To what extent has realism dominated the study of security Essay

To what extent has realism dominated the study of security - Essay Example Power is a notion primarily thought of in the perspectives of material resources necessary to coerce or induce other states. The most important actor when it comes to realism is the state. It is autonomous and unitary because it speaks and acts with a single voice (Glassgold, 2012, p. 89). It is noted that the power of the state is understood in respect to its military capabilities, and thus security concerns. Although all nations seek hegemony under realism as the only path to ensure their own security, other states are incentivized to prevent through balancing the emergence of a hegemon. There is application of rational model of decision making the states through obtaining and acting upon accurate and complete information. National interest guides the sovereign states as explained in the terms of power. Since the single constraint of international system is the anarchy, none of the international authorities and the states are actually left to their devises to provide their own security. The perception of realists that Sovereign states are the key actors in the international system, leads to a special attention to large powers as they are viewed the most influential on the international stage. States are intrinsically obsessed with security (defensive realism) or are aggressive (offensive realism), and that territorial spreading out is only constrained by opposing powers. Security dilemma result due to this aggressive build-up, such that increasing ones security may convey along even increased instability as an opposing power puts up its own arms in response (Vu & Wongsurawat, 2009, p. 89). The dilemma is such that there is competition among the states to up their security as a result of feeling insecure yet at the end none of the state feels secure. There is a spiral of insecurity all along. Hence, security turns into a zero-sum game in that only relative gains can be made. Realists accept as true the fact that there are

Personal statement of character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal statement of character - Essay Example hat the maker of drugs should have the traits that are required to understand the philosophy behind the administration of drugs and their role in healing. When I first considered being a pharmacist, I did not base my decision on my mere aptitude at math and chemistry; it was also my personal qualities that motivated me to pursue a profession which is a crucial cog in the healing process. One of the most important qualities that can be of great assistance to me in my career as a pharmacist is my compassion for others. During my nursing profession, I often found myself empathizing sincerely with the patients and understanding their pain and suffering. My experience as a nurse has made me sensitive to the suffering of the people and the pain that they have to bear due to disturbances in their normal physiological functions. Bearing this in mind, my focus when preparing drugs would be solely to mitigate the pain and affliction of these people. I am a compassionate by nature and my poised and calm personality can be a great asset during my professional practice as a pharmacist. My experience as a nurse has equipped me with the skill of appeasing patients- an attribute that I feel is necessary for satisfying frightened and stressed customers. I am also good at sports and have remained an active sportsperson in tennis and basketball in my school and college years. Being a team member and working with the rest of the team members have equipped me with a very valuable trait- team work. The profession of pharmacy requires that the pharmacist interacts with a number of professionals from the health care field. These include doctors, drug retailers, lab technicians etc. Working in teams for the success of the team and assisting team members to improve their performance has not only made me more helpful but has also made me more goal-driven. My ambition has enabled me to deliver excellent results when working on my own. Table tennis is a sport that requires players to develop

Timeline of Geometry Essay Example for Free

Timeline of Geometry Essay It is believed that geometry first came to being when and Egyptian Pharaoh wanted to tax farmers who raised crops near the Nile River. To do that the pharaoh’s agents had to measure the amount of land that was being used. 1. 2900 BC – The first pyramid was constructed. The knowledge of geometry was important due to the fact it consisted a square base and triangular faces. 2. 2000 BC- It was the earliest record of calculating the area of a triangle, however there is no tangible evidence. 3. 624-547 BC- The Thales of Miletus was said to be the person to bring the science of geometry from Egypt to Greece. He created the Thales’ Theorem. 4. 569-475 BC- The next great geometer was Pythagoras. He had created the Pythagorean Theorem that states in a right triangle the sum of sides A and B are equivalent to side C. 5. 400-355 BC- Eudoxus of Cnidus was the one who discovered the Theory of Proportions. Where in there are methods to find the area and volumes of figures with curves and many other things. 6. 382-283 BC- Euclid of Alexandra who is also known as â€Å"The father of Geometry† created a book called â€Å"The elements†. This book was the main textbook to teach math (mainly geometry). 7. 287-212 BC- Archimedes of Syracuse was the inventor of many mechanical devices such as the screw, the pulley and the lever. He discovered the measurement of a circle and his wrote a book â€Å"On the Sphere and the Cylinder† in which he showed the volumes and surface areas of spheres and cylinders. 8. 1596-1650 – Rene Descartes wrote the famous book â€Å"Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason in the Search for Truth in the Sciences. He created analytic geometry in which the geometric figure is placed into a coordinate system to show evidence and to obtain information using algebraic equations. 9. 1777-1855- Carl Friedrich Gauss with Archimedes and Newton invented non-Euclidian geometry prior to the work of Janos Bolyai and Nikolai Lobachevsky. Non-Euclidian geometry refers to any geometry that is not based in anything that predicates through Euclid. 10. 1982- The most recent development in geometry is fractal geometry. It was created by Benoit Mandelbrot in his book called â€Å"The Fractal Geometry of Nature†. Where it states that a fractal is a geometric shape that is self-similar and has fractional dimensions.

