Tony Blair - Address to US Congress Accepting the Congressional Gold Medal free essay sample

Official Listing of Countries by Region of the World

Official Listing of Countries by Region of the World The 196 countries of the world can be logically divided into eight regions based on their geography, mostly aligning with the continent on which they are located. That said, some groupings dont strictly adhere to divisions by continent. For example, the Middle East and North Africa are separated from sub-Saharan Africa along cultural lines. Likewise, the Caribbean and Central America are grouped separately from North and South America due to similarities based on latitudes.   Asia Asia stretches from former stans of the  USSR  to the  Pacific Ocean.  There are 27 countries in Asia and it is the worlds largest and most populous region, with about 60 percent of the worlds population living there. The region boasts five of the 10 most populous countries in the world, with India and China taking the top two spots. BangladeshBhutanBruneiCambodiaChinaIndiaIndonesiaJapanKazakhstanNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKyrgyzstanLaosMalaysiaMaldivesMongoliaMyanmarNepalPhilippinesSingaporeSri LankaTaiwanTajikistanThailandTurkmenistanUzbekistanVietnam Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia The 23 countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia include some countries not traditionally considered as part of the Middle East (such as Pakistan). Their inclusion is based on culture. Turkey is also sometimes placed in lists of Asian and Europan countries since geographically, it straddles them both. In the last 50 years of the 20th century, due to a decline in mortality rates and a high rate of the fertility rate, this region grew faster than any other in the world. As a result, demographics there skew young, while in many more developed regions, such as in Asia, Europe, and North America, population bubbles skew older. AfghanistanAlgeriaAzerbaijan (The former republics of the Soviet Union are typically lumped into one region, nearly 30 years after independence. In this listing, theyve been placed where most appropriate.)BahrainEgyptIranIraqIsrael (Israel may be located in the Middle East, but it is certainly an outsider culturally and perhaps better belongs attached to Europe, like its seaward neighbor and European Union member state, Cyprus.)JordanKuwaitLebanonLibyaMoroccoOmanPakistanQatarSaudi ArabiaSomaliaSyriaTunisiaTurkeyThe United Arab EmiratesYemen Europe The European continent and its local region contain 48 countries and stretches from North America and back to North America as it encompasses Iceland and all of Russia. As of 2018, data shows that about three-quarters of its population live in urban areas. Having so many peninsulas, and the region itself being a peninsula of Eurasia, means a wealth of coastline on its mainland- more than 24,000 miles (38,000 kilometers) of it, in fact. AlbaniaAndorraArmeniaAustriaBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHungaryIceland (Iceland straddles the Eurasian plate and the North American plate, so geographically it is halfway between Europe and North America. However, its culture and settlement are clearly European in nature.)IrelandItalyKosovoLatviaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniaMaltaMoldovaMonacoMontenegroNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSan MarinoSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUkraineUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (The United Kingdom is the country composed of the constituent entities known as England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.)Vatican City North America Economic powerhouse North America includes  only three countries but it takes up most of a continent and is thus a region onto itself. Since it stretches from the Arctic to the tropics, North Americ includes almost all the major climate biomes. In the farthest reaches north, the region stretches halfway around the world- from Greenland to Alaska- but at its farthest point south, Panama has a narrow point thats only 31 miles (50 kilometers) wide. CanadaGreenland (Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, not an independent country.)MexicoThe United States of America Central America and the Caribbean Among the 20 countries of Central America and the Caribbean, none are landlocked, and half are islands. In fact, there is no location in Central America that is more than 125 miles (200 kilometers)  from the sea. Volcanoes and earthquakes go hand in hand in this region, as many of the islands in the Caribbean are volcanic in origin and not dormant.   Antigua and BarbudaThe BahamasBarbadosBelizeCosta RicaCubaDominicaDominican RepublicEl SalvadorGrenadaGuatemalaHaitiHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesTrinidad and Tobago South America Twelve countries occupy South America, which stretches from the equator to nearly the Antarctic Circle. Its separated from Antarctica by the Drake Passage which is 600 miles wide (1,000 kilometers). Mount Aconcagua, located in the Andes Mountains in Argentina near Chile is the highest point in the Western Hemisphere. At 131 feet (40 meters)  below sea level, the  Valdà ©s Peninsula, located in southeastern Argentina is the hemispheres lowest point.   Many Latin American countries are experiencing a financial contraction (such as unfunded pensions for an aging populace, deficit government spending, or the inability to spend on public services) and also have some of the most closed economies in the world. ArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaEcuadorGuyanaParaguayPeruSurinameUruguayVenezuela Sub-Saharan Africa There are 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. (Some of these countries are actually intra-Saharan or within the Sahara Desert.) Nigeria is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, and by the year 2050, will overtake the United States as the worlds third most populous nation. As a whole, Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent. Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa achieved independence between the 1960s and 1980s, so their economies and infrastructure are still developing. This is is proving most difficult for countries that are landlocked due to the extra hurdles in transportation and right of way they must overcome to get their goods to and from port. AngolaBeninBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundiCameroonCape VerdeThe Central African RepublicChadComorosRepublic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the CongoCote dIvoireDjiboutiEquatorial GuineaEritreaEthiopiaGabonThe GambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauKenyaLesothoLiberiaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaRwandaSao Tome and PrincipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanSwazilandTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabwe Australia and Oceania The 15 countries of Australia and Oceania vary widely by culture and occupy a large swath of the world ocean. With the exception of continent/country Australia, the region does not occupy a great deal of land. Islands have been known- since Charles Darwin pointed it out- for their endemic species and nowhere is this more apparent than in Australia and Oceania. For instance, about 80 percent of the species in Australia are unique to that country. Endangered species in the region range from those in the ocean to those in the sky. Challenges to conservation include the remote location and fact that much of the areas oceans are outside the direct jurisdiction of the countries there. AustraliaEast Timor (While East Timor lies on an Indonesian [Asian] island, its eastern location requires that it be located in the Oceania nations of the world.)FijiKiribatiMarshall IslandsThe Federated States of MicronesiaNauruNew ZealandPalauPapua New GuineaSamoaSolomon IslandsTongaTuvaluVanuatu

Regulatory Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Regulatory Issues - Essay Example A basic regulatory principle is that regulation should not be more restrictive than is necessary for public protection and regulation should not hamper the growth of the nursing profession. The focus of registered nurse regulation is public protection. This regulation assures the public that they are receiving safe and ethical care from competent, qualified registered nurses. It defines the practice and boundaries of the nursing profession, including the requirements and qualifications to practice. Boards fulfill their public protection mission by establishing, endorsing, and monitoring nursing education standards in programs leading to licensure and licensing qualified candidates who complete education programs and successfully pass a licensing examination that measures entry-level competency. Boards also monitor practice changes that impact scopes of practice and issue policy statements or support legislative passage of statutes or rules that support current practice needs and discipline or remove from practice those nurses who fail to meet standards. The public and agencies that educate, represent, or employ nurses are all considered customers of boards of nursing, and it is important that boards are responsive to their needs. Relationships that boards in turn rely on for reporting of violations to Nurse Practice Acts. Best practices related to discipline are vetted in guiding principles for nursing regulation: public protection, practitioner competence, ethical decision making, and due process based on our national standard that all who are accused have a right to a speedy hearing, shared accountability, strategic collaboration, evidence-based regulation, environment and marketplace responses in forming regulations, and ethical interactions within the global nursing arena. The public is best served when nurses are given the legislative mandate to regulate nursing in the

The Neopteran Questions for an Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Neopteran Questions for an Exam - Essay Example For instance, the naiad mayflies may live up to one or two years in freshwater aquifers, but adults stages last for a few days at most. Though juvenile mayflies feed on algae and smaller insects, the adults cannot eat due to reduced, non-functional mouthparts. Male fore legs are modified for grasping the female during mating. Near adulthood, naiads rise to the surface of water and molt to develop external wings so that they can move to shore. Mayflies are the only insects which molt after developing functional wings during the pre-adult stage called sub-imago. Adult mayflies rise on same days forming large flying swarms so that females can lay eggs on water surface before dying. Within the mayflies, different species occupy very different niches. The naiads of Blue Quill mayflies possess large mandibles for grazing detritus and periphyton. Like ephemeroptera, the Odonates also have aquatic naiads but possess a highly modified labium for catching prey. They adults too have chewing mou th parts and hinged jaws are used as tools to capture and bring prey to mouth. They also have very specialized copulatory behavior in which male grabs female from behind her head with claspers at tip of abdomen, the female receives sperm from his second abdominal segment, and releases fertilized eggs into the water. Males defending the best grazing area have a better chance to attract more females and thus produce more offspring. The neopteran (new