International comparisons of stock market volatility Essay

International comparisons of stock market volatility - Essay Example Even researchers and practitioners have made modeling of stock volatility a subject of empirical and theoretical study. Historically, stock market volatility is approximately 20% per annum and 5.8% per month even though periods of high and low volatilities are experienced. During the financial crisis, there was a 50 percent drop in stock prices. The effects of the crisis are still being felt due to increased public and private debt, levels of unemployment and global capitalism. The governments are doing their best to prevent and contain the situation buy formulating new policies and reforming major sectors. Volatility measures the degree of variability between stock prices. In other words, it determines the degree of deviation between the current price of an asset and the average past price. To understand volatility, it is important to take a look at the nature and trends of global markets and the correlation of the stock market returns. For many investors, volatility is a risk, thus , it is to be taken into consideration in analyzing their portfolios. Some of the factors that lead to volatility include changes in technology, new financial instruments such as derivatives and the increased integration of global markets. Volatility is measurable, and the commonly used measure is Chicago Board Options Exchange Index (CBOE) of implied (VIX) volatility. In this paper, we will use a sample of 19 emerging markets economies (EMEs) and developed market in Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Asia as a basis of comparison on the stock market’s volatility. Most of the previous research papers focused on regional and local stock markets but due to the national integration that is linking markets globally, we use will compare countries from different continents (Beirne et al 2008). Nature of stock markets in emerging and developed markets Global markets consist of emerging and developed stock markets. A few studies have been done to examine the characteristics of em erging markets. According to these studies, emerging markets are characterized by higher average returns, low correlations with developed markets, higher volatility and more predictability of returns (Chukwuogor 2008). Their main argument was that volatility in emerging markets is high and difficult especially in the segmented markets. Segmented markets are influenced by local factors. Their returns tend to be skewed and highly non-normally distributed. Volatility in emerging markets has been declining following capital market capitalization. The correlation in emerging markets is quite higher than in the developed markets due to lack of diversification and trading depths (Chukwuogor 2008). The volatility in these markets is highly influenced by social, political, economic factors. Data and methodology The studies also focused only on the emerging markets and not developed markets. We will use daily returns and volatilities of such returns for the 19 countries using data from 2001 t o 2009. We use the GARCH model to determine the means and variances of stock returns in these countries. The Standard and Poor (S & P) index is used to rank the countries. Below is a table showing the emerging and developed markets. TABLE 1 Country Index USA S&P 500 UK FTSE 100 France CAC 40 Germany DAX 30 Xetra Australia All Ordinaries China/Hong kong Hang Seng Singapore Strait Times Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Thailand stock exchange of Thailand China Shanghai