Concepts of Intelligence and Logic

Concepts of Intelligence and Logic The beauty of learning is that you never graduate from it. Brennan Claybaugh Today, sending and receiving information is instantaneous. The way you live, learn, socialize, and do business is constantly transforming because of developments in technology and communication. Smart phones, e-mail, websites, and various apps are a part of daily life. These developments have revolutionized how you learn, think, receive information, and communicate. Even as you are reading this book, you could take a moment and search online for more information about any topic. This chapter will focus on the brain and its relationship to learning. Learning is a skill that can be developed and improved. You can discover how to learn faster and how to make the process more fun. Here you will be introduced to ways of improving your learning and performance skills with easy, fun suggestions to help you become a better learner.  Ã‚   Learn how to learn, and you will love what you learn. Think about: What is learning? What is my learning style? How will I improve my learning skills? What is my learning strategy? Learn about: Left brain vs. Right Brain Multiple Intelligences Learning Types Learn from: Lyn Christen Den Claybaugh Left Brain vs. Right Brain Personality-related labels include shy, outgoing, dramatic, egocentric, charitable, etc. But have you heard of left-brained or right-brained? The human brain is divided into two hemispheres. Each half performs a distinct set of operations, such as the ones listed in the chart below. Therefore, a talented artist may identify as right-brained whereas a skilled engineer may identify as left-brained. [cite source] Our predominate thought process usually leans to the right or to the left and can impact our personality and our decisions. [cite source] You can take an online test to determine whether you are predominantly left-brained or right-brained. Use one of the links below or complete an online search for left brain/right brain test to find other tests. Its fun! Give it a try. https://www.arealme.com/left-right-brain/en/ Psych Test left brain/right brain test http://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/3178 Sommer+Sommer http://braintest.sommer-sommer.com/en/ Intelliscript http://www.intelliscript.net/test_area/questionnaire/questionnaire.cgi What did you discover? Are you more left-brained or more right-brained? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How will understanding the functions of the left brain and the right brain help you to become a better learner? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Multiple Intelligences Its not how smart you are, its how you are smart! Howard Gardner The theory of multiple intelligences identifies seven distinct domains of the brain each person uses for processing information and solving problems reflecting a unique aptitude of capabilities. Multiple intelligences documents the extent to which people possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform and understand in different ways. We are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, musical thinking, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences the so called profile of intelligences and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains. Think about the things you enjoy doing most. Do you love writing, reading or watching movies? Do you often find yourself counting things or working with numbers? Do you enjoy creating new or different combinations of color and drawing pictures? Do you find yourself in constant motion or find it difficult to sit still? Do you like to dance or create music? Are you constantly talking with friends? Do you love to wander into quiet places or watch the world around you? The Seven Multiple Intelligences Verbal/Linguistics often communicate with ease and understanding. They may learn and solve problems by listening and reading, asking questions, and using word memory devices (like mnemonic devices and acronyms). They frequently have the ability to remember names, dates and places, and love story telling. They generally have good listening skills and are able to use verbal and written language to explain thoughts and concepts. Math/Logics often make decisions using logic and proof rather than emotion. They tend to have proficient problem-solving skills and see the relationship and patterns when working with numbers. Math/Logic learners frequently understand cause-and-effect relationships and learn through information analysis. It is common for Math/Logic learners to prefer the use of outlines, bullet points, and logical sequences to communicate. Spatials may love designing and creating. They often express their thoughts and ideas through pictures, graphs and charts. Spatial learners tend to solve problems through the use of images or using mental concept maps. Spatial learners regularly see how all the parts fit together to produce results, and use mind mapping, graphic organizers and visualizations to create models. Bodily/Kinesthetics are frequently adept at skills that demand applied learning. They have a tendency to solve problems and interpret and decipher information through action. They often learn by doing and demonstrating a defined process (demonstrating the process cements the knowledge). They usually prefer hands-on activities, as well as developing others ideas into finished products. Musicals generally enjoy following a step-by-step process when working or problem solving. They may use defined tasks and procedures and are oftentimes sensitive to rhythms, tonal patterns, cadence, and an orderly environment. They may have a natural inclination to use repetition, movement, and timing in developing a thought pattern or response. They frequently rearrange processes to fit their internal rhythm, and focus on results following exact and specific instructions. Interpersonals likely strive to be friends with as many people as possible. They have a tendency to solve problems by processing information through group discussion and interacting with others. They are often able to uplift a group and tend to welcome everyones ideas. They usually enjoy having people around them and work well with others in a team environment. They may be sympathetic to the needs of other people, and respond to the temperament of individuals. Intrapersonals are frequently inclined to create their personal space and may be very aware of changes that affect their surroundings. They have a tendency to perceive emotional and intellectual stimuli and recall personal experiences (empathy) when relating to others. They regularly provide a wide perspective of possible ways to solve a problem before deciding on the best solution. They will likely continue to try to improve an idea or concept after others have considered the problem solved. They oftentimes enjoy developing ideas independently before sharing their work with others. Intelligence Profiles The greatest potential of a multiple intelligences approach grows from the concept of a profile of intelligences uncovered by the The MI3 Talent Key. Intelligences are not isolated; they interact with one another (in an individual and between people) to yield a variety of outcomes. Each persons intelligence profile consists of a combination of relative strengths and weaknesses among the different intelligences: Verbal/Linguistic, Math/Logic, Spatial, Bodily/Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonals. Activity Take the The MI3 Talent Key and write your results here___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Based on your results How will you become a better learner? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How can you become better at communicating with others? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What Is Learning? Learning involves your personality, brain function, action, social skills, openness, focus, motivation, effort and discipline. What you learn is a choice and is completely up to you. There are many ways to learn. Some people like to learn in very traditional ways, similar to how they learned in high school. Some see learning as a discovery process, and others like to learn by connecting with people. There is no right or wrong way to learn. The key to your success is in figuring out how you like to learn and then getting really good at the process. You can quickly learn any new skill to improve your performance by becoming a super learner. Super learners are people who have mastered the skill of learning. Yes, learning is a skill just like reading, cutting hair, doing makeup, giving a massage or doing a pedicure. Once you learn how you learn best, you can confidently tackle any subject with success. Becoming a super learner means that you are open and willing to try on new ideas. It also means that sometimes you have to let go of what you already think you know. Super learners are successful because they are open to new ideas. There are many beliefs or myths about education that may block your learning. They include believing that: You can only learn from an expert or the teacher. Its not good to make mistakes. You look dumb when you ask questions. It is hard to learn new information and skills. Cramming your mind full of details is learning. Learning is boring and time-consuming. What do you believe about learning? Your assumptions may be holding you back from truly enjoying the learning process. Learning is a life skill that will bring you opportunities for success, satisfaction, and adventure. What are your beliefs about learning? Write them down. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A New Definition for Learning Did you know that you are always learning? As a matter of fact, you cannot not learn. You are a learning machine. You just have to know what makes you as the learning machine work at your most efficient capacity. The way we think and learn is being researched now more than ever before. As new methods of teaching and learning are developed, you will be asked to change as a Learner. Here are some ways you will want to grow: Learn how to ask questions Young children are always asking questions. Questioning is an important part of learning. Throughout the process of learning, you should constantly ask questions and persistently search for answers. Search for the information Dont wait to be taught, take charge of your learning. Learning is a verb, which means you need to take action. Dont check out during the learning process. Stay focused and learn from your co-workers, classmates, clients, videos, books, magazines, demonstrations, the internet and lectures. Define your learning style There is not just one way to learn. We each have a unique learning style and preferences. Define what works for you as a Learner and do it. Master your unique learning approach, then be flexible and try on new ways to learn. Acknowledge your feelings while you learn Learning is emotional as well as intellectual. Your emotions about who you are learning with, how you are learning, and what you are learning can either help you or keep you from learning. Your emotions help you to remember what you have learned. The stronger your feelings about what you are learning, the longer and more vividly you will remember it. Positive learning experiences make you feel happy, interested, and secure. You are motivated and focused. If something is not working and you find yourself not enjoying the process, then change it. Guiding Principles Educators have taken much of the new research on learning and applied it to school curriculums. They created a list of learning values and beliefs called the Guiding Principles. This list may help you to change your beliefs about the learning process and your role as a Learner. Education is an adventure of discovery. Effective learning starts with a game plan, which helps you to focus on taking action. Learning is blocked when fear is present. Let go of your fears and try on what you are learning. Making a mistake is not fatal. You make discoveries, not mistakes. Learn to embrace your discoveries and make them part of the learning process. You learn best when you are having fun. Learning success is based on changing your behavior and beliefs. Learning is a verb, so put your knowledge into action. You are uniquely intelligent and have your own style of learning. Find a learning strategy that best fits what you like and how you prefer to learn and follow it. When you honor your special qualities, you automatically become more successful. You learn best when you are physically, emotionally, mentally, and creatively involved. The learning process is neither good nor bad; it simply is working or not working. If it is working, improve it. If it is not working, change it. Recognizing your personal successes encourages you to learn more. Praise and rewards are everyones best motivators. The most effective Learners have learned to think for themselves. They dont wait to be told. They have taken responsibility for what and how they are learning. What is your favorite Guiding Principle and why? Write your answer here.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Connecting to your future is a journey filled with discoveries, not failures. Adopt thoughts that will keep your learning positive and productive. Your Learning Style Super learners are successful because they are open and willing to learn. In this section you will learn how to improve as a Learner. Remember that you are learning all the time. Learning is a natural process that is the result of your experiences. Your learning has a cycle that has been outlined by educational expert Dr. Bernice McCarthy. Her learning theory explains that we all experience learning in phases that can be defined by four basic questions: Why? What? How? and What if? You can improve your learning by asking yourself questions such as: Why do I need to know this information? Why is it important? What is the information I need to know and master? How do I learn it? How do I perform the steps? What if I did it differently? What if I created my own methods? Let questions guide your learning. When you are truly interested in something you naturally ask a lot of questions. Your questions guide and help you to learn more. Here is an example of how you can use questions to guide your learning of finger waving. Improve your comprehension. Answer all four questions each time you learn something new. When you take advantage of each learning phase, you will find that you can learn faster, while having fun. There Is No Wrong Way to Learn You are unique as a Learner because of your personality, approach, and preferences. You may prefer a certain aspect of learning over others. For example, you may prefer to jump right into what you learn, or you may choose to study all of the information thoroughly before you start applying your knowledge. Your unique approach to learning is called your learning style. Your learning style defines how you learn. It describes what you prefer and predicts how you may respond during the learning process. The following are descriptions of four basic learning styles. Read through all the descriptions and check the ones that best describe