wings) insects have the ability to fold their wings back against their abdomen at rest. Neoptera are subdivided into exopterygota and endoterygota depending on the development of wings through the juvenile stages, and into further groups depending on the modification of their mouthparts. In exopterygota, the metamorphosis is simple or incomplete, and wings gradually develop externally without going through a true pupal stage via molting. The juveniles also usually have similar feeding habits as the adults. The endopterygota undergo comple te metamorphosis and development of major structural differences between immature and adult stages occurs. The developing wings are not visible in the initial stages (larvae). An inactive stage called pupa is formed after several molts which does not feed and move. During this pupal stage big changes take place internally. After the pupal stage, a highly active winged adult appears. The larvae and the adults often adapt to different habitat and use different types of food resources. The evolutionary stages of endopterygota allow the juvenile and adult stages of insects to specialize in different resources, contributing to the extensive and successful radiation of the group. For instance, a bark beetle undergoes egg, the three larval instars, and the pupal stages before rising as an adult beetle. Question Two The sea otter is the smallest marine mammal having no insulating layer of blubber. The warm skin of sea otter is protected against the cold water by a thick layer of air trapped within very dense and longer fur hairs. The hairs are even denser at back of the body which is mostly in contact with the water. Though air provides far better insulation than blubber, sea otters cannot dive deeper and thus are restricted to shallower, coastal habitats. As Allen rule suggests, the legs, ears, and snout of sea otter are shorter for conserving heat in the colder climate. They form a streamlined

Structural and Interest Based Theories of Politics

Structural and Interest Based Theories of Politics What are the main differences between structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics? Compare and discuss their features using empirical examples. At the heart of the field of comparative politics lie a variety of theoretical frameworks, each of which attempts to enhance our understanding of what is important in relation to explaining political phenomena. The aim of this essay is to examine and compare the features of the structural and interest-based approaches, through the use of empirical examples. As regards its structure, the essay will begin by providing a definition of the comparative method. Following on will be a brief discussion on its uses and a cost-benefit analysis of using such an approach. After all, it is the comparative method that will form the basis of the discussion to follow. The essay will subsequently identify the main differences between structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics. Due to the lack of space, the ways in which they complement one another will be omitted. Finally, the essay will conclude by arguing that the main differences between structural and interest-based approa ches revolve around their explanations on the causes of political developments, and their focuses on the individual. In order to fully appreciate the main differences between the structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics, it is first important to develop an understanding of the comparative method in its own right. Although widely used in the field of political science, the comparative method is far from straightforward to define. It is an abstract term to which various definitions have been applied over the years. According to the political scientist Arend Lijphart, the comparative method can be defined as the analysis of a small number of cases, entailing at least two observations, yet too few to permit the application of conventional statistical analysis. (Collier, 1993: 106) In practice, this refers to what is known as a small N analysis, within which there are two basic research designs: most similar systems design (MSSD), and most different systems design (MDSD). As a rule of thumb, the former, otherwise known as Mills Method of Difference, involves the use of less tha n 20 cases (states) that are as similar as possible. The logic behind this methodology is that the more homogeneous the cases under investigation, the easier it ought to be to pinpoint the factors accountable for the differences between them. Faure (1994) argues that the most similar systems design is the prevailing method (but not the only one) in comparative politics. (Faure, 1994: 310) By contrast, the latter, otherwise known as Mills Method of Similarity, involves the use of less than 20 cases that are as different as possible, the purpose of which is to communicate the vigorous nature of the correlation between dependent and independent variables. Such a method assumes that by proving that the observed correlations hold true in different domestic settings, the line of reasoning should be better corroborated. There are many uses of the comparative method. In addition to the case study approach, the experimental method, and the statistical method (Lijphart, 1971: 682), political scientists draw upon the comparative method to assist them in the devising of hypotheses (suggested explanations of something), the testing of hypotheses (which are proven or refuted), and the uncovering of empirical regularities and the identification of outliers' (Gherghina, 2017: 14). The comparative method is by no means faultless; though an analysis of its merits is required in order to demonstrate why it has stood the test of time in the field of political science. One