adult characters of similar age and social status. Both series reflect the real use of l anguage in their respective societies. They were released in similar dates, between 2001 and 2002. Six Feet Under is a blackRead MoreEssay on A Horse and Two Goats: Detailed Summary7459 Words   |  30 Pagesthe foot of a life-sized clay statue of a horse. Muni never thinks about the statue. It has been there since before he was born and is just part of the landscape, as far as he is concerned. On this particular morning, Muni goes outside and shakes six bean-like fruits, called drumsticks, from the branches of the drumstick tree in his yard. Usually, his wife would boil some drumstick leaves, with a bit of salt, in a mud pot over their domestic fire. On other mornings, she would cook some millet forRead More Salem Witchcraft Trials vs. the Crucible Essay2031 Words   |  9 Pageswere going around among the people of Massachusetts in 1962. Some of the women of Salem began the witchcraft many people started to catch on and fallow them. 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Preference of Foreign Brands amongst Chinese People Free Essays

The acceptance of products of foreign origin by Chinese consumers is with a genuine enthusiasm and due to various seasons: better quality, good reputation, greater diversity of choice, more attractive appearance, a feeling of liberty, new arrivals and so on. During the recent period everything that has a foreign name had to be of good quality, high price, and all those who consumed these products were regarded as rich and refined. This research paper consists of four main parts. We will write a custom essay sample on Preference of Foreign Brands amongst Chinese People or any similar topic only for you Order Now Initially, we believe it is necessary to present the evolution of foreign brands in China, which allows us to have an overview of the context of our research. The second part will be devoted to the presentation of he conceptual framework of the issue of foreign brands. Then, we will trace the development of consumption in China. Last but not least, we propose, from all our lectures, methods of the research to solve our problem. We will conclude with the presentation of the contributions of our research and considered future developments. BODY 1 . The evolution of the foreign brands in China The Chinese economy was characterized by shortages, due to insufficient domestic production before the year 1979 (Guy, 2005). Indeed, during the Cultural Revolution (1968-1978), ‘ration tickets’ have been distributed to buy products in China. Obviously, it was impossible for the Chinese to make a choice among competing brands. After 1979, a reform and opening policy to engage fully in building a modern economy allowed all industrial sectors to experience prodigious growth. At that time, many foreign companies have failed to penetrate because of their lack of knowledge of the Chinese market and local habits, but foreign brands remained very attractive for Chinese. However, the price of foreign products was so high that average employees could not afford them. In 1990, many Chinese have expressed a genuine enthusiasm or foreign products, from car to food and clothing. By purchasing a product that bears a worldly famous name, Chinese consumer achieved a part of their dream. Some even saved intentionally to be able to buy foreign products. With the deepening of reform and opening up the economy and improving the investment environment, especially with its entry to WTFO, the enormous Chinese market has attracted more and more foreign products in China, and attracts more foreign companies coming to invest. The number of applications for registration and trademark registrations is increasing, so is their proportion in the annual applications compared to all existing brands. In 1982, applications for registration of foreign brands accounted for 8. 4% with 1 565 applications. In 2002, one year after the formal accession of China to the WTFO, they increased by 25. 2% over the previous year to reach the number of 50 902, which stood 13. 7% of applications. Before 1979, only 20 foreign countries and territories had registered trademarks in China, for a total of 5130 recordings. At the end of 2003, the number of countries and territories reached 129 and the number of registrations was 361 795, as 71 times more. The proportion of the cumulative number of foreign trademarks registered in relation to the total rose from 15. 7% in 1979 to 18. 3% in 2003, representing a growth of nearly three points (1). At the same time, Chinese consumers like foreign products because they demonstrate a higher life quality. Thus, some foreign products with special character are still quite requested. For example, European or American clothing are still in vogue, and very high-end foreign products are the new trends in consumption in China. According to a study cited recently by the Financial Times, China is the third oral market for luxury products with annual sales of two billion dollars and growth prospects annual 20% until 2008 and 10% up in 2015 (9). The influence of foreign brands on consumer behavior is a hot topic. It is first studied in the literature in terms of brand strategy to be adopted by enterprises (non- domestic customers). Motormen Sharking (1998, (10) have noted three main points to understand: 1 . How consumers in each country consider the choice of brands, 2. How they evaluate them, 3. The different needs that drive their purchasing decision. In a context of globalization of markets, there are many studies about the alternatives f a marketing strategy, standardized or localized, which derives the question of a branding strategy standardized (global) vs. brand adapted (Seafarer, 2002 (5) , Roth, 1992 (1 1), and 1995 (12)). Research shows that it is important to identify potential obstacles, for example, some national characteristics, in the process of developing a global brand. Before looking at the value of a particular brand in a given market, it is also necessary to know the predisposition with which consumers of this market consider the brand in general, and then this brand in particular. 2. The concept of country of origin and its effects on consumer behavior Indeed, much has been said and written about the role of country of origin on the perception, evaluation and choice of foreign products. However, the effect of origin on brand has rarely been studied, and only in recent years it becomes an interesting subject for the researchers, with the rise of a movement that believes that the congruence between these two variables is more important than their effects taken separately (Airier and Fort, 2005). Our research intends to adopt this congruence approach to better understand the symbolic value and the practical value of the country of origin in the perception of foreign brand by Chinese consumers. There are a smaller number of researches studying the problem of countries of origin in the context of developing countries. Bator AAA. (2000 (3)) showed that consumers in these countries perceive the country of origin as a factor indicating not only quality but also social values symbolic, and they give preference to trademark ‘non-local † compared to local brands. However, these proposals were rarely tested by empirical work. The study of Bator AAA. 2000) among Indian consumers is an important reference on this point. Their results showed that consumers in developing countries have a more favorable attitude towards brands perceived as non-local, and for reasons that go beyond evaluating the quality of the brand. According to the authors, non-local brands are regarded as symbols of prestige, at least by certain categories of consumers and for categories of products with high symbolic value. These consumers are identified as those with a high degree of standard setting influence, one of the main influences that a reference group has on n individual. This group admires the lifestyles of economically developed countries. It is interesting to note that the brands are generally presented as non-local and non- associated with a given country, as in other more conventional research on the effect of country of origin. In sum, the study Bator AAA. Mongo consumers in India provides us with the first clues for further research on the perception of foreign brand by consumers in developing countries. In this research, an interesting feature of Chinese consumers towards foreign brands in a society in transition is explored. Basing on this literature review and its limitations, we can assume that cultural orientation can influence consumer attitudes towards foreign brand in a positive way. Cultural values are considered as determinants of attitudes and behaviors and provide a more stable and domestic-oriented consumers (Kumara and Novak, 1992 (5)). . The Chinese culture and consumption of foreign brand 3. 1 The traditional Chinese culture and consumption of foreign brand The presentation of some of these principles will help us gain a better understanding of the behaviors of Chinese people. Some elements or values are respected, promoted and implemented in everyday life, including how to choose a brand. The features are introduced below: -The first feature of Chinese society is the collective nature The Chinese will adhere more easily to the standards of group than people in individualistic societies. An essential element in Western culture and consumer behavior, the desire to distinguish themselves, is also in China. It assumes a difference as a member of one group over another group, while respecting individual standards of his group. We therefore believe that the consumption of the product of reign origin is rather symbolic other than utilitarian to correspond to social status. Imitation is also a behavior used for identification as a member of the group. Moreover, it is obvious that luxury products are well sold in China in recent years. This means that the brand is in the process of buying decision because it meets the needs of good social status than personal needs (Guy, 2005). -The second characteristic feature is the concept of social interaction The relationship of trust leads the development of interpersonal relationships that underpin the functioning of many Chinese. The behaviors of Chinese consumers are more easily influenced by the existing trust between people who have a good personal relationship. It is assumed that the recommendations and comments from others play a very important role in the choice of brand. The Chinese consumers tend to regard the brand as part of their social life and their relationships to others. The exchange of gifts is considered as the most direct and most visible to cultivate social interaction. The way a person respects and implements the complex rules of gifts exchange is an essential element in assessing the social position of that person. For example, luxury products and international brands that can be gifts are well sold in China in recent years. The third feature is the concept of self-esteem In Chinese tradition, the concept of elf-esteem refers to the obligation of reciprocity. It is important to give oneself a positive image, reflecting his role, his status and is in line with the traits that respect his group membership†¦ Len view of the higher price and ostentatious function of the international brand compared to the local brand, con sumers choose brands which is best known locally and do not want to take the sis of spending money for these brands anonymous on the market (Lu, 2004 (8)). The reputation of the brand foreign in domestic market is required for the reason of saving face. 3. 2 The modern Chinese culture and consumption of foreign brand The attitudes towards international brands of Chinese consumers are influenced by modern Chinese culture as well as traditional one. Specifically, modernity, youth, success and wealth allow Chinese consumers to pay greater importance to the brand, to develop a preference for foreign brands since it itself can constitute a social and symbolic universe (Lenitive and London, 1997 (7)). Modern consumers have more ways, consume more symbolically; they look for products with brand, either for their good quality or value for signs of the brand through research statute. Western Life influences consumer behavior of young Chinese. The admiration of the quality of life of developed countries exerts a positive influence on the attitude towards foreign brands. The relationship of Chinese consumers with foreign brands, which includes several aspects, manifests itself in a more or less depending on different social backgrounds, different categories of people. Elements such as age, sex, education level, and the tankard of living†¦ Certainly seem to influence the perception of foreign brands. A global study published by Accentuate shows that to attract Chinese consumers increasingly sensitive to foreign brands, companies must adjust their marketing strategies to the preferences of three categories of clientele. So the â€Å"golden youth†, I. E. Young urban graduates, mostly women, who have a high standard of living and significant interest to the foreign brands is the first category with the most potential. According to the study, consumers in this class are two times more likely than others to only to buy new brands (28% against 14% maximum for others), but also to be the first to test (43% against 32% maximum). The other two categories are, on the one hand, â€Å"ambitious†, young people who are sensitive to brands and covet the latest and best products, but whose incomes do not allow them to realize their dreams. On the other hand, â€Å"high income†, who are also looking for exclusive products at the cutting edge of technology, but unlike the former, deserve the brands (14). 4. Guidelines for the management of foreign brands in China – Practical Value Numerous studies on the problem of country of origin are interested in the influence of this concept on consumer preferences, and more specifically, preferences for foreign products or domestic products. The research in this field has highlighted a trend among consumers in developing countries to prefer foreign products to domestic products because of the superiority of foreign products in terms of quality. Long accustomed to basic products and very poor quality, Chinese consumers welcome these products of foreign origin with an enthusiasm, which may explain a better quality of these products. We therefore believe that the greater the perceived quality gap between the local brands and foreign brands is, the more Chinese consumers are sensitive to foreign brands. – Symbolic Value The importance of symbolic value tends to increase when society evolves socio economically from a low level to a higher level (Supplely and GarГÃ'‘enough, 2003 (13)). The Chinese consumers today are looking for brands capable of performing not only utilities functions but also symbolic functions and give them greater importance. The value of symbols and social standards of Chinese culture invites us to assume that it esters the perception of foreign brands by Chinese consumers. We also assume that the differences of the perceived symbolic value between local and foreign brands exert a positive influence on the perception of foreign brands. 4. 2 Perception of foreign brands – Integration of foreign brands in the Chinese culture The Chinese cultural characteristics influence the behavior of Chinese consumers. More precisely, Confucianism (the collective nature, the concept of social interaction, the notion of the self-esteem and modern Chinese culture exert a positive influence on the perception of foreign brand. Segmentation of the Chinese market In addition to the cultural differences that characterize Chinese consumers, their attitudes and behaviors appear closely related to other factors such as age, sex, education level, the standard of living†¦ Indeed, the evolution of the perception of foreign brand in China takes place at a very rapid pace. This can create significant differences between groups of people more or less susceptible to the effects of opening up the country, for example, between cities and rural areas, between generations†¦ For the foreign firm, it is essential to find segments of Chinese nonusers who are more sensitive to brands. – The impact of competition China is entering a new phase of its economic development during which the foreign brands are no longer in the same position visit-Г-visit the Chinese consumers. The local competition may exert a negative influence on the perception of foreign brands. The Chinese brands have made progresses and become competitors for certain foreign brands. Faced with the improving quality of domestic products and the maturity of Chinese consumers, foreign companies must understand the symbolism of consumption that is implanted in the mind of Chinese consumers as a fundamental element of Chinese culture. In summary, the situation of foreign brands in China and Chinese consumer behavior visit-Г-visit foreign brands are discussed in this paper. The Chinese preference to foreign products seems to be an interesting feature in a society in transition to consumerism. The phenomenon of foreign brands in China appears somewhat different from what is often addressed in research in marketing, because of the complexity of the market situation and cultural characteristics of today’s Chinese society and consumer behavior, closely related to the combined experience of generations of Chinese. Together with globalization and integration of markets, foreign investors wishing to work in China have to be aware of this reality. To have a good strategy of building brand image, it is important to understand the symbolic values of prestige required by the Chinese. To attract Chinese consumers, our study suggests several options: to highlight differences in terms of product quality and in terms of the symbolic value of brands; to strengthen orientation to Confucianism and to the theme of modernity and youth linked to consumption; to emphasize the importance of segmentation for the Chinese market; to emphasize the difference in hooch between categories of products with high symbolic value and low symbolic value and at last to identify new constraints imposed by local competition. Finally, we hope that this study makes a contribution to knowledge about the management of the brand in general and on the issue of foreign brands in the Chinese market in particular. How to cite Preference of Foreign Brands amongst Chinese People, Papers