you. You may select descriptions from different learning styles. It is possible to have more than one learning style. Whats Your Learning Style? Check the traits below that describe you most. If you are a Feeler learner: Feelers primarily learn by relating to and connecting with others. You perceive the learning process as emotional. When in balance, you love to work in groups and are very social. When out of balance, you withdraw and do not participate. You naturally ask, Why do I need this information? or Why is this important? You need to know the meaning of what you are learning and how it relates to you. You need to know the benefits of what you are learning. You are social and like to work with partners or in groups while learning. You seek an emotional connection to what you are learning, your teachers, and fellow learners. You learn through relationships. You need to be in a harmonious and cooperative learning environment. You are sensitive to criticism and unsolicited feedback, preferring a gentle approach when being coached. If you are a Thinker learner: Thinkers primarily learn by thinking and assimilating information. You need time to reflect and process what you are learning internally before you apply it. When in balance, you are a detailed and focused listener and learner. When out of balance, you focus too much on unimportant information, or you become critical. You naturally ask, What do I need to know to perform better? You love facts and details. You want an organized learning environment. You want to understand the reason things work. You like things sequential, methodical, logical, and systematic. You need to learn the concepts and facts thoroughly before you are comfortable performing. You may seek perfection. You learn by problem-solving and thinking things through. You like to research and find information. You like to reflect on what you have been learning. You like specific and detailed feedback and coaching. If you are a Driver learner: Drivers learn by doing and by actively pursuing new skills. You like taking risks and making discoveries. You see learning as an active process and like to learn things quickly. When you are in balance, you are open to feedback and coaching and like to lead learning activities. When you are out of balance, you can be disruptive and impatient. You naturally ask, How do I perform it? or What are the steps in doing it? You learn best by doing. You love to jump right in and figure it out. You detest long, drawn-out explanations or lectures. You like to identify step-by-step procedures. You learn best when you are active. You like role-playing, simulations, and rehearsals. You are the first to put things to use when they are useful. You use common sense to problem solve. You want a basic overview of what you are learning and do not need every little detail. You like demonstrations and workshops and welcome hands-on coaching. If you are an Inventor learner: Inventors learn by creating. You love to tweak, adapt or change what you are learning. You experiment, and make it your own. You truly think outside of the box. When you are in balance, you add creativity and a fresh perspective. When you are out of balance, you are unfocused, distracted, and all over the map. You naturally ask: What if I did it differently? or What else do I need to learn to be more creative? You learn best by creating and inventing new methods. You are not satisfied with the traditional ways of using information or performing tasks. You learn by being innovative. You want to explore all of the opportunities. You want to improve what you are learning or create a new way to learn. You like to implement, then improve your work. You learn through experimentation. You like coaching and feedback on the end product and on your creativity. Did you check more descriptions under one learning style than under the others? Write down what your learning style is here. ______________________________________________________ ­_ How will knowing your learning style help you identify learning opportunities? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Stretch Your Learning Style Dont allow your learning to become boring. Step out of your box and stretch your style. Become flexible in your approach to learning and find new ways to learn. For example: If you are a feeler, take more risks, jump right in, and learn from your discoveries. Be open to more feedback, and try not to take criticism or coaching personally. If you are a thinker, step out of your box and let go of how things are supposed to be. Become more creative and explore different aspects of what you are learning. If you are a driver, try to become more detailed, more like a thinker. If you are an inventor, learn to work and collaborate with others, become more like a feeler, or become more systematic like a thinker. By stretching yourself, your learning will become more interesting, and you will become well-rounded. You may discover something about yourself through the process. Now that you know your style, create a learning strategy that fits your needs. Dont wait for someone to accommodate you. Ask for help, and give your instructor feedback about what you like and how you learn. Stretch Your Style To improve your learning, approach it from various perspectives. If you like to learn as a thinker, try learning as an inventor. We all are a little of all learning types. Bringing out the other styles in your personality will help to deepen your understanding. Become your own learning coach and motivate yourself to become a better Learner. What are some ways that you will stretch as a learner? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Practice and Apply What You Learned Every day you have an opportunity to really grow and master your learning. You may find that the more focused you are when you are learning, the faster and better you will learn a new skill. Learning is not beneficial unless you put what you have learned to use. As you complete each learning process, ask yourself, What did I learn from this? and How can I put this information to good use? Finally, we recommend that you make learning part of your daily life. Let go of distractions that keep you from improving your performance. Spend time each week building your knowledge, your skills, and, most importantly, your attitude. When you learn in ways that are compatible with your learning style, you will: Learn faster. Have more fun. Recall what you learned. Improve your performance. Be a Lifelong Learner about learning. Read motivational and informational books, magazines, websites and materials about learning. Listen to audio learning programs. Attend ongoing learning seminars and classes. MY BRAIN GAME PLAN THINK In this chapter you learned about left brain vs right brain, Multiple Intelligence, learning and learning styles. Lets create the second step of your game plan. Make a commitment to discover and improve your learning style. Write your commitment here. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ REFLECT Think about what fears or obstacles may interfere with keeping your commitment. Write them here.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TAKE ACTION REINVENT Make room for learning new ideas and information. ASK Learn how to ask questions, especially why, what, how, and what if? STRETCH Recognize and use your learning style, then stretch yourself to try other ways of learning. LEARN Learning is an active process. Take control and become an active participant. Prepare yourself to learn. FOLLOW Follow the Guiding Principles to make your learning more worthwhile.