of the main proponents of the comparative method, the aforementioned Arend Lijphart, deduces that given inevitable scarcity of time, energy, and financial resources, the intensive analysis of a few cases may be more promising than the superficial statistical analysis of many cases. (Collier, 1993: 107) His inference substantiates the argument that a detailed analysis of a small number of states is a more effective than a brief analysis of a large number of states as a result of various limitations already touched upon. However, that is not to say the comparative method is without its faults. Indeed, one of the inherent problems picked up on by academics is that of many variables, few cases (Lijphart, 1971: 685). Now that we have developed an understanding of the comparative method, it is possible to observe the ways in which structural and interest-based explanations differ. It can be argued that one of the main differences between structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics is in relation to the causes of political developments. The crux of the formers argument revolves around the idea that macro factors in other words, factors that are observable at the level of society or variables to put it more simply, factors that are liable to vary or change are the ultimate causes of political events. The most prevalent macro factors or variables employed in the structural approach include a countrys level of economic development, social inequality, educational inequality, life expectancy, degree of urbanisation, ethnic fractionalisation that is, the quantity and size of ethnic groups within a society), and religious composition. (Gherghina, 2017: 10) To demonstrate the structural approach in practice, we can apply the example of the modernisation theory. Broadly speaking, the modernisation theory associated with the work of the polit ical sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset argues that democratisation is the result of modernisation. Modernisation incorporates many of the variables already touched upon, including urbanisation. In laymans terms, the more modern a society becomes, the more likely a society is to become democratic. This is the case because these changes enable middle-class elites to mobilise the working class to press for political rights for all (Gherghina, 2017: 11). From the 18th century onwards Lipset carried out an analysis of several countries, from which he was able to conclude that this does indeed hold true. Among the countries that followed the theory proposed by Lipset were the United Kingdom during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, and, more recently, Taiwan in the 20th century. This vividly illustrates the extent to which the structural approach can be useful with regards to explaining political developments and their causes, albeit it does not take into account its visible shortcomings. Nonetheless, by putting into practice the example, it is abundantly clear that the structural approach considers the causes of political developments to be disconnected from the dynamic of the political process. That, in stark contrast, to the interest-based approach in which individual decisions on the basis of seeking to maximise self-interest (Hague et al, 2016: 76) are seen to account for political developments. It is worth stressing that interest-based explanations do not only refer to financial optimisation, but also to a plethora of valued entities, such as authority and the accomplishment of ideological objectives. To illustrate the interest-based approach in practice, we can apply the example of political scientist William Rikers minimal winning coalition theory. It holds that in the aftermath of a general election in which no single party has been able to form a majority government, party leaders will seek to fulfil two criteria. First, they will seek to seek to form a coalition with parties that are ideologically similar to them on the political spectrum. Second, they will do so in such a way so as not to involve more politicians than is necessary to secure a parliamentary majority. This is evidenced by the 2010 UK general election. As Figure 1 vividly illustrates, the Conservatives, under the leadership of David Cameron, fell 19 seats short of a majority. As a result, they followed the aforementioned criteria to decide which party they wished to go into coalition with. Based on the first set of criteria, Cameron opted to go into coalition with Nick Cleggs Liberal Democrats as opposed to Gor don Browns Labour, in light of the fact that that the formers ideals were more closely aligned with those of their own than the latters, as Figure 2 (YouGov, 2014) makes abundantly clear. In addition, based on the second set of criteria, the Conservatives chose the Liberal Democrats as their coalition partners by taking into account the fact that the latter won over 200 fewer seats than Labour (see Figure 1), thus making it less likely that disagreements over the implementation of policies, for example would ensue in government. Hence, at the core of interest-based explanations is the idea that individuals perceived self-interest is the driving force behind political decisions and, on the whole, political developments are the result of such individual decisions. Furthermore, the structural and interest-based explanations can be contrasted in terms of their focus. According to Mahoney, at the core of structuralism is the concern with objective relationships between groups and societies. (Hague et al, 2016: 83) By contrast, the latter is focused on people. (Hague et al, 2016: 84) Thus, the latter focuses on the individual, whereas the former pays attention to networks. To summarise, this essay has examined the main differences between