IMPORTANT TERMS Essay Example For Students

IMPORTANT TERMS Essay A/D converter- a device used to an analog charge into digital formAnalog format- the principle feature of something in analog format is thatit is continuousBit depth- the number of bits of color or grayscale information that can berecorded per pixelCharge-coupled device - a solid state, light sensitive chip receptorthat converts light into an analog chargeDigital format- data stored with measured values and distinct points orpositionsDrum scanner- a type of scanner that scans images mounted on a rotatingdrumDynamic range- the gradations from light to dark that a digital imagingdevice can read or produceFilm scanner- a specially designed CCD scanner that captures images fromvarious types of filmHandheld scanner- a small scanner is moved across a page or image by handHistogram-a graphic display of highlight, midtone, and shadow values thatcorrespond to the number of pixels affected in each part of the tonal scaleInterpolation- a mathematical technique used to increase the apparentresol ution of an imageLayers- a feature of image editing programs that creates multiple, editablelevellls of a single piece of artworkMask- a feature of image editing programs that protects a specified area ofan image from changes, filters, and other effects applied to the rest ofthe imagesMottling- the blotchy or cloudy appearance of an image, instead of asmooth, continuous toneNewtons rings- an undesirable color pattern that results from interferencebetween the exposure light and its reflected beam from the closest adjacentsurfaceOptical character recognition- a system used to translate the bitmap imageof scanned text into ASCII charactersPaint effects- a feature of image manipulation programs that containsseveral tools that allow the user to create and color imagesQuantizing- a filtering process that determines the amount and selection ofdata to eliminate, which makes it possible to encode data with fewer bitsResolution- the sharpness and clarity of an imageRetouching tools- tools use d in image manipulation programs to modifyimages in ways similar to methods used in darkroom photographyScan area- the section of a scanning device on which images are placed forscanningScanner- measures the color densities of an original, stores themeasurements as digital information, manipulates or alters the data, anduses the data to create four color separationsScreen ruling- the number of ruled grid lines per inch (lpi) on a halftonescreenSpatial resolution- the ability of a digital imaging device to address datain horizontal and vertical dimensionsSweet spot- a 3 or 4 area in the center of a flatbed scanner at which thescanner scans material at full resolutionTonal resolution- the number of bits of color or grayscale information thatcan be recorded per pixeUnsharp masking- a f some scanners that increases tonal contrast wherelight and dark tones come together at the edges of the imagesWell sites- hundreds or thousands of photosensitive elements on a CCDXY scanning technology- scanning technology that optimally positions thescanning head along XY axisREVIEW QUESTIONSThe colors and lines of an image in analog format are continuous. Thecolors and lines of an image in digital format consist of values measuredat distinct points. 8. CCD sensors separate the red, green,and blue (RGB) light reflected by anobject13. A histogram provides a display of the pixel information. 14. Typical storage devices used for images captured by common point andshoot cameras would be: lens viewfinder and LCD batteries flash image stabilization exposure modes image capture time lighting conditions15. Layers allow the user to create multiple levels of artwork that resideon separate, overlapping layers in the same document. .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 , .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .postImageUrl , .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 , .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371:hover , .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371:visited , .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371:active { border:0!important; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371:active , .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371 .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub427d55e5ecf372fa03c696114188371:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Confucianism And Chuang-Tzu Essay16. Filters are used to apply special effects, such as patterns andtextures, to bitmap images. 17. A mask would be the image manipulation tool used to protect an area ofan image from changes and effects applied to the rest of the image.