Factors Affecting Essay Example for Free

Factors Affecting Essay This paper examines the factors affecting students career choice of accounting in Nigerian university. The study was conducted using the survey with a sampling population of 300 undergraduates from three universities. It has been discovered that the factors affecting students career choice of accounting are numerous but they can be group into personal, reference and job factors. The findings indicate that personal and job factors such as students interest and motivation in the subject, job prospects and high pay, performance in secondary school are the most influencing factors of students choice of accounting. In particular, male students were found to be more influenced by the reference factors than their female counterparts in the choice of accounting. The paper recommends the need for enlightenment  and counseling of the students and their wards about career choice in accounting.. Keywords: Accounting, personal factors, job-related factors, choice 1. Introduction In recent years, the declining of accounting students has become a major concern to the accounting profession (Hunt, Falgiani Intrieri, 2004). For instance, in the US the decline has been attributed to many factors such as: change in the business environment, decrease in salary level, alternative careers perceived as more attractive to students, misunderstanding and lack of information related to the accounting career (Albrecht Sack,2000). In Nigeria, the choice of accounting tends to rank among other professional courses like law, medicine, engineering ,economics etc. Although many researchers have considered the factors affecting students career choice in accounting, there is dearth of researches in relation to accounting in Nigeria. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the factors which influence students choice of accounting in Nigerian universities and determine whether there are significant differences between male and female accounting students in the choice of accounting. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section two reviews the relevant literature on the factors.Section three is the methodology adopted. The data analysis and research findings are documented in Section four and the overall conclusions regarding these results are presented in Section five. 2. Literature review There have been many researches carried out in both developing and developing countries to identify factors influencing students choice of accounting. Some of the factors considered were subjective factors such are social, cultural, sociological, psychological and personal factors. Others are the objective factors or both categories (Zhang, 2006). Factors frequently cited as determinants of students career choice are intrinsic values, financial rewards, job market and the cost-benefit. Some of these factors are long term salary possibilities, prestige of the profession, job security and starting salary. It has been found that students consider stereotype about the different careers when making their decisions .Yayla   Cengiz (2005) find respondents own choice, family, environment, interesting profession, earnings  expectations and job opportunities play a significant role in choosing an accounting career. These factors are grouped into personal, reference or and job related factors and considered in subsequent sections. 2.1 Personal Factors Many researchers have identified that the choice of accounting is influenced by the stud ents interest. For instance, Zhang (2006) finds students interest in the subject and ability very important in making choice to study accounting. Other factors like quantitative skills and intellectually challenging also influence students choices (Mladenovic,2000, Zhang, 2006).When students see accounting as interesting and enjoyable, they are more likely to choose it (Saemann Calero, 1999., Adam et al 1994., Mauldin et al, 2000).This finding was supported by results of Jackling Calero (2006) where intrinsic rewards such as enjoyment of the topics in accounting influence career in accounting. Kaur Leen (2006) establish that students choices of major is influenced by factors such as gender, race, quantitative skills, interest in the subject, expected marketability, performance in major classes, the approachability and teaching reputation of faculty member. Cohen Hanno (1993) conduct a survey of 287 students who had either declared or intended to declare themselves as accounting majors and those who had either declared or intended to declare themselves as major in a field other than accounting. The results indicated that non-accounting majors may choose accounting because they believe accounting to be too number-oriented and boring. 2.2 Reference Group Previous studies confirmed that referent group such as: parents, parents occupation, instructors in high school and friends could influence students  choice of major (Pimpa, 2007, Kim et al, 2002, Paolilo Estes 1982, Geiger Ogibly 2000, Mauldin et al, 2000, Kim et al,2002). Family plays a critical role in a childs career development (Guerra Braungart-Rieker, 1999). High school teachers and college instructors play a significant role in students final choice of business major. However, Hardin et al (2000) find high school educators to have a relatively low opinion of accounting as a career option for high school students.Similarly, parents and instructors had a strong influence on students choice of majors (Inman et al, 1989, Mauldin et al, 2000., Tan Laswad, 2006). Mauldin et al (2000) investigate the choices of accounting major and find the largest percentage of students who chose accounting as their major during the first accounting course in college (41%) followed by selection during high school (34%).They also find twelve factors that influence the students decisions to include: career opportunities, interest in the subject, instructors, money, parents, enjoyments, previous experience, life style opportunity because of the career, challenge, prestige, usefulness in rating a business and other students. Among referents, the instructor was found to be the most influential factor. 2.3 Job Related Factors Job attributes are the most important factors that influence the choice of career among undergraduates. The job related include: the job itself, compensation or security and the company or work environment (Moy Lee, 2002, Teo Poon (1994). The influencing factors are job satisfaction (Paolilo Estes,1982), higher earnings, prestige and career advancement (Kim,et al, 2002). Lowe Simons (1997) study the relative importance of 13 factors influencing the choice of business major. They find that the most important criteria influencing the choice of major business students are: future earnings, career options, initial earnings and ability/aptitude. Moreover, they find distinguishable differences among majors. For example, accounting students were influenced by external factors such as: long term earnings, initial earnings and career options whereas marketing majors highlighted interesting subject matter and management majors rated self employment opportunities highly. These findings support the results that students choice of business major are influenced by earnings, prestige and career advancement (Tan Laswad, 2006, Maudlin et al 2000, Felton et al, 1994). Noland et al (2003)  find the factors influencing major selection by accounting and information systems majors are long- term salary possibilities, prestige of the profession, job security, and starting salary; the influence of a professor, family members and difficulty of the subject matter are rated much lower. Kim et al (2002) conducted a study on business majors (accounting, finance, general business, management, marketing, management information system and double major). They discovered that the top five reasons for choosing a major were: interest in a career, good job opportunities, good fit with respondents abilities, a desire to run a business some day and projected earnings in the related career. The least selected reasons for choosing a major were the  reputation of the major at the university, the perceived quality of instruction, the parents influence, the amount and type of promotional information and the influence of friends. 2.4 Perception of Accounting Accounting education has been the subject of considerable debates since 1980s. Prior researches document that introductory accounting students have negative perception of accounting. Accounting is attractive to the students in terms of profession but the negative views regarding the nature and role of accounting persist (Fisher Murphy, 1995:58). Societys perception of the legitimacy of the accounting profession and its members is grounded in the verbal and visual images of accountants that are projected not only by accountants themselves but also by the media. How accountants are portrayed in media have a significant impact on the accounting profession. Typically, accountants have been referred to as number crunchers, focusing on numerical accuracy, routine recording and calculation methods. Abrecht Sack (2000), Cory (1992), Garner Dombrowski (1997) attribute the negative perception to misinformation or lack of information about accounting and the duties performed by accountants. To date, efforts by professional accounting bodies and firms to change the negative and inaccurate perception of accountancy and accountants have yielded limited success (Jackling Calero, 2006). Byrne Willis (2005) maintain that the public view of accountants is generally negative and that this perception might discourage potential students from studying the subject. Similarly, Cohen Hanno (1993) find that the perception of accounting as boring and excessively number- oriented might lead student to choose other majors than accounting. Furthermore, the traditional view of accounting as involving precision and order has been found to drive creative people away from the profession. In addition, many bright young people are seeking careers in professional fields other than accounting as a result of the poor image of the accounting profession (Saemann Crooker 1999, Cohen Hanno,1993).The personal image of accountants and how they market themselves are more important than the price, product and Smart.Anyone whose success depends upon or requires the cooperation of another individual or group needs a positive personal image. Unfortunately, high-quality students hardly ever perceive accountants as they perceive themselves. People regard accountants as boring, middle- aged men sitting in a back office with a calculator and a stack of flies. As a consequence, the accounting profession does not always attract high quality students. Whether a person chooses to pursue an accounting career may be determined by the image of accountants in the media. Byrne Willis (2005) find that perceptions of accounting are influenced by factual media. Mathus Fowler (2009) find that the portrayal of accountants in the media could be recalled by the sampling group. Tan Laswad (2009) in an extension of their 2006 study survey university students at the beginning and end of their degree. The comparisons between accounting and non accounting students reveal that those who intended to major in accounting generally hold positive attitudes towards the accounting profession. Tan Laswad (2009) found that a higher proportion of accounting students decide on their major  prior to university study. Therefore they recommended that the accounting profession should promote the positive aspects of accounting career not only to pre-university students but also to the public as this strategy would enhance the public profile of members of the profession. 2.5 Status of accounting compared with other professions Students are more likely to aspire to a career that is held in high esteem by society. In the Byrne Willis (2005) study, accounting students ranked accounting ranked 5th and non-accounting students ranked it 7th among ten professional courses. Irish high schools ranked accountants behind doctors, lawyers, dentists and architects as professionals. In the United States, the Gallun organization (1991) reported that both high school and university students rated the accounting profession last among six professions of law, medicine, teaching, engineering, financial planning and accounting. In a New Zealand study, the accounting profession was ranked lower in social status compared to the profession of law, medicine and engineering by high school teachers. This was also the view of high school teachers in the United States (Hardin et al, 2000) and Japan (Sagahara et al, 2006) 3. Methodology The population of interest comprised all accounting students in three (3) universities: University of Benin (UNIBEN), Igbinedion University Okada (IUO) and Ambrose Alli University (AAU). The sample size was made up of three hundred (300) full and part-time accounting students from these universities. The total number include: two hundred (200)  accounting students from UNIBEN, fifty (50) from IUO and fifty (50) students from AAU. The data for this study was mainly from the administration of questionnaire. A total of 300 questionnaires were administered and retrieved from the respondents representing a response rate of 100%.The likert scale  type close ended questions was used .The data was analysis using percentage analysis, independent t-test and regression analysis.The t-test was used to find out if there was significant difference between male and female accounting students in the choice of accounting. The descriptive statistics of the respondents is shown in table 1 below.