Sopranos and the Perpetuated Mafiosi Image Essay -- essays research pa

The Sopranos and the Perpetuated Mafiosi Image A life of organized crime, fancy cars, machine guns, beautiful women, money, power and family; these are the images that have perpetuated the associations of Italian-Americans with the Mafia in film and television for decades. It is in this traditional Godfather fashion that the HBO hit series The Sopranos continues to perpetuate this stereotypical image into the 21st century. From classic films like The Godfather and Goodfellas, to miniseries events like Bella Mafia and The Last Don, to the dramatic series The Sopranos, Italian-Americans have traditionally been portrayed as gangsters and mobsters and have been seen living the lives of organized criminals. Italian-Americans and the Mafia have traditionally been linked in popular culture and The Sopranos is no exception. "It's undeniable that the dominant pop-culture images of Italian-Americans have been the mobster and the related, anti-working class stereotype of the boorish gavone" (De Stefano 32). Textually, Tony Soprano is just this. He is an Italian-American, living in a suburban New Jersey town, the head of the local Mafia family. He is anything but working class, as he is continually portrayed as the mobster dealing with "business." He is involved in murders, blackmail, illegal gambling and racketeering. Inter-textually, there are frequent references to Mafia popular culture. Tony and his gang regularly recite lines from The Godfather and refer to each other as "Donnie Brasco." Tony's relationship with his therapist parallels that of the satiric Mafia film, Analyze This and comments are made to that effect. These inter-textual references draw attention to the traditional Mafia portrayals in film and television and acknowledge the existence of this stereotypical d epiction of Italian-Americans in visual media. The producers of The Sopranos go as far as to include comedic extra-textual references, drawing upon the social commentary of ethnic stereotyping. When Tony's therapist and her family make a toast over dinner to the "20 million Italian-Americans" who have nothing to do with organized crime, we see here a representation of the opposition by Italian-Americans to the Mafia-stereotype. Sub-textually, the covert commentary within the series runs deep. Running between the lines are sub-plots dealing with family val... ...hus associates people of such ethnic descent with crime and corruption. Those in opposition of the show see it as " a buffoonish caricature of (these) people" and "an ethnic minstrel show" (Showalter 42). In line with traditional representations of Italian-Americans in visual media, the Sopranos continues a portrayal of Mafiosi and glamorized lives of crime and power. Yet, this fresh take on and old image successfully creates a window to the realistic lifestyle of a modern-day Mafia family. While this series presents a look at only a microcosm of contemporary society, it perpetuates the stereotypical association of Italian-Americans as sensationalized Mafiosi and glorifies the lifestyle of organized criminals in the 21st century. BIBLIOGRAPHY Auster, Albert. "The Sopranos: the gangster redux." Television Quarterly 31 : 4 (Winter, 2001): 34-8. De Stefeno, George. "Ungood Fellas." The Nation 270 : 5 (Feb. 7, 2000) : 31-3. Golway, Terry. "Life in the 90's." America 180 : 10 (March 27, 1999) : 6. Showalter, Elaine. "Mob Scene." American Prospect 11 : 8 (Feb. 28, 2000) : 42-3 . The Sopranos. Chase, David. HBO. 1999-2002.