History And Philosophy Of Science Essays - Albert Einstein

History And Philosophy Of Science The world of science, as we know it today, is a difficult subject to grasp. So many new ideas are present and these new ideas are not interchangeable. Some parts do work together although as a whole they don't fully coincide with each other. The three basic ideas that science is now based upon come from Newton, Einstein, and Hawking. I call these ideas/theories ?new? based on what I classify the state of the scientific community of today. After looking at what is going on in science, it is clear to me that the scientific world is in a crisis state. According to Kuhn, a crisis state is when science is in the middle of choosing a particular paradigm to work under. For scientists, there is a general theme or way of thinking which constitutes how they conduct their work and how they analyze their results. Kuhn goes to great measures to classify this scenario as paradigm. In chapter two of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Kuhn states ?(paradigms)...provide models from which spring particular coherent traditions of scientific research,? (p.10). If this is what scientists agree upon as paradigm then it is obvious that science is in a crisis state. At the present time, scientific explanations vary depending on what part of science is being explored. Until there is an idea/theory that explains science as a whole, science will be in a crisis state. In order for scientists to successfully remove themselves from this crisis state they need to understand how science arrived to this point and why it has stayed there for the past century. In the seventeenth century a scientists known as Newton came forward with his Principia Mathematica. In Shlain's Art and Physics he states that, ?He made sweeping discoveries about gravity, motion, and light.? This Principia explained every part of science that was known to man. (Keep in mind that ?Science that is known to man,? is a very important piece to my theory.) In the time of Newton, the three laws of motion were sufficient for explaining how and why the world works as it does. Newton's theory consisted of the three laws of motion. The first one, every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion, unless it's compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it. The second law states that the change of motion is proportional to the motive force impressed, and is made in the direction of the right line in which that force is impressed. The third law simply pulls the two together by stating that to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton had given the world what we now know as physics. For the past three hundred years Newtonian Mechanics have been taught to every student aspiring to elevate their minds. Newtonian Mechanics were the end all to the questions that had plagued thinkers since the beginning of time. The key difference is that Newton was never exposed to the world of science that technology had made prevalent to the likes of an Einstein or Hawking, or even my colleague studying neuro surgery at John's Hopkins University. When Newton was sitting under his apple tree conjuring up ideas for how and why he did not fly off into space or why the harder you hit something the farther it goes, technology was moving along at the rate of most people's grandmothers in their walkers. The scientists that had surrounded Newton knew only of what they could see. Their were no people looking to the far ends of the galaxies and their were no people looking in to the unseen cells that make up everything that we can see. Basic ally, Newton did not have a reason to explain what he was not aware of. He did have quite good reason, however, to explain why he got a bump on his head from that ripe apple that no longer needed the shelter of the tree. According to Shlain, Newton set the world he knew to mechanics and set the parameters for the new and final, well what was thought to be the final paradigm of the world. Then in 1905,

How to Make the Most of Your LinkedIn Profile

How to Make the Most of Your LinkedIn Profile Whats one of the most neglected, but often the most beneficial social media platform, for freelancers? LinkedIn. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which are more social in nature, LinkedIn was created, and is used mostly, as a tool for business. People dont expect to be on LinkedIn to create personal relationships or keep in touch as much as they are to connect with like-minded professionals, create networking opportunities, and find work. As a freelancer, this gives you not only a good reason to be on LinkedIn, but to take full advantage of it. Here are some of my top tips on using LinkedIn as a source of new clients and freelancing work: 1. Complete your profile: Finish it. The more complete your profile, the better chance you have of showing up in the search results. You want your profile to sparkle before potential clients check it out. Like your letter of introduction, your LinkedIn profile can do a lot of the marketing and selling for you without much effort if youve taken the time to really customize it and work on it early on. 2. Make your profile keyword rich: You know how you go on LinkedIn and search for potential clients to connect with? Those same people are often using the search bar in LinkedIn to find freelancers they might like to hire. Will you show up in the search results? If youre a writer specializing in climate change, make sure to include that keyword, along with other relevant ones, in your profile. Ditto for business writing, content marketing, and any regions that youd like to be known for. 3. Use first person: Your LinkedIn profile is not a resume, nor should it read like one. If you want to think of it as a resume, think of it as a very modern version of one. Look, youre not looking for a job here, youre looking to connect with people. And the best way to do that is 4. Participate in groups: A fantastic way to start connecting with people you dont know without actually adding them straight to your network is 5. Recommend people: Give out recommendations when you can and show your clients that you appreciate them. It will lead to better relationships and more work from people you already like working with. You might even get one back. 6. Find content marketing gigs through search: One of the most effective ways of finding work through LinkedIn is simple: Search for it. This works especially well if youre looking for higher-paying content marketing, business, or agency clients. Ive found several clients on LinkedIn that have paid $200 an hour and up. Use keywords such as content, content marketing, environment editor, business magazine, content director, and tweak according to the kind of publications or organizations youre looking for and the titles of the people in those organizations that are most likely to hire freelancers. LinkedIn can be a very effective tool in your arsenal if you now how to use it right. With the tips above, youll be well on your way. - Mridu Khullar Relph is on a mission to help writers make money. Check out her website to find sample query letters that sold to top publications, case studies on how she became a regular writer for The New York Times and TIME, resources on six-figure freelancing, and a free list of 70+ markets that pay $1 a word. www.TheInternationalFreelancer.com

Environmental science Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental science - Research Paper Example On the other hand, the quality of water is compromised in the essence that it is polluted on a number of occasions. In many regions, the availability of water in both quantity and quality is affected by climate variability and climate change, with more or less precipitation in different regions and more extreme weather events. Sanitation is the collection of waste safely, storing, treating of waste, and disposing it. In a nutshell the managing of waste presence in water is of importance. This is so that we are able to avert the various diseases as typhoid and cholera and to keep away from toxic substances to bring about economic benefits. In many developing and developed countries the use of piped sewer systems, pit latrines with slab, septic tanks is low. In addition, there are hanging toilets, latrines, most facilities are shared, in some instances there are no facilities, and the people use the bush or field for waste disposal. The use of piped water in dwelling units, boreholes, and methods of rainwater collection that are improved are low while on the contrast unprotected springs and the surface water as rivers, dams, and streams are high in developed and developing countries alike. Since time long ago, food and energy are fundamentals to life. This is because for a growing economy and political goodwill matters of food and energy must be addressed that crop up from generation of power and agriculture. For instance in the United States: 34% of water is used for agriculture, 48% is used for generating power and 18% for others (Forest Practices Board 79). However, in most developing and developed economies, agricultural production takes 70% generally of the water consumed (evaporation and transpiration or other means). Therefore, for irrigation purposes and improved agricultural production, generation of power there has to be a nexus in water, food, and energy (Forest Practices Board 86). There are projections on the rise of the sea level from 18 to 59 cm in 2090 -2099. This extreme event in association with a rise in the sea level will cause serious effects to human beings. With food being the major worry there would be increase in crop production in temperatures below 3 degrees Celsius and a decrease in a couple of areas. More people will be at risk of heart and breathe diseases, malnutrition, diarrhea, and extreme conditions of weather (Starrett 69). There may be contraction in the geographical area malaria will affect and an expansion elsewhere. The freshness of water would also be compromised due to melting, acidification, and increased population. Seasonal transmission periods will also change. To conclude the effects on climate change on human beings would bring more negative implications than benefits (United Nations 45). The lingering concern is for the protection of the environment. This is because climate change will lead to some regions becoming deserts; there would be increased warm intermediate flow beneath and a gradual grounding line movement. This will bring about destabilization in the form of food and energy production and the livelihoods of various citizens would be curtailed. Various economies would be mixed up and globally detrimental effects will be felt by alike. Case

A THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL EVALUATION OF THE LOGISTICAL PROCESSES AT Essay

A THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL EVALUATION OF THE LOGISTICAL PROCESSES AT TATE AND LYLE, SILVERTOWN - Essay Example 1998). Supply chain management (SCM) is the 21st century global operations strategy for achieving organizational competitiveness. Companies are attempting to find ways to improve their flexibility and responsiveness and in turn competitiveness by changing their operations strategy, methods and technologies that include the implementation of SCM paradigm and information technology (IT) (A. Gunasekaran, E.W.T. Ngai 2003). The industries in the 21st century are trying to improve their infrastructure in order to compete in the global market. The industries are adopting agile methods for the sake of fulfilment of market requirements. For achieving market goals industries are moving towards outsourcing virtual enterprises and resulting in the decentralization of their activities for getting maximum market benefits. So there is the need of a bridge, which may serve as an integrator between suppliers and partnering firms, in the domains of supply chains or logistics. The bridge which can fill the gap, between suppliers and partnering firms, is the domain of Information Technology. The integration of suppliers and partnering firms through Information Technology evolved the new approach known as Supply Chain Management. Supply Chain Management Systems or logistic systems are present everywhere and they are adopted by many industry champions or network leaders. In the beginning the interorganizational systems used by the industries were only able to support the automation of manual processes such as for managing orders and accounts. Then with the passage of time the addition of different powerful features, like information sharing, communication and collaboration, in the existing systems have made them more robust and beneficial for network leaders (Icasati - Johanson and Fleck 2003). There are round about 30,000 interorganizational systems which are being

Japan Profile Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Japan Profile - Assignment Example The country lacks natural resources and arable lands. The population of Japan is 127.4 million people (CountryWatch, 2009). Tokyo is the capital of Japan. The main religions practiced in Japan are Buddhism and Shinto. The official language of the nation is Japanese, but English is taught in all secondary schools for business purposes (CountryGrams, 2009). Japan’s weather goes through the four seasons. In the northern region, winters can be cold, while the southern parts of tropical weather prevail. The climate is mostly hot and humid. The time difference between Melbourne, Florida, and Tokyo, Japan is 13 hours. The monetary unit utilized in Japan is the Yen. The conversion rate in the foreign exchange markets of the dollar to yen is 1: 93.62 (Xe, 2009). The address of the U.S. Embassy in Japan is 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Toyko 107-8420 Japan, and the phone number are 03-3224-5000 (Usembassy, 2009). Japan’s society is a group-oriented society. The family is the foundation of Japanese society. Employees are very loyal in Japan and people that hold power are respected. Whenever a person receives a favor or gift, they feel obligated to return the favor. Businessmen wear suits and ties in public, while women wear dresses and slacks. In Japan, the traditional greeting is a bow, but when greeting foreigners handshakes is the norm. Women are visualized as inferior to men in the workplace. Yawning in public is seen as impolite. Japanese people are very punctual and offended when people are late for appointments. The Japanese diet consists of rice, fresh vegetables, seafood, fruit, and small portions of meat most of which are seasoned with soy sauce or sweet sake (CultureGrams, 2009). Other popular meals include sushi, miso, and sashimi. The most popular sport in Japan is baseball. Other popular sporting activities are soccer, volleyball, and jogging. Men are raised to become the head of the family.

Importance Of Internet Communication Virtual Way Of Life Media Essay

Importance Of Internet Communication Virtual Way Of Life Media Essay The essay states the importance of internet, communication, virtual way of life and peculiarities of the modern world. The Internet opens large opportunities for work, leisure, communication, and sharing diverse information. Internet has changed the world and society consistently because the creation of internet and its growing popularity contributed to the consistent change in the life of people. They have opened the new, virtual world and a new effective means of communication- internet which have started to replace the traditional means of communication, to the extent that online communication has started to replace the live, real, physical communication between people. As well, essay shows to the audience the advantages and disadvantages of such way of life, the opportunities and interest in everything new. Today, staying online for the majority of people, who have computers at home, means more than staying offline. In actuality, people are relying too much on internet and on th e virtual way of life. Such a change has occurred under the impact of internet and innovation it brought into the life of people and their social relationships. The essay also states, that Internet era has changed the perception of having rest or relaxation for many people, as the unknown world of virtual reality seems to have something special. People tend to use internet as the means to escape from reality, from problems they have in the real life. Running from reality has become one of the most simplest ways to avoid problems, to postpone them, to try to forget and to involve in something that brings joy and happiness. The essay context is aimed to show the trends of the society, of the business and of the future. The essay also described that people prefer share their problems with strangers in their blog, as this way they are unknown in the internet and this fact helps people to communicate, inventing new ways of solving problems, communication and also fun. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦blo gs help people to talk to someone, without revelation of their personality. In such a way, people can make a sort of confession and receive feedback from users that relieves them and encourages people to carry on writing about issues which important for them in their blogs. The essay shows the counter arguments of people who have different opinion from the majority. People can live without technology, having other interests, probably more interesting than the online world. For instance, many people have little ideas of advanced information technologies and they are quite happy in their non-technological world. Some people do not admit the existence of the virtual world, considering it as a game, or something not serious and that will pass soon. They do not take it seriously and do not take into consideration all the advantages it brings, that is why there are claims that staying in the virtual world means just killing of time. For instance, Guillermo Gomez-Pena in The Virtual Barrio @ the Other Frontier refers to the example of Mexicans, who live next to the US, with its advanced information technologies, and local people are still simple and maintain traditional social relationships instead of virtual ones [Mexicans] are simple people. They are happy w ith the little they gotà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They are not ambitious and complex like us. They dont need all this technology to communicate. Sometimes I just feel like going down there and living among them. (p. 555). Counter argument can exist, but they should not hide the reality and the important technologies along with the technological progress that has its advantages. Nevertheless, technologies keep progressing and affect more and more people. Technology has definitely changed humanity, as nowadays people devote a lot of time to the online way of life, exploring it, reading, watching, listening and communicating. Some people can balance and live in harmony with the technologies, but some people become addicted to the technologies, to the computer especially. Some people do not have the limit, as described in the essay. Some people create their own virtual world of online friends, of the websites to visit, of the places to spend time, of the games to play, of the videos to download. People no more want to share their thoughts, their dreams or ideas with their friends offline; instead they choose the options to write about all that in their blogs and micro blogs and social networking sites. There is the reasoning of a counter argument and there should be found a balance to be able to depict everything useful from the online world and to live happily in the offline world. The essay ethically responds to the reasoning of a counter argument and shows the both sides of the issue. Communication offline has become something challenging especially for youngsters these day, as it is much easier to respond or to give ideas when a person is at home and he does not fear to see the reaction of another person who will read his message. The more people get involved in the virtual world, the more challenging it is to get out of there. The essay about violence addresses counter argument and arguments reasoning. It includes the description of the problem, the different views on it, the possible solutions and different opinions of the experts. When analyzing the problem of violence and its impact on individuals, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that violence is a fundamental part of the life of people. In regard, it is possible to refer to history, when cruel and violent acts were considered to be a norm. The essay also includes the major claim considering the fact how violence is widely- spread and how many people suffer from it. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦cases of domestic violence were a norm in the past, because the violence in relation to children, for example, was considered to be essential to raise them up as good people. Others would argue that this kind of violence is still practiced. I would totally agree, but what is beginning shown by me side is that it used to be a norm that people did not see it anything more than a tool used to bring up good disciplined kids. Whereas, nowadays, it is considered a crime, at least in our society, and so, people have distanced from it to an extent. Reflective essay claims concentrate on the facts that some believe that by using violence they can solve all their problems and gain the respect of their social environment. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they are unconscious of the negative effect of the violence on their own personality because the violence has a destructive impact on the behavior and psychology of individuals. Some would argue this, Many people like to use Mohandes Ghandi as an example of non-violent protest winning the day. But the only reason Ghandis tactics worked is because he was using them against a civilized adversary, the British Empire. Had he tried to use them against someone else, like Nazi Germany, he would have ended up with a bullet to the back of the head or in one of the cremation ovens after being worked to death in a concentration camp. There are also counter arguments present in the essay to highlight the opinions from different people with different points of views.Violence does solve things. It has ended brutal dictatorships, saved citizens from the predation of criminals, prevented injustices on a small and large scale, and prevented wars. Perhaps the old saying needs to be modified. Instead, it should be Violence never solves anything if it is used at the wrong time in the wrong place. Violence in and of itself solves nothing. It is the proper use of violence under the right circumstances that solves problems (Farm). Essay context is aimed to show the importance of the issue, the key problems and claims. There are a lot of factors that provoke the violence and that increase the risk of the violent and aggressive behavior from the peoples side. At the same time, people are vulnerable to a consistent impact of their environment and different situations in their life which make them choosing the violent model of behavior as the only effective way of behavior. The essay also described the solutions to the problem for the audience. People often have an alternative to the violent model of behavior but they do not always use them because they need much more efforts and they are not as widely-spread as violent methods, which have always accompanied the mankind in the course of its development and evolution.