Dropping the Atomic Bombs :: Hiroshima and Nagasaki

On August 6, 1945 a 9,000-pound bomb was loaded on the Enola Gay. At exactly 8:15:30 in the morning the massive bomb was dropped over Hiroshima. The after math left 71,000 people dead and 68,000 injured. A second bomb was dropped three days later. Nagasaki was the target this time, killing 36,000 people and injuring another 40,000. The question is why the two bombs were dropped?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese government was expected to put up a fight until the very end. Which they did and that is why President Harry S. Truman wanted a quick end to the war. With a threat from the Red Army, also known as the Soviets’, to enter the war between the US and Japan it gave him all the more reason to drop these devastating bombs. Greek Mythology By Scott Martin Could you imagine yourself as being the most powerful person on the face of the earth? With an ability to summon the dead or wail lightning bolts at the snap of your fingers. Well this is how it was back during the time of Greek Mythology. I’m going to tell you about the most powerful of all the god’s and his two brothers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Zeus and his brothers drew lost of their share of the universe. Zeus came out as the supreme ruler. He was Lord of the Sky, the Rain-god, and the Cloud-gather, who welded the awful thunderbolt. However, he did not always know everything and most certainly did not see everything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He is represented as falling in love with one woman after another. Using all kinds of tricks to hide the woman of lust from his wife. His breastplate was the aegis, a beauty to behold. His bird was the eagle and the mighty oak was his tree.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poseidon was the ruler of the seas, Zeus’ brother and second only to him in eminence. His wife, Amphitrite was the granddaughter to the Titan Ocean. It is told that when he drove in his golden car over the waters, the thunder of the waves sank into a stillness and tranquil peace. Commonly called the â€Å"Earth-shaker† he was always seen carrying his trident, a three-pronged spear that would shake and shatter whatever he pleased.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third brother among the Olympians, who drew his share the underworld and rule over the dead is Hades. Hades is also called Pluto, the God of Wealth. Both Roman’s and Greek’s call him by that name, but they often translate it to Dis, which is Latin for rich.

A Fireside Chat Essay

â€Å"It was good work, the kind of work that let you sleep soundly at night and, when you awoke, look forward to the day†, Jeanette Walls quoted. According to Wikipedia, work ethics is defined as a value based on hard work and diligence. In the text, A Fireside Chat, Sir Lynden Pindling speaks about poor work ethics and how it must be changed to build The Bahamas. Some civil servants are discouraged because of victimization, others have no hope for the future and some believe that since â€Å"their’’ government is in power they no longer have to work hard. The Bahamas is a democratic country; therefore everyone should have a freedom of speech and freedom to vote for the government of their choice. Sir Lynden Pindling addresses that a factory has been closed down, vegetable crates have been denied to small farmers and workers have been laid off work because of political reasons. These unfair actions cause workers to be discouraged, whether they were the ones directly affected or not. Also, victimization causes other workers to feel the need to not work hard. Put yourself in their shoes, if other people who don’t support the people who don’t support the PLP government are being fired and because you voted for them your job is secure wouldn’t you feel comfortable and slack off as well? I know I would. Employers who victimize employees not only show poor work ethic to their workers but also the public. If you fire people because they have different views you are making it hard on your business. This can cause slower services because of lack of workers and eventually add to the decline of customers. Sir Lynden Pindling also states that no government would function well or long without an efficient civil service. Why put your country, let alone your business at jeopardy of failing? Not only adults have poor work ethics, so do adolescents. Some children feel discouraged because of the area they live in or their financial situations and provide mediocre services as well. For example, some packing boys never have a smile on their face and when loading your bags to the car they handle them with no care whatsoever. Attitudes like this can cause them to receive little or no tips from customers. No matter how big or small your job is, it is vital. In paragraph eight of the text, Sir Lynden Pindling encourages the children to never give up on their dreams because nothing is impossible. He even gives examples of children in poor communities, â€Å"little Mary of Toote Shop Corner† and â€Å"little John of Meadow Street’’, that education is the key and dreams can become reality. Some civil servants believe that since â€Å"their† government is in power they have arrived and are free to slack off on their jobs. Have you ever wondered why the waitress serving you seemed as though she had a frown painted on her face and it seemed like she did not want to be at work that day? This is because workers do not value their jobs or even the customers. Some workers even treat the local Bahamians poorly, but treat the tourist very well. This may be because of the tourists’ skin color or accent, so the waitresses assume these customers will tip better. Local Bahamians are treated with mediocrity because the waitresses assume they will tip poorly or not tip at all. Aside from having bad attitudes on the job, some workers do not act professionally. For example, last week Thursday I went to The Bowling Alley with a few friends and during our game of bowling the waitress came to take our order. Her conduct was very poor; she flirted with my friends and gave attitude towards me with made me not enjoy my experience the way I wanted to. I feel as though when you are on the job your conduct should be very professional and you should speak to the customers formally and not informally. Therefore, many Bahamians have poor work ethics and this should be fixed immediately. In order for this country to grow progressively we must all work together to strengthen each other instead of victimizing people. We must also learn to believe in ourselves and work professionally when on the job.