structural and interest-based explanations in comparative politics, through the use of empirical examples, and concluded that the grounds on which they differ are multitudinous. However, one of the main differences is in relation to how they explain the causes of political developments. Whereas structural explanations conclude that factors external to political life, such as life expectancy, are seen to account for political developments, interest-based explanations adopt the perspective that political developments are shaped by individual decisions, on the basis of what is best for them at a particular point in time. In that sense, another of the main differences between structural and interest-based approaches is that the former places a lot of emphasis on networks unlike the latter where the entirety of its focus lies with the individual. Bibliography BBC News Website (2010) Election 2010 Results http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/default.stm [accessed 26th February 2017] Collier, David (1993) The Comparative Method in Finifter, Ada W.; and American Political Science Association Political Science; the state of the discipline II Washington DC: American Political Science Association Faure, Andrew (1994) Some Methodological Problems in Comparative Politics Journal of Theoretical Politics Vol. 6 No. 3 pp. 307-322 Gherghina, Sergiu (2017) The Comparative Method in Introduction to Comparative Politics Gherghina, Sergiu (2017) Theoretical Frameworks in Comparative Politics in Introduction to Comparative Politics Hague, Rod; Harrop, Martin; and McCormack, John (2016) Chapter 5: Theoretical Approaches in Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction 10th Edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Lijphart, Arend (1971) Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method The American Political Science Review Vol. 65 No. 3 pp. 682-693 YouGov Website (2014) Britains Changing Political Spectrum https://yougov.co.uk/news/2014/07/23/britains-changing-political-spectrum/ [accessed 26th February 2017]   Ã‚   Appendices

Blades Corporation Essay

1. If Blades uses call options to hedge its yen payables, should it use the call option with the exercise price of $0.00756 or the call option with the exercise price of $0.00792? Describe the tradeoff. The corporation needs to purchase supplies with foreign currency. To hedge against the possible appreciation of the foreign currency’s value, the corporation can purchase a call option. Both options have to pay a premium for the option. The purchase price or exercise price of option A is $0.00756 plus a premium paid on this respective option of $.0001512 resulting in a total cost of $.0077112 per yen. The purchase or exercise price of option B is $0.00792 plus a premium paid of $.0001134 resulting in a total cost of $.0080334 per yen. Option A is the better option, relatively. Option B has a higher exercise price, though its exercise price is lower, the overall result is a higher amount paid for yen if the option is exercised. If the option is likely not to be exercised, option B is the best choice. The corporation would only have to pay the premium price and not the exercise price. In this case, option B’s premium price is lower. The trade off is between a lower exercise price, higher premium price, option A, that better hedges against the yen if it were to appreciate in value (exercising the option) and a higher exercise price, lower priced premium that reduces cost if the hedge does not appreciate in value (the option is not exercised). 2.Should Blades allow its yen position to be unhedged? Describe the tradeoff. The case stated that â€Å"the futures price on yen has historically exhibited a slight discount from the existing spot rate†. In this case, the exercise price of the option may be higher relative to the future spot rate encouraging the investor to let the option expire. If the option were to expire the corporation would still have to pay the premium and any other non-exercise costs. An unhedged position might be the best position if this were to occur because there would be no premium charges. The disadvantage to an unhedged position is that if the exercise price of the option were to be ‘in the money’, the spot exchange rate is greater than the exercise price, there would be no hedged stance against the yens appreciated value causing a higher cost to the foreign currency payable. Chap 6 1.Did the intervention effort by the Thai government constitute direct or indirect intervention? Explain. The Thai government is trying to smooth exchange rate movements by encouraging appreciation of its currency through direct intervention. It is exchanging foreign currencies for its home currency in the exchange market, this will put upward pressure on home currency. Specifically, the Thai government swapped baht reserves for dollar reserves at other central banks and then used its dollar reserves to purchase the baht in the foreign exchange market. 