Rock n Roll & 20th Century Culture Essay -- essays research papers fc

Rock ‘n’ roll and 20th Century Culture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Philip Ennis, rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the convergence of social transformations which resulted from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a generation and, in the last decade, it as even been acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped to change as a major influence in the country. In order to understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came from.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Albert Murray, the African-American musical tradition is â€Å"fundamentally stoical yet affirmative in spirit† (Star 3). Through the medium of the blues, African-Americans expressed a resilience of spirit which refused to be crippled by either poverty or racism. It is through music that the energies and dexterities of black American life are sounded and expressed (39). For the black culture in this country, the music of Basie or Ellington expressed a â€Å"wideawake, forward-tending† rhythm that one can not only dance to but live by (Star 39).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although he later denied that he ever said it, Sam Phillips-the man who discovered Elvis Presley-is reputed to have said, â€Å"if I could find a white man who had the Negro sound the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars† (Decurtis 78). Certain radio stations would not play the work of black artists in the segregated America of the 1950s. But, nevertheless, rock ‘n’ roll was an art form created by African-Americans. Little Richard, whose songs â€Å"Tutti Fruitti† and â€Å"Long Tall Sally† became hits only after white-bread versions were made by Pat Boone, said, â€Å"It started out as rhythm and blues† (Decurtis 78).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through Elvis Presley, rock ‘n’ roll changed the face of American music, and influenced a whole generation’s political philosophy. Composer Leonard Berstein once said, â€Å"He introduced the beat to everything and changed everything-music, language, clothes; it’s a whole new social revolution-the 60s come from it† (Wattenberg 6B). To his credit, Elvis embraced rhythm and blues not as a from to be imitated, but as a form to honored and interprete... ...  to American History. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  York: Houghton Mifflin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Co. Goodman, Dean. â€Å"Dylan fans get tangled up in academic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  views,† Reuters (1998):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  February, p. PG. Harris, James F. â€Å"Listen to the music: the meaning of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  classic rock,† The World & I, Vol.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11, 12 Ed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (1996): December, pp. 306. Ryan, John. â€Å"The Seventh Stream: The emergency of rock n   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  roll in American popular   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  music,† (Book reviews)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Social Forces (1994): March, p. 927. Star, Alexander. â€Å"Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meaning in American Popular   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Music† (book reviews) The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New Republic, Vol. 210. (1994): May, pp. 39-42. Wattenberg, Daniel. â€Å"Elvis as force for social change has   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  sadly been forgotten,† Rocky   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mountain News. (1997):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  August, pp. 6B.

Debt Policy at Ust Inc.