How Far The Australia’s Legal, Political And Educational Structures Are Modeled On British Institutions Essay

Australia was colonized by British and was granted independence in 1901. The six colonies which had been formerly inhabited by the British during colonization became the six states in the federal government that Australia assumed. Most of the legal, political and education systems borrowed a lot from British institutions, although Australia preferred to borrow the federal system from America (State University, 2009).   Some of the powers that had been held by the states were volunteered progressively and when the twentieth century came to close, the federal government was responsible in running Australia. How Far the Australia’s Legal, Political and Educational Structures Are Modeled On British Institution The major institutes in Australia such as bureaucracy, education and the language that is commonly used there have a British line modeling. Some of The universities that were in Australia in the 1920s boasted of being as old as three- quarter century. It was quite evident that there was no one teaching economics until 1913. The professor who was teaching history or philosophy gave a single or double lecture on the theory of economics in a week. Due to the extensive work load, economics experienced a lot of negligence something that profoundly shocked the Americans (Heaton, 2008). Most universities in Australia had borrowed a lot of British ideas in their modeling and with special preference of Cambridge and Oxford which concentrated in technical training, back in 1920s. Economic science had minimal teaching in Britain until recently and Australia gave little attention as it held the British system highly. Mathematics, philosophy, classics and literature that were commonly offered in most universities in Britain were accorded a lot of respect by the Australians who also offered them in their universities. There was a lot of attention in offering of law, medicine and engineering which were traditional courses offered in universities of Britain. The state established most universities in Australia, and the largest proportion of revenue was drawn from public coffers and this takes place up to date (Heaton, 2008). Most endowments that were private contributed minimally to the development of universities in Australia unlike in America. These private endowments invested half the revenue that the government invested in public institutions. Money from the public was unconditionally granted by the government which made no attempt to seriously control policies and teaching. The universities were dependent on the state, similar to universities in Britain. The first universities in Australia were established with the aim of meeting the standards that stressed their capability of meeting the values and norms of the models of British universities which were considered to be the most appropriate (University of Western Australia, 2003. These models that were adopted have made it impossible for newer universities to adopt any other system as a powerful effect has been exerted by the already existing universities. The government draws a lot of security from scientific interests than culture and education is seen more of an instrument than experience (State University 2009). The community also perceives the university to be a place where it is served through the training of lawyers, engineers, dentists, teachers and doctors and thus these traditional courses continue holding a lot of attention. Specialization is very common in most of the Australian universities and once a student goes to a specific department, they will be ignorant on other departments. This has resulted to the graduates being more professionalized than educated. This phenomenon is common in most prestigious universities in Britain. America has the most diversified university programs and there is a call for conformity of Australian universities by the people. Australian law is comprised of the common law, (which derives its basis from the common law of Britain), the constitution and federal laws passed by parliament. The states within Australia exercise their own governing over the court systems and parliaments which are present in each. The systems of government and law that are currently existent in Australia have their legal dependence and validity on the British statutes (University of Western Australia, 2003)    One such statute is the Act of 1900 known as Commonwealth of Constitution of Australia. The characters of legal institutions and Austrian law traditions have a monoculture characteristic. This reflects an origin which is English in nature. The Aborigines who were the natives of Australia were completely ignored by the British as they were too native and the Britons completely disregarded any laws that were in place, but instead subjected them to the England laws (Aroney 2007, p. 8). Recently, Howard made the same maneuver in 2007, by initiating an intervention of communities of the Aborigines who live in the territory that lies in the North of Australia. The forces of the military were mobilized and the government granted them power to directly exercise control over the communities which were targeted. This was to last for five years and this move is no different from what the British did when they first arrived in Australia.   The constitution protects Howard’s maneuvers as the state government can override the government authority in the Northern territory (Stringer 2007, p. 30). This law is still present in the constitution which gives the government the power to constitutionally usurp territorial governments’ sovereignty.   Howard is doing what the British did to the native aborigines since this intervention has been viewed as contravening the human rights due to its discriminatory nature. Howard claims that he is saving the aboriginal children from being sexually abused by the whites in Australia (Stringer 2007,   32). It is evident that the constitution of Australia is still embedded on the Common Wealth Constitution by the British and nothing has been done to include the native Aborigines in the constitution.   Ã‚  The system of court that is present has still borrowed a lot of modeling from the English system (Goldring, 2003).     Ã‚  The high court is the final appeal court and also deals with constitution matters. The basis of the constitution of Australia is the commonwealth constitution that was enacted in 1900 and this statute was used until 1942. The independence of the legislature was enacted in 1986 in Australia. This was a symbol of its freedom from Britain. Until 1990, Australia held the status of constitutional monarchy something it had inherited from Britain. Although there are supreme courts in all states, the high court was established to ensure the uniformity of the common law. The common law is inherent of the common law in Britain (Edwiyna 2008, p. 230). The premier in the UK is an enviable character who enjoys a lot of executive powers that the presidents of America have no access to. This power is similar to what the premier in Australia enjoys a clear picture that Australia adopted the same political arrangement as Britain which had formerly colonized it (Bennister 2007, p. 335). Both the premiership in Australia exhibit a lot of similarities as the there is a lot of capacity and influence from the premier. There are a lot of constraints in the institutional that are discrete, but the capacity of resources is easy to identify. Both of these premiers are stretching the institution through growth in the office of the leaders, policy advice which is bold and centralized and the ministerial adviser’s functions and roles have been strengthened. These new structures, practices and process are entrenched in the political systems of both the premiers and this is attributed to the practice of their executive powers (Bennister 2007, p. 330). Australia adopted the office of the premier with executive powers like Britain who can make decisions that are hardly challenged. Conclusion Australia, which was a British colony, has borrowed so much from Britain in terms of education, legal and political system. Most of its oldest universities were modeled from the famous British universities such as Cambridge and Oxford. There was a perception that the technical courses offered in these reputable institutions should be taken as the guidelines in the universities in Australia. This has made most private investors to shy away from establishing more universities and by 2007; there were only two private universities out of the 39 that were present in the country.   There has been an outcry for the education system to be diversified to conform to that of American universities that are seen as more appropriate. The constitution that borrowed a lot from the Commonwealth Act needs some of the statutes to be reviewed to conform to the modern times. The Act that gives the government permission to usurp Northern territories sovereignty sounds so colonist and it should be reviewed to protect the Aboriginal communities. It is the high time that Australia reviewed its own constitution to include everyone and get rid of some of the statutes that were present during colonialism. From this review, it is clear that most Australian systems are modeled on British institutions. Bibliography: Aroney, N 2007, Comparative law in Australian constitutional jurisprudence: University of Queensland law journal, University of Queensland, Vol. 26(2) pp 8 Bennister, M 2007, Tony Blair and John Howard: Comparative Predominance and ‘Institution Stretch’ in the UK and Australia, British journal of politics and international relations, Vol. 9 (3) pp 327-345 Edwiyna, H 2008, Colonialism and Long-Run Growth in Australia: An Examination of Institutional Change in Victoria’s Water Sector During the Nineteenth Century,   Blackwell publishing ltd Vol. 48 (3) pp 266-279 Goldring, J 2003, The Australian court system and its oral tradition, Retrieved April 25, 2009 from http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:inbECLUBLQ4J:web.bham.ac.uk/forensic/IAFL03/goldring.doc+How+far+were+Australia%E2%80%99s+legal,+political+