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy :: essays research papers

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Imagine picking up the newspaper one morning in you quiet little town where nothing ever seems to happen that could affect the townspeople so drastically†¦ â€Å"Latham Weekly, June 2, 1998†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Bizarre Murders Committed In Raccoon City† is the fearful headline across the front page and you read on wondering what all this could mean and what would happen in the months to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Raccoon City – The mutilated body of forty-two-year-old Anna Mitaki was discovered late yesterday in an abandoned lot not far from her home in Northwest Raccoon City.† You never thought it could happen. Especially in a quiet town like yours. A dear friend of yours has been viscously murdered. She has been the forth victim of what people are now calling the â€Å"Cannibal Killers.† The reason for this is due to that all the victims found were partially eaten; the bite patterns apparently formed by human jaws. This report has now brought the mysterious killings up to seven. â€Å"Raccoon Times, June 22, 1998   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Horror In Raccoon! More Victims Dead† (You could only wonder what this means for the city.) â€Å"Raccoon City – The bodies of a young couple were found early Sunday morning in Victory Park, making Deanne Rusch and Christopher Smith the eight and ninth victims in the reign of violence that has terrorized the city since mid-May of this year.† As you read on you find out that these victims suffered the same wounds as the previous victims. All is quiet again for about another month due to the Raccoon Police enforcing a citywide curfew and barricading areas near where the murders took place. After that month of somewhat normalness you read the newspaper to find that something will be done to help out the city. â€Å"Cityside, July 21, 1998   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  S.T.A.R.S. Special Tactics And Rescue Squad Sent To Save Raccoon City†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You think to yourself†¦thank God something is finally going to be done to put an end to this on going horror. â€Å"Police Chief Brian Irons announced yesterday that the S.T.A.R.S. will participate full-time in the search for the hikers and will also be working closely with the RPD until there is an end to the rash of murders and disappearances that are destroying the community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chief Irons, a former S.T.A.R.S. member himself, was asked in an exclusive telephone interview from Cityside about why the S.T.A.R.S. hadn’t been assigned to these cases until now, Chief Irons would only say that the S. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy :: essays research papers Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Imagine picking up the newspaper one morning in you quiet little town where nothing ever seems to happen that could affect the townspeople so drastically†¦ â€Å"Latham Weekly, June 2, 1998†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Bizarre Murders Committed In Raccoon City† is the fearful headline across the front page and you read on wondering what all this could mean and what would happen in the months to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Raccoon City – The mutilated body of forty-two-year-old Anna Mitaki was discovered late yesterday in an abandoned lot not far from her home in Northwest Raccoon City.† You never thought it could happen. Especially in a quiet town like yours. A dear friend of yours has been viscously murdered. She has been the forth victim of what people are now calling the â€Å"Cannibal Killers.† The reason for this is due to that all the victims found were partially eaten; the bite patterns apparently formed by human jaws. This report has now brought the mysterious killings up to seven. â€Å"Raccoon Times, June 22, 1998   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Horror In Raccoon! More Victims Dead† (You could only wonder what this means for the city.) â€Å"Raccoon City – The bodies of a young couple were found early Sunday morning in Victory Park, making Deanne Rusch and Christopher Smith the eight and ninth victims in the reign of violence that has terrorized the city since mid-May of this year.† As you read on you find out that these victims suffered the same wounds as the previous victims. All is quiet again for about another month due to the Raccoon Police enforcing a citywide curfew and barricading areas near where the murders took place. After that month of somewhat normalness you read the newspaper to find that something will be done to help out the city. â€Å"Cityside, July 21, 1998   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  S.T.A.R.S. Special Tactics And Rescue Squad Sent To Save Raccoon City†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You think to yourself†¦thank God something is finally going to be done to put an end to this on going horror. â€Å"Police Chief Brian Irons announced yesterday that the S.T.A.R.S. will participate full-time in the search for the hikers and will also be working closely with the RPD until there is an end to the rash of murders and disappearances that are destroying the community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chief Irons, a former S.T.A.R.S. member himself, was asked in an exclusive telephone interview from Cityside about why the S.T.A.R.S. hadn’t been assigned to these cases until now, Chief Irons would only say that the S.

Costing in Banking Service Essay

It does so by describing the partial costs and full cost systems in banking institutions. It then looks at the limitations of these approaches to the current competitive conditions and goes on to consider the applicability of the activity based costing system in the allocation of indirect transformation costs to branches, products and customers. Finally, we will look at the findings of a questionnaire to Spanish savings banks in order to evaluate how widespread these systems are and how they are used in savings banks. We found that direct costs systems predominate in customer and products entries whereas full costs systems are much more widespread in the case of branches. Furthermore, we also found that the use of activity based costs systems is very limited. Keywords: Saving banks Cost structure Management accounting Cost systems Activity based costing. JEL Classification Codes: M41 – Accounting G21 – Banks; Other Depository Institutions. 