Executive Summary Holding nearly 80% of the market share in the smokeless tobacco industry, UST Inc. has been generating large and stable income. However, the leading company in a certain industry tends to react slowly to market share erosion by competing firms and lack of creativity in the introduction of new product, a situation UST Inc. is now undergoing. Concerning the declining sales growth and gradual loss of the market share, UST Inc. is now considering recapitalizing by issuing debt amounts to $1 billion.By recapitalizing, it can create a total $380 million interest tax shield to add up firm value and, at the same time, make shareholders better off by using the proceeds from the issuance of debt to buyback outstanding shares. Although declining sales growth and litigation problem might be hidden concerns for UST Inc. , after some analysis about the attributes of the company such as business risk, capital structure as well as payout policy, I still believe that UST Inc. s head ing toward the right direction. And we can also observe that, after the adjustment of capital structure, its traditional dividend payout policy will not be hampered in the near future. Analysis of Business Risks (from bondholder’s viewpoint) Bondholders only care about the ability of the company to make interest payments and whether they can get the face value when the bond matures. Therefore, we have to consider the factors that contribute to the amount and stability of future EBIT.In the situation of UST, several factors have more of an impact on the company’s business risk, such as sales growth, competition faced owing to other competitors’ erosion into their market share and the effect of litigation problem and government regulations. Since the smokeless tobacco are considered less harmful to health and increased prevalence of smoking bans, demand of smokeless tobacco has undergone a continued growth, which would contribute good prospect to UST since its pro ducts strategy focus primarily on smokeless tobacco.However, as a dominant player in the industry, UST seems to be less creative on the introduction of new product and react too slowly to other competitors’ erosion into their market share. So far, UST has been increasing the price of their product as a way to boost their annual earning, which gives other players a perfect chance to gain some market share by using price value strategy. Despite the steady decline of market share might turn into future concern for UST, it still holds 77% of the market share. Besides, UST has started to make effort in new product development and renew their marketing and promotion strategy.On the other hand, although litigation and legislation problems have impacts on sales of UST, these problems has been there for a long time, which means that it shouldn’t create new turbulence on the prospect of UST. To conclude, the attributes of UST are steadily growing EBIT(approximately 9% compounded ), dominant market share in the industry. Therefore, although there are some disadvantages toward their future earning power, such as increasing competition and litigation problems, bondholders shouldn’t care too much on them since the interest expense is still a minor portion of the total EBIT.The Timing of Recapitalization It is publicly known that, through leverage, companies can lower their WACC and receive benefit from interest tax shield in order to boost their firm value. This is exactly what UST Inc. is doing right now. By issuing debt and use the fund to buy back outstanding shares, it is boosting their stock price higher. I reckon that the reason they choose to do so at this specific time is because the company has been facing more and more vigorous competition these years and undergoing declining rate of sales growth.By adopting leverage recapitalization, UST can still make the stockholder better off even its sales growth is not high enough. Besides, UST’s d ebt to asset ratio is currently at a low level compare to other competitors in the industry. Therefore, they can adopt the recapitalization strategy without worrying too much about the default risk problem. Capital Structure after the Recapitalization From the pro forma income statement (exhibit 1) in the appendix, we can see that even if the bond is issued at a rating of BBB (higher cost of debt), the EBIT/interest coverage ratio is still 10. 21, which shows that UST as sufficient amount of EBIT to make the interest payments. And the marginal effect on UST’s firm value would be the total debt ($1 billion) multiplied by the corporate tax rate (38%), which is $380 million. Dividend Payout Policy From Exhibit 2, we can observe that, under current condition, the payout ratio is around 63%, which is the percentage UST has long been paying out in the past. Therefore, it is safe to draw the conclusion that the recapitalization will not hamper future dividend payment under current c ondition. However, we are not sure whether the market share and the growth of sales will continue to drop.If they do, it will become more and more difficult for UST to stick to their traditional â€Å"pleasing† payout policy. Likely, we are not sure whether the litigation problem will be more of a concern for UST in the future. Ultimately, despite the fact that the opponents’ erosion into UST’s market share and litigation problem are both hidden concerns, it takes time for both problems to pose a threat to UST’s traditional payout policy. Appendix Exhibit 1 Pro Forma Income Statement Exhibit 2 Dividend Calculation after the Buyback Program Corporate Finance Case Study Assignment Debt Policy at UST Inc. Debt Policy at Ust Inc. Executive Summary As the leading manufacturer in the moist smokeless tobacco industry, UST Inc. has long been recognized by its ability to generate high profit using low financial leverage. With a dominant market share of 77%, the company maintains a pricing power that allows it to institute annual price increases without losing costumers. However, UST’s market share was eroded significantly in recent years by price-value competitors who enter the market with lower prices. Although UST responded to these threat by introducing new products, market share still decreased by 1. 6% over past 7 years.In addition, UST is also exposed to an unfavorable legislative environment, in which the company is under advertising and product promotion restrictions. The increasing business risks force management of UST to consider a recapitalization plan in which UST borrows up to $1 billion to repurchase its stocks. The marginal effect of the recapitalization will be a $380 million increase in fi rm value, which is the present value of interest tax shield. Besides the recapitalization benefit, management also needs to notice the costs of recapitalization, which include higher bankruptcy costs and a potential of lower credit rating.UST has a high and constant dividend payout history since 1912. The recapitalization will expose more risks to shareholders since revenues will be used to pay interest before pay dividends. Thus, the recapitalization may hamper future dividend payments. Background Having long been the leading company in the moist smokeless tobacco industry, UST Inc. was famous for its product innovation, dominate market share, and pricing adjusting power. However, as the competition of the moist smokeless tobacco industry became more intense and the legislative environment became more unfavorable, UST is facing several business risks: . Lose of market share. Relying on its superior products and innovation ability, UST used to control most of the moist smokeless tob acco market and was able to increase the price of its products year by year without losing its customers. The historical pricing flexibility gave UST a robust earning performance and bumped up its stock prices. However, as the speed of product innovation became slower, UST is facing the threat of price-value competitors, who enter the market by charging a lower price. Although later UTS responded to the threat by introducing new products, the company’s market share still dropped from 86. % in 1991 to 77. 2% in 1998. 2. Increase exposure to legislative environment. Moist smokeless tobacco manufactures used to face fewer lawsuits than cigarette manufactures due to less scientific evidence liking smokeless tobacco to cancer. However, the legislative environment has become more unfavorable to smokeless tobacco manufactures since the industry has agreed on a ban on advertising in order to settle state Medicaid lawsuit. Also, UST was the only main manufacturer that signed an agreem ent on promotion restrictions that aim to reduce youth exposure.Recapitalization UST has been widely known for its conservative debt policy, which allows the company to generate high returns with very low financial leverage. However, as business risks such as market share erosion and unfavorable legislation exposure increase, UST has an incentive to change its capital structure in order to benefit from interest tax shield and maximize the firm value. Recapitalization will also benefit shareholders in a way of higher company stock price since the proceeds from debt will be used to repurchase outstanding stocks.Also, although UST has a very high gross profit margin and return on assets on its core business compared to other smokeless tobacco manufactures, the poor performance of its non-core operations such as market wine and premium cigars give UST a low to zero profit contribution. UST’s management needs to diversify its product line and bump up earnings by investing more in the non-core operations using debt funds. Marginal Effect of Recapitalization To analysis if UST should undertake the $1 million recapitalization, management needs to calculate the value of the firm before and after ecapitalization. In a market with taxation, the value of the levered firm equals to the value of the unlevered firm plus the present value of interest tax shield. Because management assumes that the new debt is constant and perpetual, the present value of interest tax shield equals to the amount of debt multiplied by the effective tax rate, which is 38%. Thus, the present value of UST’s future tax saving should be 38% * $ 1 billion, which is $380 million. At the end of 1998, the market equity of UST was $6,470. 8 million based on the average shares outstanding and year-end stock price.If UST borrows $1 billion debt immediately, the total value of the levered firm would be $6,470. 8 million unlevered value plus $380 million tax shield, which is $6,850. 8 million. B ecause firm value will rise to $6,850. 8 million immediately after the recapitalization announcement, original shareholders will capture the full benefit of interest tax shield since they are able to sell their stocks at a higher price. The new stock price is determined by dividing the value of the levered firm by the number of shares outstanding at the end of 1998.Since there were 185, 516,055 shares outstanding at year end 1998, the new stock price after the announcement of recapitalization would be $6,850. 8 million divided by 185, 516,055, which is $36. 93. Compared to the original stock price of $34. 88, each pre-existing shareholder will benefit $2. 05 from the increase in leverage. If taxation is the only issue that management should take into consideration, the marginal effect of raising debt will be increase in company value by $380 million.However, as financial leverage increases, default risk on debt also increases, thus leads to a potential increase in bankruptcy costs. UST has been maintained an A-1 credit for its low debt / capital ratio of 28. 2%, which is a competitive advantage over its competitors who are highly leveraged. If UST decides to increase its leverage ratio, it will cause rating agencies to revalue its capital structure and cash flow generating ability in order to assign an appropriate rating.The potential change in rating will significantly affect UST’s cost of capital. Thus, management should balance the tax benefit with the expected cost of bankruptcy to maximize form value. Besides its conservative debt policy, UST was also famous for its stable and constant dividend payout since 1912. The recapitalization may hamper future dividend payments since earnings should be used to pay off debt and interest expense before they are delivered as dividends to stockholders.Because debt is risk-free and debt holders have first claim on a company’s asset, levered equity often carries a higher risk premium than unlevered equity to compensate stockholders. The remaining balance of earnings after paying interest may also be retained for operating purpose. Thus, the possibility of an interruption of cash dividends payout may occur. Summary In summary, facing the increase business risks of losing market share and exposing to unfavorable legislations, the management of UST Inc. s considering changing the company’s capital structure by raising $1 billion debt and accelerating its stock buyback program. The benefit of recapitalization will be an increase in firm value of $380 million and increase in stock price by $2. 05 each share. However, management should also take into consideration the potential increase in bankruptcy costs and changes in credit rating. Last, the constant divided payout may be hampered by recapitalization since earnings need to be used to pay interest to debt holders first.

Italian Christmas Traditions and Customs

Italian Christmas Traditions and Customs During Christmastime, one readily observable difference between Italy and the United States, for instance, is the lack of crass commercialism that threatens to swallow up and completely secularize the holiday. For instance, instead of writing letters to Santa Claus asking for presents (or, in the digital age,  e-mailing Santa Claus), Italian children write letters to tell their parents how much they love them. The letter is normally placed under their fathers plate and read after Christmas Eve dinner has been finished. Italians have also adopted some of the  northern European traditions  as well. Nowadays, especially in northern Italy, a fair number of families decorate an evergreen tree in their home. Here are some other rituals, customs, and traditions practiced by Italians during the Christmas holidays: Ceppo: The  ceppo  is a wooden frame several feet high designed in a pyramid shape. This frame supports several tiers of shelves, often with a manger scene on the bottom followed by small gifts of fruit, candy, and presents on the shelves above. The Tree of Light, as it is also know, is entirely decorated with colored paper, gilt pinecones, and miniature colored pennants. Small candles are fastened to the tapering sides and a star or small doll is hung at the apex. Urn of Fate: An old tradition in Italy calls for each member of the family to take turns drawing a wrapped gift out of a large ornamental bowl until all the presents are distributed. Zampognari and Pifferai: In Rome and surrounding areas bagpipers and flute players, in traditional colorful costumes of sheepskin vests, knee-high breeches, white stockings and long dark cloaks, travel from their homes in the Abruzzi mountains to entertain crowds of people at religious shrines. La Befana:  Kindly old witch  who brings children toys on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6. According to the legend of la Befana, the Three Wise Men stopped at her hut to ask directions on their way to Bethlehem and to invite her to join them. She refused, and later a shepherd asked her to join him in paying respect to the Christ Child. Again she refused, and when night fell she saw a great light in the skies. La Befana thought perhaps she should have gone with the Three Wise Men, so she gathered some toys that had belonged to her own child, who had died, and ran to find the kings and the shepherd. But la Befana could not find them or the stable. Now, each year she looks for the Christ Child. Since she cannot find him, she leaves gifts for the children of Italy and pieces of coal (nowadays  carbone dolce, a rock candy that looks remarkably like coal) for the bad ones. Holiday Season: On the Italian holiday calendar December 25 isnt the only special day. Throughout December and January there are a number of religious holidays to mark the season. DECEMBER 6: La Festa di San Nicola - The festival in honor of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of shepherds, is celebrated in towns such as Pollutri with the lighting of fires under enormous cauldrons, in which  fave  (broad beans) are cooked, then eaten ceremoniously. DECEMBER 8: LImmacolata Concezione - celebration of the Immaculate Conception DECEMBER 13: La Festa di Santa Lucia - St. Lucys Day DECEMBER 24: La Vigilia di Natale - Christmas Eve DECEMBER 25: Natale - Christmas DECEMBER 26: La Festa di Santo Stefano - St. Stephens Day marks the announcement of the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Three Wise Men DECEMBER 31: La Festa di San Silvestro - New Years Eve JANUARY 1: Il Capodanno - New Years Day JANUARY 6: La Festa dellEpifania - The Epiphany