Spanish Verbs Followed by De and an Infinitive

Spanish Verbs Followed by De and an Infinitive One common way of connecting verbs in Spanish that has no full equivalent in English is to follow the verb with the preposition de and an infinitive. A simple example would be a sentence such as Dejaron de fumar, where a conjugated form of the verb dejar (here meaning to give up or to quit) is followed by de and the infinitive fumar (meaning to smoke). This sentence would typically be translated as They quit smoking; although the infinitive after de is translated to English as a gerund, that isnt true in all cases where a verb and de are followed by an infinitive. Note that with most of these verbs, de isnt translated as of or from but gains its meaning as part of a unit with the verb. Commonly Used Verbs Followed by De Following are some of the verbs most commonly followed by de and an infinitive, along with examples of their usage. Note that many of the verbs have to do with ending an action. acabar de (to finish, usually recently): Acabo de leer la biografà ­a de Simà ³n Bolà ­var. (I just read Simon Bolivars biography.)debo de (to have to, to be obligated to):  ¿Quà © medicamentos debo de tomar? (What medications do I have to take?)dejar de (to quit, to abandon): Mi esposa quiere dejar de trabajar para cuidar a nuestro bebà ©. (My wife wants to quit working in order to take care of our baby.)depender de (to depend on): El futuro de nuestra sociedad depende de ganar la lucha al crimen organizado. (The future of our society depends on winning the fight against organized crime.)disuadir de (to dissuade from): La disuadà ­ de ir sola. (I talked her out of going alone.)haber de (should): Todos hemos de aprender a abrazar a los necesitados. (All of us should learn to embrace the needy.)parar de (to stop): Los aficionados no pararon de gritar durante todo el partido. (The fans didnt stop shouting for the entire game.)pensar de (to think about): Pienso de salir entre la 2 y 3 por la tarde. (Im thinking about leaving between 2 and 3 p.m.) terminar de (to quit, to stop): He terminado de creer en la humanidad. (I have quit believing in humanity.)tratar de (to try to): Trata de ser feliz con lo que tienes. (Try to be happy with what you have.) Reflexive Verbs Followed by De Many of the reflexive verbs followed by de and an infinitive involve mental processes and/or actions based on emotions: acordarse de (to remember): No me acuerdo de ver a nadie sacando fotos. (I dont remember seeing anyone taking pictures.)alegrarse de (to be happy to): Se alegra de haber realizado el cambio y afirma que eso era la carrera que estaba buscando. (He is happy to have made the change and says that was the career he was looking for.)arrepentirse de (to regret, to repent of): Mi hija se arrepintià ³ de subir el video de su novio a YouTube. (My daughter regretted uploading the video of her boyfriend to YouTube.)cansarse de (to tire of): Nunca me canso de verte. (I never get tired of seeing you.)jactarse de (to boast about): El presidente se jactà ³ de que la economà ­a estaba estableciendo rà ©cords. (The president bragged that the economy was setting records.)olvidarse de (to forget): Me olvidà © de comprar leche. (I forgot to buy milk.)preocuparse de (to worry about): Como no me he preocupado de nacer, no me preocupo de morir. (cita de Federico Garcà ­a Lorca) (Just as I havent worri ed about being born, I dont worry about dying. (quote from Federico Garcà ­a Lorca)) quejarse de (to complain about): Muchas personas se quejan de trabajar mucho, pero yo les digo que demos gracias a Dios de tener un trabajo. (Many people complain about working a lot, but I tell them lets give thanks to God for having a job.) Key Takeaways Some Spanish verbs are typically followed by de and an infinitive. The combination of the verb and de can be thought of as having a meaning in itself, so that the de usually isnt translated as of or from.Many of the verb de combinations involve the ceasing of action.Many of the reflexive verb de combinations involve mental actions.