1. Introduction Historically, management accounting in banking institutions was introduced considerably later in comparison with companies in other sectors. There are a number of reasons for this limited development. This was due, on the one hand, to external causes. For example, it was not until the 80’s that competitive conditions in the banking sector fostered the development of accounting management planning and control systems. On the other hand, there were also internal conditions that had to do with the nature of the banking business and the operations that these companies carry out, which differ significantly to those of other sectors. This hindered the transfer of models that had basically been developed for industrial companies to the financial sector. As regards internal factors, the accounting regulations set down by regulating bodies of the banking system have traditionally been the starting point from which banking institutions have drawn up their accounting information. The purpose of he latter was clearly to address the needs of central banks that used this accounting information in order to supervise and control the solvency of the financial system and to control the relevant variables of monetary policy (Tà ºa and Larriba, 1986, p.37; Cates, 1997, p.51-56; Kimball, 1997, p.24). Furthermore, the environment in which these companies had traditionally operated had been sufficiently stable in order for them not to see the need to improve their management accounting systems (AECA, 1994a, p.12-13). On an internal level, Waden-Berghe (1990, p.569) Rouach and Naulleau (1992, p. 101-102) and Carmona (1994, p.210) point out that the characteristic features of the products and the production process of banks hinder the application of management accounting techniques: the intermediation function they carry out, the permanence on the balance sheet of the main sources of income and expenses, the problematic definition of outputs and input, given that there is no difference between the nature of the raw material obtained via financial markets or deposit taking and the final product (loans), the fixed cost and marginal revenue syndrome, the difficulty in allocating indirect costs to cost objects or the diffuse figure of the customer-supplier. However, the deep transformation of the banking system, and, more specifically, deregulation, disintermediation and innovation processes, have ushered in changes to the competitive behaviour and the information needs of banking institutions. We can therefore assume that the accounting systems of these companies have most probably also evolved and established new conceptual frameworks 1. As a consequence of growing competition in the banking sector and the reduction of financial margins, banking institutions have had to give increasingly greater importance to the planning and control of their non financial costs, which has opened up the debate around the adequacy of the costs systems currently in use in these companies (Scias, 1985, p. 48; Kimball, 1993, p. 5-20; Bos, Bruggink et al., 1994, p.12; Carmona, 1994, p. 213). This essay aims to analyse the characteristics of the costs systems of Spanish savings banks which operate in the universal retail banking segment. In the first place, we will look at the different theoretical models that will enable us to analyse the financial intermediation activity from a microeconomic viewpoint. Secondly, we will go on to describe the characteristics of non financial costs in banking institutions, given that they influence the application of management accounting in these companies. Thirdly, we will put forward a costs classification in savings banks that facilitates the allocation of their non financial costs to different cost objects (centre of responsibility, products, customers and activities). Based on the above, we can then go on to assess the use of different costing systems, looking at both traditional costing systems (partial and full) as well as activity based costing. The study finishes by presenting the results of a questionnaire given to the heads of management control of Spanish savings banks with the aim of finding out which costing systems are currently in use and how they are likely to evolv e in the future. 2. The Production Process in Banking Institutions This section aims to present an overview of the different theoretical approaches that interpret the productive process of banking institutions. According to Bergà ©s and Soria (1993, p. 17-23) the models that explain the productive process of banking institutions can be grouped into three groups: partial decision models, portfolio theory and services production. Let’s look at these in more detail. 2.1. Partial Decision Models Partial models focus either on the assets and investment decisions (loans versus the treasury) or on the composition of the liability structure (capital versus deposits), considering the other part of the balance sheet as an external or exogenous variable. In these models, the banking institution’s balance sheet is 1 We can identify various evolution stages in bank accounting and management; for example, Chisholm and Duncan (1985, p.27-33) have divided its historical evolution into three stages, Faletti (1986, p.88-95) refers to four stages, Rezaee (1991, p.26-28) and Roosevelt and Johnson (1986, p.30-31) have established five stages, and Ernst & Young (1995, p.25-31) outline up to 11 phases. Having said this, the different number of stages by different authors reflect differences in nuances but not in fundamental aspects because the evolution of information drawn up by management accounting in banking institutions may be seen as a continuous process rooted in financial accounting that is evolving towards objectives that are more and more related with tactical and strategic decision making. viewed as the key element, because each of its components is modelled individually (Santomero, 2000, p.4). When loans are regarded as outputs of the banking institution, it is assumed that, given a certain level of exogenously determined deposits, which are not subject to optimization, the company’s management decision is focused on determining what proportion of deposited funds will be allocated to the provision of loans and what proportion will be kept in the treasury. This is due to the fact that the banking institution needs to maintain a certain level of liquid reserves in order to address possible withdrawals of deposits. Obviously, maintenance of this treasury will generate an opportunity cost, so banking institutions will have to minimise this opportunity cost by maintaining the treasury at a minimum level. However, if the treasury that is kept is insufficient, the company exposes itself to a high liquidity risk (Baltensperger, 1980, p.3; and Swank, 1996, p.176). When deposits are regarded as outputs, the problem focuses on determining the optimum balance between deposits and equity (Swank, 1996, p.177). According to this approach, a situation of insolvency could be brought on not only by the mass withdrawal of customer deposits, but also if the value of assets drops below that of liabilities. This scenario is less and less likely the fewer the deposits. It can therefore be minimised by increasing the volume of equity (Baltensperger, 1980, p.1011; Swank, 1996, p.177). However, given that the opportunity cost of equity is greater than the financial cost generated by deposits, in order to maximise profitability the bank need to minimise the bank’s own funds, which increases the possibility of an insolvency scenario and of meeting the ensuing costs associated with it (Baltensperger, 1980, p.13). 2.2. Portfolio Theory Based Models The previous models seek to address the structure of assets or liability management whilst considering the other part of the balance sheet as exogenous. A comprehensive theory of the productive process of banking institutions needs to simultaneously account for the structure of assets and liabilities. The efficient portfolios selection model for banking institutions put forward by Markowitz (1959) and developed by Pyle (1971, p.737-747) concomitantly looks at decisions concerning assets as well as liabilities and gives us a more comprehensive view of the interrelations between assets and liabiliti es. Having said this, it must be acknowledged that although portfolio theory overcomes the limitations of partial models by determining optimum treasury, loans and deposits levels together, it still has its drawbacks. The most relevant to this study has to do with the fact that both partial models and portfolio selection theory regard non-financial costs as irrelevant when it comes to estimating the output level and composition of banking institutions (Swank, 1996, p. 194). 