Compare and contrast on Food Inc Essays

Compare and contrast on Food Inc Essays Compare and contrast on Food Inc Essay Compare and contrast on Food Inc Essay Compare and Contrast 1 1/18/13 Compare and Contrast GMOs: Good or sad? And theyre [GMOs] curing cancer?! . In the Nine Things You Should Know About Genetically Modified Organisms article, the author Melissa Leon, tells the reader the pros of Genetically Modified Organisms, GMOs, and how they can benefit humanity in the near future. In the film Food Inc. , the director, Robert Kenner, wants to show the viewers the truth about what is really in their food and where it actually comes from. In its debate of peoples health, success of enhancing food, and ustomer satistfaction, the Nine Things article is more effective than Food Inc. ecause the article tells readers what they want to hear unlike the film that shows viewers images they do not want to see. The article Nine things tells the reader that Genetically Modified Organisms are healthy to consume. It states genetically altered foods have largely beend deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration, as well as the World Health Organi zation and the American Medical Association(Pg# 3). Consumers may be worried that brands such as Tyson are putting harmful chemicals in their food but theres really othing to worry about. According to the article Whole Foods Jus made history by becoming the first U. S. retailer to require labeling of any foods containing genetically modified content(page #1). This helps the consumers health as well because it allows them to know what exactly is in the product they want to purchase and if they are allergic to anything in the product. In the film Food Inc. the director, Robert Kenner decided to have a mother, Barbara Kowalcyk, tell her story to the audience about the son she had lost due to an E-coli outbreak. Mrs. Kowalcyk tells the viewers that her son was diagnosed with hemolytic-uremic syndrome through a burger he ate that had been contaminated with E. Coli. She lost her son due to this syndrome and since then she has been fghting to prevent this from happening again. With that said, Kevins Law was passed in 2005 and it gave the U. S. Department of Agriculture the power to shut down any plant that was producing any sort of contaminated meat. This doesnt help consumers out as much as the required labeling mentioned in 9 things because he meat might have another chemical or product in it that the public does not know about. The article mentioned that in Massachusetts a biotech company modified a salmon. They made it so that the salmon grows to its adult size in a year and a half instead of 3 years like it should. The article states that this could potentially ease some presssure off wild fish stocks(page #7). As of now, salmon is in high demand so that means that the numbers are depleating quickly, but thanks to this GMO baby will keep getting bigger and bigger. GMOs can also be used to turn fish into house pets. The Glo-fish was the first altered organism to be sold as a pet to the public. The original purpose of the Glo-fish was to locate enviornmental toxins but no one complained about having them as pets. In Food Inc. Kenner shows the viewers that chickens are genetically altered to grow twice the size they should in a shorter time span like the salmon. The only problem with this is that the chickens body gets too heavy for them to support so most of them die because of starvation. The film didnt show the viewer what really happens to the dead hens, it only show the owner pile them up. For all the viewers know the food companies can be coming back to the farm to collect the dead chickens and use the meat anyways. It sounds reasonable due to the fact that Tyson declined to be interviewed in the film and by doing so the viewers know that the company is hiding something they dont want to reveal to the public. The thing consumer like about the article is that it talks about saving money. Now in this economy its better to save than to spend. Most Americans spend about $1 50 to $250 on food for the week. Because of GMOs they might be saving a little bit more oney. Now the bad thing is that prices would go up by a small percentage in corn and soybeans. The consumers know this so unless they really need these products, theyll stay away from purchasing them at their locar market. The labeling will eventually catch on in other markets such as Costco, Target, Safeway, etc. , so by reading the labels, consumers will know exactly what is in the product and they can determine whether they need it or not. When viewers watch Food Inc. it makes them think twice about going out to eat at a fast food restaurant. With that said, they will save money because the average American goes out to eat at least 3 times a week. After watching the film, they will have a sense about where the food at the local McDonalds really comes from. The advertisements say things like fresh from our farm but in reality the meat comes from an assembly line rather than a farm. For example, on highway 5 heading to Los Angeles, California; There is a so called farm on the left hand side. It looks nothing like a farm. The cows are all bunched up, theyre covered in dirt and their own feces. Its more of an industry, the cows Just go there to be slaughtered for their meat and sold to restaurants. If Americans care about animals like they say they do, then they will have a sense to stop eating out at fast food places that alter the meat. All in all, Nine things had stronger facts on the subjects compared to Food Inc because the article only talked about the positives of GMOs. Food Inc. indeed talked about positives as well but it brought itself to a disadvantage by talking about the negatives such as false advertisement and contaminated meat.

Japan's Dragon Triangle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Japan's Dragon Triangle - Essay Example As you travel on the other side of the globe, towards the Pacific ocean off the coast of Japan, you are likely to encounter a less known, but equally mystical area of ocean, known as â€Å"The Dragon Triangle† more popularly known to the Japanese as â€Å"Ma-no Umi† which literally translates as â€Å"The Sea of the Devil†. A series of unexplainable events, which are beyond the powers of us mere mortals, has led to the development of sensational theories, some of which have even found way into the folk lore of the Japanese people. According to the myth, the dragons live deep underneath the deadly sea and their movement causes the sudden churn in waves, whirlpools, dense fog and sudden storms. While yet others believe it to be the handiwork of â€Å"mikakunin hiko-buttai†, Japanese for UFOs. Various authors, scientists and researchers have attempted to solve such mythical occurrences and reason the popular theories revolving around witchcraft, haunting, demon possessions and wizardry but none, so far, have come close to actually addressing the problem. However, Theodre Schick and Lewis Vaughn, in their famous book titled â€Å"How to think about weird things†, have presented an interesting formula called the SEARCH formula, which is in fact an acronym for the four steps. If we consider the case of the Japanese Dragon Triangle, and study it in the light of the tool developed by Vaughn and Schwick, chances are we might derive some logical conclusions and help clear the myths relating to such mysteries.

Geotechnical Properties & Construction Methods Coursework

Geotechnical Properties & Construction Methods - Coursework Example At this stage, Engineer will be collecting data from Geological survey, topographic maps, photogeology (aerial) , digital data, borehole records, national survey, mining records in order to understand the geology, compressive soils, drift thickness, landslides, soluble rocks, made ground, etc.†¦ The main importance of the desk study is to understand the geological condition of the site in order to analyse its implication during any stage of the planned engineering activity. This means that for a difficult ground condition, either the foundation design has to be adequate or a reduction of the actual superstructure loads has to be considered. In the given site, the points below can be listed as evidence of desk study as an element of site investigation: Borehole data: the presence of made ground and building debris with patches of old oil spillages; this has been found at a thickness of 1m above the ground level. Soft silt up to a depth of 10m then compacted sand and gravel at 18m . This is the exact composition of the soil beneath and will allow for adequate selection of foundation design. Knowing that up to a depth of1m below the ground level, the soil has almost no strength. This layer will have no importance in the overall bearing capacity of the soil. The Borehole data will enable Engineers to be aware of possible soil contamination of the top soil, weak soil up to a depth of 10m and that strong strata can be seen only after 18m below the ground level. One can argue that Strip foundation; defined as shallow foundation (Maheshwari, 2009) will never be ideal for this type of soil. Topographic map. For the considered site, a topographic map has been obtained. This gives the large-scale detail as well as the relief of the site. It consists of measuring the ground level with respect to a benchmark (Mellow, 2010). On map has shown latitude, which is the level of a given point on site with respect to the ground level. For the fact that two points of the same si te are not always at the same level with respect to the sea level, while a building requires a level terrain, topographic map will be important to give the ground profile, and enable engineers to quantity earthwork; this is the volume of cutting and filling in order to level the site before construction begins. Ground water table: as an element of the site investigation, the desk study will give enable to locate the ground water. For the proposed site, this is 1.5m below the ground level. McLean and Rible (1985) explained that the water table is a very important factor influencing the overall strength of the soil. In an undrained condition, where the water pressure has been taken into account, the total strength of the soil is much higher than the drained condition, without water; keeping in mind that the latter will give the actual strength parameters of the soil. Overestimating the strength of the soil can lead to structural failure as the foundation will not be under-designed the refore will not be able to support the imposed load from the superstructure. Also, as the required construction has taken into account a basement, deep excavation will be required. Knowing the ground water level, will be very important for the fact that, if it is above the required depth of excavation, flooding will occur and the exaction, representing the working environment will be against the health and safety. It can be seen that the desk study wi