Qué es el formulario de ESTA para viajar sin visa a USA

Quà © es el formulario de ESTA para viajar sin visa a USA El formulario de ESTA para viajar a Estados Unidos sin visa es una autorizacià ³n que deben solicitar los turistas o las personas de negocio de ciertos paà ­ses para ingresar al paà ­s por avià ³n o por barco de transporte. No es posible utilizar la ESTA si se llega en una embarcacià ³n o en avià ³n privado o de aerolà ­neas no autorizadas por el gobierno de Estados Unidos. En la actualidad de entre todos los paà ­ses en los que se habla espaà ±ol sà ³lo los espaà ±oles y chilenos pueden entrar en Estados Unidos sin visado. Aunque el gobierno de Washington est en conversaciones con algunos gobiernos latinoamericanos para extender este privilegio a argentinos, brasileà ±os y uruguayos. Quià ©nes pueden solicitar el formulario de ESTA para viajar sin visa Las personas que tengan un pasaporte de uno de los paà ­ses del Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas y que desean viajar a Estados Unidos como turistas o personas de negocios. Sin embargo, si se ha viajado a Irn, Iraq, Yemen, Siria, Libia o Somalia despuà ©s del 1 de marzo de 2011, no se puede solicitar la ESTA. Es necesario pedir una visa de turista. Si se solicita la ESTA y se obtiene, destacar que la estancia siempre debe ser por 90 dà ­as o menos. No se puede ampliar de ninguna manera sin salir del paà ­s. Las personas con visa de turista B1/B2 vigente pueden seguir utilizndola. Tambià ©n necesitan este tipo de visado los extranjeros que viajan a Estados Unidos en aviones privados. Por à ºltimo, entender que los extranjeros que residen legalmente en un paà ­s del Programa de Exencià ³n de Visas no pueden beneficiarse de este privilegio. Por ejemplo, en Espaà ±a vive un nà ºmero considerable de latinoamericanos. Ellos necesitan visa para viajar a Estados Unidos, a menos que se hayan naturalizado espaà ±oles y tenga, por lo tanto, pasaporte espaà ±ol. Cà ³mo se solicita la ESTA para viajar a USA El formulario de ESTA se solicita por internet en una direccià ³n oficial del gobierno americano. Es necesario tener a mano el pasaporte (sin expirar) y una tarjeta de crà ©dito VISA, MasterCard, Discover o American Expres. En los dos primeros casos tambià ©n se admiten las tarjetas de dà ©bito.Tambià ©n hay que tener una direccià ³n de correo electrà ³nica. Si no se tiene, crear una antes de iniciar la solicitud.La aplicacià ³n es sencilla y requiere, como media, unos quince minutos en completarse. Hay que pagar una tasa por la gestià ³n de cuatro dà ³lares americanos. Y si la solicitud es aprobada se cargarn otros 10 dà ³lares. Adems, es posible que la tarjeta de crà ©dito cobre una tasa por la gestià ³n.Antes de hacer el pago verificar que todos los datos son correctos. Ya que si se han cometido errores en cosas como la fecha en la que el pasaporte fue emitido o en la que expira y se detectan despuà ©s del pago ser necesario volver a comentar la aplicacià ³n del pri ncipio y habr que pagar de nuevo.La respuesta se sabe prcticamente al momento. Se recomienda imprimirla y anotar el nà ºmero de caso. Finalizar posteriormente la aplicacià ³n o hacer cambios no esenciales Es posible hacer cambios posteriores, por ejemplo, para completar el nombre de la aerolà ­nea, la ciudad desde la que se viaja o la direccià ³n en la que se va a estar en Estados Unidos, el nà ºmero de telà ©fono o la direccià ³n de correo electrà ³nico. En estos casos basta con introducir el nà ºmero de la aplicacià ³n o datos como el nà ºmero de pasaporte, nombre completo y paà ­s que ha emitido el pasaporte. Cul es la validez de la ESTA La autorizacià ³n para viajar es vlida por dos aà ±os o hasta la fecha de expiracià ³n del pasaporte, cualquiera que se produzca antes. Adems, es necesario aplicar por una ESTA nueva, aà ºn cuando su fecha està © vigente si han cambiado las circunstancias y la respuesta a alguna de las preguntas con opcià ³n de sà ­ o no del formulario ha cambiado. Por ejemplo, si se contestà ³ a una de ellas no y ahora la respuesta correcta es sà ­. (Sà ³lo a ese tipo de preguntas).   Si el formulario de ESTA expira mientras se est presente legalmente en Estados Unidos no es necesario aplicar por otra. Todo est bien. Quà © pasa con el I-94 Sà ³lo se llena el I-94W si se ingresa a EEUU por una frontera terrestre. El control de quien entra y quià ©n sale por aeropuertos y puertos se hace digitalmente. Ya no es necesario llenar el papelito con el que seguro estn familiarizados las personas que han viajado con anterioridad a Estados Unidos. Quà © pasa si la solicitud de la ESTA es denegada Aunque en la mayorà ­a de los casos la ESTA se concede, cuando esto no es asà ­ no es posible saber la razà ³n exacta de la denegacià ³n. Y esto es lo que hay que hacer si no se obtiene la autorizacià ³n electrà ³nica para viajar. Es fundamental no caer en la terrible tentacià ³n de solicitar una nueva autorizacià ³n para viajar cuando la primera es denegada y mentir para intentar conseguir asà ­ la ESTA. Lo ms probable es que el sistema informtico detecte el intento o, si no lo hace, que sà ­ se descubra cuando se llega a la Aduana americana y se tiene que pasar por el examen de un oficial de inmigracià ³n. Cuando un extranjero solicita de nuevo la ESTA y le agarran en una mentira  se puede convertir  en inelegible para entrar a Estados Unidos. Y lo ms probable es que nunca consiga viajar al paà ­s. Adems, es posible que aà ºn teniendo la ESTA la aerolà ­nea prohà ­ba embarcar.   A tener en cuenta Tener la ESTA no significa que se asegure poder entrar a Estados Unidos. La à ºltima palabra la tiene siempre el oficial de Inmigracià ³n en la Aduana. Para asegurarte de que conoces todo lo fundamental sobre la ESTA y sobre la estadà ­a en Estados Unidos cuando se tiene ese documento toma este test de respuestas mà ºltiples. Si sabes todas las respuestas seguro que te evitars problemas. Listado de paà ­ses y casos de doble nacionalidad Segà ºn las leyes de los Estados Unidos  ciudadanos de estos paà ­ses pueden viajar sin visa, sà ³lo con la ESTA. En el caso de doble nacionalidad es importante entender que si la visa se negà ³ con un pasaporte no es posible utilizar el otro para ingresar solo con la ESTA. Por ejemplo, un venezolano que solicità ³ la visa americana con ese pasaporte y su peticià ³n fue negada no puede utilizar el pasaporte portuguà ©s que tiene por ser hijo de portugueses para ingresar sin visa a los Estados Unidos. No se puede legalmente y adems hay que tener muy claro que esta trampa que se pretende hacer es fcil de descubrir ya que cuando se pidià ³ la visa se tomaron las huellas digitales y cuando se pretende ingresar a Estados Unidos, tambià ©n, y el sistema TEC hace una comparativa y el oficial migratorio identifica al ciudadano portuguà ©s como el venezolano al que se denegà ³ la visa.