2.Did the intervention by the Thai government constitute sterilized or non sterilized intervention? What is the difference between the two types of intervention? Which type do you think would be more effective in increasing the value of the baht? Why? (Hint: Think about the effect of nonsterilized intervention on U.S. interest rates.) The intervention of the Thai government is an example nonsterilized intervention because the Thai government did not simultaneously engage in offsetting the described transactions in the securities market. This would have resulted in the net money supply to be unchanged. Both interventions will achieve the same exchange of currency in the exchange market but sterilized intervention requires another transaction to prevent adjustments in the money supply. An increase in money supply, as would be the effect in nonsterilized intervention, would cause home interest rates to drop and makes more money available for consumers to borrow from banks. Investors may transfer funds to foreign countries, the US, to take advantage of higher interest rates. This will increase the demand for US currency. The purchase of foreign-currency bonds leads to an increase of home currency money supply and results in a decrease in the exchange rate. The sterilized intervention is expected to have little effect on home interest rates because the money supply is expected to remain constant. As far as effecting interest rates nonsterilized intervention appears to be the better option. Chap 8 1.What is the relationship between the exchange rates and relative inflation levels of the two countries? How will this relationship affect Blades’ Thai revenue and costs given that the baht is freely floating? What is the net effect of this relationship on Blades? Thailand’s relative inflation rates have increased. This would cause the demand for baht currency to decline because exports have declined due to increasing prices. Exchange rate adjustments are critical to keeping relative purchasing power equal over time as inflation rate differentials fluctuate. When purchasing power is not equal consumers will move to cheaper alternatives. Since products are on a fixed price level they are not adjusted for Thailand’s inflation increases. There will be an increased demand for Blades exports by Thailand’s retailers and consumers because these products have not been adjusted for inflation. They are the cheaper alternative comparable domestic goods. According to purchasing power parity (PPP) equilibrium exchange rate will adjust by the same amount as the differential in inflation rates between two countries, however, there are often deviations from this theory. Thailand uses a free floating exchange rate where a currency’s value is able to fluctuate according to the foreign exchange market. Since Thailand is experiencing a higher level of inflation there is an increase in demand for foreign goods. Additionally, the demand for home goods is reduced. US currency will appreciate due to these market forces. The demand for Blades products will increase but the foreign currency purchasing these products has depreciated in value. This depreciation in Thailand’s currency causes a reduction in costs denominated in baht. US currency has appreciated, relatively. The net effect on Blades would be positive provided that the loss in the foreign currency’s value was offset by increased demand and reduced foreign costs. The magnitude of the cost/benefit ;however, is not clear. Chap 10 1.What type(s) of exposure (i.e., transaction, economic, or translation exposure) is Blades subject to? Why? Blades is subject to transaction exposure, the sensitivity of the firm’s contractual transactions in foreign currencies to exchange rate movements. The net cash flows need to be evaluated by each foreign transaction. First, cash inflows from the sale of goods and cash outflows from the purchase of components result in a positive cash flow. This cash flow is subject to a range of possible exchange rate fluctuations. Appreciation in the value of the foreign currency that caused a net positive cash inflow is viewed as favorable for the MNC. Japanese components imported and other foreign imports are also subject to exchange rate movements. Blades is also subject to economic exposure, the sensitivity of cash flows to exchange rate movements. Appreciation of a local currency would reduce cash inflows and outflows. Finally, Blades is subject to translational exposure. Components are imported from foreign subsidiaries, this could expose the MNC to different accounting practices biasin g cash flows relative to US accounting principles. 3.If Blades does not enter into the agreement with the British firm and continues to export to Thailand and import from Thailand and Japan, do you think the increased correlations between the Japanese yen and the Thai baht will increase or decrease Blades’ transaction exposure? If Japan was primarily used for export, as a result negative cash flows, this position would offset the positive net cash flow incurred by Thailand’s import and export. Since the currencies move in the same direction, a depreciation in currency would have a negative effect on positive cash flows and a favorable affect on negative cash flows. This interaction will help to offset exchange rate fluctuations and effectively reduce transaction exposure. On the other hand, if Blades has a positive net cash flow from the export and import of these highly correlated currencies, Japanese yen and Thai baht, Blades may be exposed to a relatively high level of exchange rate risk. This would increase transaction exposure. This result is due to the fact the currencies are positively correlated as a result the values of the currencies move in the same direction and by a similar amount. This would mean exchange rate effects would not be offset between the currencies if both currencies resulte d in positive cash inflows. 4.Do you think Blades should import components from Japan to reduce its net transaction exposure in the long run? Why or why not? Yes, as discussed above, components imported from Japan, resulting in a negative net cash flow (cash outflow), will help to offset the positive cash flow from exports to Thailand. Since the yen and baht are positively correlated the opposing direction of cash flows between these currencies will help to offset the net currencies fluctuation in value. This helps offset transaction exposure effects because payables and receivable interact in an inverse relationship toward exchange rate benefits.