Parental Involvement in Preventing Bullying Behavior Essay

Parental Involvement in Preventing Bullying Behavior - Essay Example Some victims of bullying hold immature perspectives that leaders or parents are not in a position to solve the problems. This approach shows a misguided judgment as parents play a significant role in developing personality and building an individual’s general behavior. Proper parenting originates from effective interactions among family members (Berger, 2008). Parents play the protective role to a child that translates to decreased bullying engagements. Parents also act as the counselors through practical sharing of personal problems. Identifying bullying cases enables proper disciplinary action, use of other effective guiding and counseling approaches. Parents seek other alternatives to solving bullying in any given situations. Bully signs include intimidating other kids within the neighborhood, aggressive attitudes to adults and some antisocial behaviors (Berger, 2008). Some individuals depict suggestive behavior to indicate signs of victimization. Such behaviors include torn clothes, isolation cases, using illogical routines in the neighborhood. Parents provide the moral support on how to cope with cases of bullying at any given incidence. As such, the lessons focus on being assertive without aggression where the said individual is provoked. Parents also supervise children behavior from school participation and home activities (Berger, 2008). This occurs when the parents talk to the children upon notice of behavior change. Sometime the parents participate in school events to evaluate individual progress or child performance. As role models, parents provide practical examples on how to react to different situations in life (Berger, 2008). Parents ensure that children obtain intervention from relevant sources. The parents also offer approaches to reporting cases of bullying by building confidence. Parent involvement in a child’s behavior shows the direct relation to either encouraging or

The Qur’an and Islamic Law Do Not Discriminate Against Women Essay Example for Free

The Qur’an and Islamic Law Do Not Discriminate Against Women Essay Treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. From the last sermon of Prophet Mohammed The perception of most of the world, except possible the one-sixth of it that follows Islam, is that Islam and Qur’an preached that women must be subservient to men. Everyone turns to a verse in the Qur’an which tells men that they should beat their wives. Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in their sleeping places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great. (Shakirs version of the Koran, Quran, 4:34) The verse is used by opponents of Islam to denigrate the faith and even by some of the practitioners of the faith to justify their mistreatment of women, but it may not be being interpreted the way that it should be. Asma Barlas, a professor at Ithaca College and noted scholar of Islam, who identifies herself as a follower of Islam, contends that the interpretation of the verse has been taken out of context and used to portray women in Islam as victims in an attempt to force women of the faith into a position of needing rescuing. That positioning gives women in the Western world a feeling of superiority (Barlas, Southern Illinois University, 2007). The Qur’an instructs people to take God’s Holy Word, The Qur’an, as a whole, she said, and not to pick and choose the verses to follow or not to follow Barlas argues that the Qur’an does not promote the degradation of women. Instead, she said, the Qur’an promotes all humankind equally and is much less mysogonistic than the Bible, the Holy Word of the Christian faith. In her speech at Southern Illinois University, Barlas asserted that she did not speak for anyone other than herself, but her views are shared by many women in Islam. They believe that it is in historic documents used by some Muslim cultures that the Qur’an has been misinterpreted and the mistreatment of women began. â€Å"Again this is not true. Many writers who wrote about womens rights refer to the statement in 4:34 as a sign of the man is above the women in status but it is a misunderstood statement. In 4:34, the expression .. al-rijalu qawwdmuna ala al-nisai. means The men are made responsible for the women, and GOD has endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners. This expression simply means that God is appointing the husband as captain of the ship. Marriage is like a ship, and the captain runs it after due consultation with his officers. It does not assign inequality but rather assigns duties to avoid conflicts and disputes. (â€Å"Misconceptions in Islam†) The problem is that most people don’t take the time to read the original Arabic or even attempt to find an accurate interpretation of the texts, they simply believe what they are told about what the faith believes. This is part of the problem. â€Å"Nonetheless, if we take sexual/textual oppression seriously, and I believe we must, the issue of how Muslims read, or—as I will arguefail to read, the Quran becomes critical, especially for women. † (Barlas, â€Å"Muslim Women Sexual Oppression†) Unlike Christianity which prescribed women to an inferior status by saying that woman was made from the rib of man, (Ragab 1) Islam teaches that God the creator made them as halves of each other. Neither does Islam teach that man was made in God’s image as the Bible does, (Barlas, SIU) but instead teaches that the difference between God and man is so extreme that people can never understand the nature of God. This is one of the arguments that woman supporters of Islam use to argue that Islam is not nearly as mysogonistic as Christiantiy is. Instead, Barlas and others argue that Islam faith promotes equality between the sexes, even going so far as to outline specific rights of women. For example, unlike Christian women, Islamic women are given a specific right to divorce their husbands and allowed to remarry after a three month period. (Ragab 1). â€Å"Both men and women have equal rights to contract a marriage as well as to dissolve it. The precondition of marriage is merely the mutual agreement by both parties. And unlike Christianity, a woman in Islam can divorce her husband at any time if she feels that she has been dealt with unjustly or even if she is just unhappy with her spouse since marriage is based upon mutual responsibilities toward each other. Islam has also ensured the womans right to remarry pending a three month refrainment period. † (Ragab 1) Islam also promotes the equality of women in that it explitly allows them to work outside the home. Muslim countries have even elected women as prime ministers. Some people even argue that the mistreatment of women in the faith comes not from the religion but from many of the colonial overlords that once ruled countries now considered Muslim. â€Å"Much of the civil law that legislates personal and family matters in Egypt, for example, is directly based on old French law. As a result, an Egyptian man can divorce his wife much more easily than the reverse. Consequently, women often have to suffer long and expensive court procedures and have to prove that they were mistreated by their husbands before being granted a divorce. Often times, laws in Middle Eastern countries, which are legislated and enforced by men, only take bits and pieces of Islamic law and combine them with concocted rules based upon some cultural or foreign practices. † (Ragab 1) Other practices, such as the prohibition against women driving in some Muslim countries, has nothing to do with Islam (â€Å"Misconceptions of Islam†) â€Å"Why then is Islam portrayed as a religion that oppresses women and puts them in a position inferior to men? Part of that is certainly due to the stereotyped image of how Islamic women are portrayed in western media as an extension of Islam-bashing. A prominent example is the movie Not Without My Daughter in which scores of false and fictitious depictions were made of women in an Islamic country. It is also true, however, that in many so called Islamic countries, women are not treated according to their God-given rights. But this is not the fault of Islamic ideology but rather the misapplication or sometimes the outright denial of the ideology in these societies. â€Å" (Ragab 1) The misconceptions of the treatment of women in Islam are a factor of the historical writing in some sects and the way that Muslim countries have misinterpted the Qur’an (Baslas, SIU). For example, Sunna and Hadith writings claim that women must wear a veil but this is not in Qur’an. â€Å"These books do not represent the words of God in the Quran and on many occasions contradict them. † (â€Å"Misconceptions of Islam†) But too much of the world has accepted these teachings of the expression of Muslim nations as the absolute truth of Islam. â€Å"This misconception was augmented by some news media that made little effort to correct their understanding before broadcasting their views on this matter. Adding to this misconception are the regrettable practices in most so called Islamic countries or societies where myths, traditions and innovations have won over the true Islamic (Quranic) teachings and where women are traditionally subdued and oppressed. † (â€Å"Misconceptions of Islam†).