16 Classic Russian Jokes

16 Classic Russian Jokes Russian humor can be difficult to understand even if you speak fluent Russian. This is often because many Russian jokes play on cultural stereotypes, political events, popular culture, and Soviet-time movies. Russian jokes are called Ð °Ã ½Ã µÃ ºÃ ´Ã ¾Ã'‚ and have a unique history. The first Ð °Ã ½Ã µÃ ºÃ ´Ã ¾Ã'‚Ã'‹ came to Russia through the European tradition of telling interesting, often funny stories. They were popular in the aristocratic circles and eventually developed into the classic joke similar to those in the West. However, these jokes took on a very political slant during the 70 years of the Soviet era. This unique perspective allowed for the development of an unusual, specific Russian humor characterized by its themes of political or cultural relevance. Soviet Jokes About Political Leaders Imgorthand / Getty Images Soviet political leaders provided a lot of material for new jokes, especially Stalin, Brezhnev, and Khrushchev, due to their odd or funny behavior as well as the paradoxical and claustrophobic nature of the Soviet life. 1.Thats enough of messing around, said Brezhnev, gluing his eyebrows under his nose. 2. Brezhnev is speaking at a party meeting. Who said that I can only speak when I have the speech in front of me? Ha, dash, ha, dash, ha, dash. 3. - Do you have a hobby, Leonid Ilyich?- Of course! I collect jokes about myself.- Have you got many?- Two and a half labor camps already! Jokes About Everyday Soviet Life Life was difficult in the Soviet Union, with stores often displaying empty shelves and politics generating a high level of stress and suspicion. People were painfully aware of the lack of things that were considered completely ordinary abroad. All production was done within the country and everything was grey and clunky compared to what was being produced in the West. People responded by coming up with jokes that played on the contrast between life in the Soviet Union and life elsewhere. 4. Two cassette players meet up. One is Japanese, the other is Soviet-made. The Soviet one says:- Is it true that your owner has bought you a new cassette?- Yeah.- Can I have a chew? 5. - What would you do if they opened the borders?- I would climb a tree.- Why?- So I dont get killed in the stampede. Jokes About Contemporary Life in Russia 6. They caught Bin Laden. Washed him, gave him a haircut, turned out it was Berezovsky. 7. A factory worker in a Western country shows his house to his Russian colleague.- Heres my room, this one is my wifes, this is my eldest daughters, thats our dining room, then the guest bedroom... etc.The Russian guest nods and says, after a pause:- Well, its basically similar to mine. Only we dont have the internal walls. New Russians Jokes Arndt_Vladimir / Getty Images New Russians appeared in the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, as the Russian nouveaux riches. They quickly became the subject of many jokes due to their lack of culture, education, and manners, as well as their garish tastes. New Russians were usually depicted as low in intelligence and reliant on money to solve everything. 8. Two New Russians are driving in a Jeep and see a sign Traffic police - 100m. One of them takes out his wallet and begins to count the money. Then he sighs and says You know what, Vovan, I dont think we have enough for a hundred cops. 9. A New Russian says to an architect:- I want you to build three swimming pools: one with cold water, one with warm water, and one without any water.- Why would the third one not have any water?- Cuz some of my friends cant swim. Jokes About Lenin Andrei Vasilev / Getty Images Just like other political leaders, Lenin has been the butt of many Russian jokes. His character traits, his manner of speech, and his post-death stay at the Moscow mausoleum are all popular topics. 10. A tired father of six comes home after a night shift. The kids surround him and demand to play. He says:- Okay, lets play a game called Mausoleum where Ill be Lenin and youll be the guards. 11. A journalist interviews Lenin.- Vladimir Ilyich, how did you come up with the slogan Study, study, and study?- I didnt come up with anything, I was just trying out a new pen! Jokes About Lieutenant Rzhevsky Lieutenant Rzhevsky is a fictional character in a play by Aleksandr Gladkov and the movie based on the play, The Hussar Ballad. Possessing both negative and positive character traits, Rzhevsky became a popular subject of Soviet jokes after the release of the movie. Although the original character is not that much of a womanizer, it is this trait in particular that dominates the jokes about him. Interestingly, the jokes usually also feature Natasha Rostova, one of the main characters of Tolstoys War and Peace. The reason for this is that while Rzhevsky represents a vulgar, highly sexualized military man, Natasha Rostova depicts the more traditional ideals of a woman as seen in Russian culture as a demure and charming character. The contrast between them creates plenty of opportunities for jokes. 12. Natasha Rostova is at a ball.- It is terribly hot in here. Lieutenant Rzhevsky, perhaps we could open something?- With my greatest pleasure! Would you prefer champagne or cognac? 13. - Chaps, Im so tired of the same old card games! Why dont we go to the theatre instead? They are putting on Three Sisters.Lieutenant Rzhevsky:- This is going to work out brilliantly! There are three of us, too! Jokes About Little Vovochka STUDIOGRANDOUEST / Getty Images Equivalent to Little Johny, Little Vovochka originated in the early 20th century as a nameless little boy who would shock others with his vulgar behavior. Eventually, the little boy became Little Vovochka as an ironic homage to such leaders of Russia as Vladimir the Great and Vladimir Lenin. More recently, Vladimir Putin also joined the ranks of the Vovochkas. 14. A teacher asks:- Children, who has a pet at home?Everyone raises their hands and shouts out Cat! Dog! Hedgehog!Little Vovochka raises his hand and says Lice, ticks, cockroaches! 15. Little Vovochka decided to become president when he grows up. And he did. Jokes About Chapaev Chapaev was a celebrated Russian army commander during the Russian Civil War. After a Soviet movie was made about him in 1934, Chapaev became a popular subject of Russian jokes. His sidekick, Petka, is usually present in the jokes, too. 16. Petka asks Chapayev:- Vassily Ivanovich, can you drink half a liter of vodka?- Of course!- What about a full liter?- Sure!- How about a whole barrel?- No problem, I can drink that easily.- Can you drink a river of vodka?- Nah, I cant do that. Where would I get such a giant gherkin?