Comparative Study on the Origin of Religion Essay

Since the early 1800s, there had been an ample amount of skeptics trying to account for the origin of religion. The basic question on everybody’s mind was where does religion come from? Some believed that people developed religion because they didn’t understand the forces of nature around them. Others believe that religion was created as a way of restrain people. In the 19th century, people were introduced to social science and anthropologists who once studied primitive culture were exposed to several theories on the origin of religion. Edward B Tylor was one of the first who developed a theory on religion. Max Muller was a German professor at Oxford University whose interest included Indian mythology and the study of religion. Another anthropologist was George Frazer who key contributions to religious anthropology was a religious encyclopedia. There are many explanations to the origin of religion, one of the most prominent being Edward B. Tylor’s theory of animism. This theory is considered the foundation of the physical evolution of religion; two other influential religious anthropologists, Max Muller and James Frazer, also based their explanations of the origin of religion on nature. All three religious anthropologists are similar in the sense that they traced the evolution of religion in an attempt to figure out the origin of it but differ in the way they approach the concept of religion. Edward B. Tylor developed the theory of animism to help explain the most rudimentary form of religion. Animism is defined as the belief that attributes souls and spirits to humans, plants, animals and other entities. Animistic religious beliefs are well-known among primitive societies who were â€Å"so low in culture as to have no religious conceptions what so ever† (Tylor). Tylor considered animism as the most primitive phase in the development of religion. He believed that the reflection of dreams and the observation of death caused primitive people to develop the idea of souls and spirits. Tylor thought that primitive people believed that everything in nature had a soul within it. He hypothesized that a belief in animism led to the formation of a more generalized god and, eventually, the creation of monotheism. Animism ultimately led to the evolution of religion in the minds of the people. It led them to take something so simple as nature and use it to explain the natural phenomenon in their environment. A conflicting theory that uses the concept of evolution is that of Max Muller. Another theory of the origin of religion was developed by Max Muller. He believed that people first developed religion from the observation of nature. According to his theory, primitive people became aware of regularity of the seasons, the tides and the phases of the moon. Their response to these forces in nature was to personalize them†(Hopfe and Woodward). They personalized them through linguistics. Muller believed that development of religion was a cause of confusion in language (Goldsmith). There seems to be a divide between Muller and Tylor over the nature of the origin o f religion. Max Muller believed that the answer to the sole origin of religion could be found in the past and a person can trace its origin in the linguistic remnants in the Indo-European languages. Tylor thought that implementing an ethnological approach would be more successful than studying languages for answers of the origin of religion. Evolution of religion is evident in Muller’s theory because â€Å"they personified the forces of nature, created myths to describe their activities, and eventually developed pantheons and religions around them† (Hopfe and Woodward). By developing religions and pantheons from identifying the forces in nature is a clear sign of the evolution of religion in the human mind set. Even though their theories are different, the idea of evolution of religion in the human mind is evident in both Muller and Tylor’s theory. Sir James George Frazer, a fellow religious anthropologist, began developing his own theories on religion. Frazer believed that humans used magic as a way to control nature and the events around them and when that failed, they turned to religion. They used religion to control the events for a while and when religion failed they turned to science. Frazer’s theories were similar to those of Tylor. They both believed that the human mind developed in the same way as that of physical evolution.. Even though Frazer took a similar approach to Tylor in tracing the origin of religion, he modified Tylor’s theory and replaced Tylor’s theory of animism with his idea of magic. A similarity between Frazer and Tylor is that they both believed that religion began from an intentional method of describing and making sense of a strange world. Frazer replaces the idea that religion explains nature by introducing science as a substitute. Frazer’s approach to tracing the origin of religion is similar to that of Tylor and Muller since all three traced the evolution of religion in an attempt to figure out its origin. Both Muller and Frazer’s theory are similar to Tylor’s theory since both trace the origin of religion through the evolution of it but differ in the way they interpret religion. All three of them seemed to miss a vital element of religion which is that no one who practices religion is doing so to explain how the world works. People use religion for several reasons. Some use it to give meaning to their lives while others use it to enforce social order. Maybe all three anthropologists didn’t miss this key component but rather didn’t know about it due to the rapid evolution of religion.