2.3. Models Based on the Production of Services and Real Resources The provision of financial services entails transformation costs which are not contemplated in the abovementioned models. The services production model advocates that the production processes of banking institutions cannot be properly analysed by simply looking at the management of its optimal assets and liabilities structure, but that we also need to take into account the fact that both financial intermediation and the provision of other banking services generate transformation costs, which entail the use of real resources both human and technological (Baltensperger, 1980, p. 27-29). The models developed by Pesek, (1970, p. 357-385); Saving (1977, p. 289-303) and Sealey and Lindley (1977, p.1251-1266) are approaches based on production and cost functions, and enable us to study the banking institution’s behaviour from the point of view of profit maximisation. According to the above models, the activity of banking institutions consists of providing a range of different financial services (both intermediation and other kinds of services), the production of which can be expressed in accordance with a production function. The inputs of this production function are a combination of different types of factors consisting of real resources whereas the outputs are different possible combinations of assets, liabilities and services. Hence the production function, along with the balancing of the accounts between assets, liquidity and liabilities, interest rates that are externally set by the market and legally established coefficients, make up the restrictions under which banking institutions must operate and try to maximise their profits. These profits will ultimately depend on the difference between revenue generated from the sale of their services on the one hand and the total costs of their inputs both financial and non financial on the other (Sealey and Lindley, 1977, p. 1255; Santomero, 2000, p.3). The following sections will discuss the problematic of the costing structure of real resources in banking institutions and look at how these are classified for management accounting purposes. This will be followed by an overview of the different costing systems identified in the literature, partial costs, full costs and activity based costing. And finally, we will present the findings of an empirical research study concerning the costing systems used by Spanish savings banks. 3. The Cost Structure of Banking Institutions Before we proceed to assess the different existing cost systems and their application to banking, we would like to highlight some of the characteristic features of the banking business which influence the cost structure of its costing systems. These characteristic features can be summed up as follows (Sloane, 1991, p.76-79; Sapp, Rebischke et al., 1991, p.56-57): †¢ Variable work load: the volume of operations fluctuates enormously from one moment to the next, which obviates the problem of capacity management, given that at certain times there are â€Å"peaks† whilst at other times there are â€Å"valleys† which means that these resources are underused. †¢ High fixed costs: resources are usually allocated to covering â€Å"peaks† of activity. However, the cost of these resources does not vary with the volume of transactions, because they have a large fixed component. †¢ Predictability of the activity: although the demand for services tends to be hi ghly variable, it is relatively easy to predict, because it follows a cyclic behaviour pattern, which offers the possibility of turning part of fixed costs into variable ones by means of outsourcing. †¢ Mass services production activities: a comparison can be drawn between the high volume of repetitive operations in banking institutions and traditional industrial mass commodity manufacturing, which facilitates the use of methodologies that originated in industry and the setting up of a standard costing system. †¢ Joint production and an undefined product: the banking product is physically indefinable which makes it more complex to identify. For example, when a banking institution issues a loan to a customer, the latter must open up a current account to meet the loan payments. If on top of this the customer orders a cheque book on his current account and takes out a life insurance policy, we have four interrelated products. †¢ Low cost traceability: given that we are dealing with joint production activities with elevated fixed and indirect costs there are many resources that are shared by activities, customers, products and centres of responsibility. As far as we see it, the most significant factors that influence the applicability of different cost systems in banking institutions are on the one hand, the significant weight of indirect costs in relation to cost objects, which makes it difficult to trace them in relation to cost objects. Similarly, given that a large part of the operations carried out by banking institutions are of a repetitive nature and susceptible to standardisation, this makes it feasible to consider calculating the costs of these operations and allocating them to cost objects, and to introduce the use of standard costs as a planning and control instrument. 4. Costs Classification in Banking Institutions The classification of the non financial costs of banking institutions may prove useful in studying the applicability of different cost systems to banking institutions. Although we can make different classifications of these costs, the most relevant for our purposes is the difference between transformation and overhead costs (AECA, 1994a, p.61-62): â€Å"transformation costs are costs that are generated in profit centres and in operational cost or general services centres. In general, the costs of these centres are directly or indirectly related to the consumption of products and services on the part of customers†. At the same time, transformation costs can be divided into direct and indirect costs, depending on their relation to cost objects (AECA, 1994a, p.61): †¢ Direct costs, are those costs that can be unequivocally and directly allocated to cost objects, in other words their allocation is controlled economically in an individualised fashion. †¢ Indirect costs, are costs that cannot be directly allocated to cost objects because there is no exact allocation of funds that enables us to estimate the consumption of these costs by cost bearers, It should be noted that a significant number of transformation costs of banking institutions are dual in nature when viewed from the previous classification criterion, to the extent that certain transformation costs can be direct with respect to the branches network but indirect in relation to products and customers (De la Cuesta, 1996, p.85-87). In banking institutions, transformation costs basically correspond to personnel costs, depreciations and other general costs, which although they are difficult to allocate to customers and products, are generally easier to allocate to responsibility centres (Cole, 1995, p.152). The second costs category corresponds to overhead costs, which are generated in the bank’s organisational centres. These costs are generated by the various functions related to management, administration, organisation and control. In general, these are indirect in relation to all the cost objects. These costs are treated as costs assigned to support all the company’s functions, and as such they are independent of production volume, the existing product lines and of the markets they serve (AECA, 1994b, p.58).