See the dis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

See the dis - Essay Example A sales plan will be prudent since it helps in organizing and thinking through ones’ sales strategy. Its writing should be in a way that makes sense to the marketer. It should include the sales goals, which should be specific and measurable. The goal bases on the nature of product and breaks it down into manageable parts. For example, sell 50 units to end-users in 30 days and sell 100 units to local independent retailers in six months. Through this, the management will be able to know the projection of profits they would be able to make at a certain time (Ellis, Fitchet, Higgins, Jack, Lim, Saren and Tadajewski 25-26). The company should ensure it has sales activities, which would help the management develop a plan that makes sales. The sales can be direct-to-consumer through a website or via craft shows. In addition, the sales may include activities like developing a sell sheet, to send to independent retail stores (McLeish 45). This will enable the company realize more sales with more strategic sale plans in place since the management will know what to undertake at different times of economic downturns. With the growth use of the social site in UAE, the marketers should consider marketing the product on the website. ... Inconveniences arise to its customers if the number of distribution channels is too few, while too many distribution channels may increase its operating cost. There should therefore be a retail store with easy access and more convenient to the consumer (Ulph 98). The company should seek to adopt e-commerce fully at the stage of webpage promotion of products and services. This increases the chances of online sales and marketing at large. Summit sportswear should also seek to franchise its distribution channels, not only to increase its incomes, but also to minimize its operating cost and unify its operation mode to enhance its brand identity. In coming up with the retail prices, the company should research its competitors' prices and manufacturer suggested prices to determine product pricing. Once the product has moved from the wholesale, the retailers should decide on what type of retail prices to set. They can determine price by using three pricing models: cost-based pricing, compet ition-based pricing or customer-based pricing. Cost-based pricing sets the retailer’s price based on product and operating costs. Competition-based pricing uses local competitors' prices to decide on retail charges. Customer-based pricing sets retail prices based on how much the products is in demand (Ellis, Fitchet, Higgins, Jack, Lim, Saren and Tadajewski 180). In determining retail prices and the willingness of the customers to buy, the managers should review the manufacturer suggested retail price as a starting point. This would give managers an idea of the value of the product from the manufacturer's perspective. The organization should set prices close to his competitors (Synder 98). Charging too much or too little

Hurricane Katrina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example Around mid 19th Century, the ‘Irish Potato Famine’ hit Ireland while ‘Hurricane Katrina’ hit United States in 2005; both disasters had many similarities and a few differences. Both Irish Potato Famine and Hurricane Katrina were natural disasters that hit different countries at different times. Hurricane Katrina is one of the most destructive disasters that have hit the American coastline over the centuries. It was unprecedented and spread so fast to vast areas, from the Bahamas to Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. Other areas affected included Louisiana, New Orleans, Texas, and the coast of Mississippi among other areas. Massive flooding was experienced within a very short period. Between 1845 and 1952, Ireland experienced a disastrous famine that affected livelihoods due to the failure of the crop that the people almost exclusively relied on. The cause of the crop failure was due to an unprecedented potato blight that had originated from Mexico and found its w ay to Ireland. The magnitude of the two disasters is comparable given the different times that they occurred. To a person in the 19th, century, potato blight that was caused by fungi appeared to be a mystery and could not be understood and no immediate solution was found. The same case happened in 2005 when the hurricane got the people off guard, the best thing that could have been done was to evacuate those who were in the prone areas. Floods extended over large areas and completely curtailed operations in the entire region. Lives were lost in both incidences, it was estimated that up to one thousand, eight hundred and thirty three people lost their lives during the hurricane and the subsequent floods. These figures could have risen if it were not for immediate intervention by the government agencies as well as other rescue operators. Property estimated at more than $81 billion was lost in the process. For the case of the Irish Potato Famine, it was reported that more than eight hu ndred thousand people died and more than one million others found their way to other countries in the world. Despite the two disasters being similar in that they were all natural, there is a difference in how the population reacted to the incidences. While the Americans were so swift to find a solution to the prevailing problem that threatened the country, the Irish situation is as if it emanated from their own making. The level of preparedness was very poor and the aspect of overreliance on potatoes as the staple food posed a threat that could result to a food crisis as it came to be. It is also ironical that despite the people dying of hunger, the country still exported grains to other countries. The issue was not looked into with seriousness even after the experts addressed the cause, they made a wrong conclusion. For Katrina, every minute mattered and the rescuers were on high gear not only to rescue the survivors but also there was a concerted effort to contain the situation. F ederal agencies such as National Hurricane Centre, United States Coast Guard and National Weather Service had an insurmountable input in the path to containing the situation. Those who slept on their job faced the axe such as the director of Federal Emergency Management agency. Both disasters had lasting effects as characterized by the aftermath of the two incidences. The economy of Ireland downsized

Coke is good for our health or not Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coke is good for our health or not - Essay Example When I changed clients, the situation was a little different from the new client’s workplace. There was no soda to get hooked to. I resulted to carrying several cans to the workplace and even get into the same queues that I used to pride myself as not participating in. At this point, I was getting a little concerned about my Coke addiction, and I started searching online for the negative effects of not just Coke too much fructose corn syrup. It is while I was reading the effects of excess fructose corn syrup that I discovered that fructose can also serve as an alternative to beer and cane sugar. I later realized that the type of addiction that an individual can experience in terms of Coke drinking can almost match the type of addiction from an alcoholic addiction perspective. In my research, it became evident that Coke is not a good beverage as we are supposed to believe. The highly consumer friendly classifieds are nothing but marketing gimmicks aimed at gaining public support by portraying Coke as a healthy beverage. Of concern to me was that high fructose diet often converts into fat as compared to any other sugar. According to experts and the opinion I read online, this high conversion rate into fats is the major cause of weight gain. Just looking around, I could notice that a lot of people in the streets were overweight. More specific is that most people line in queues at fast-food joints displayed a similar character trait, that of being overweight. Could there be a connection between Coke addiction and weight gain? The answer is yes. One specific example from an online website detailed how the Diabetes Prevention Program at Louisiana State University Medical Center explained to International Congress on excess weight that it was the introduction of excess fructose corn syrup that obesity cases started to increase. In my

Development Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Development Administration - Essay Example In foreign policy, Neoliberalism is a proponent of the opening of foreign markets via political means, through diplomatic means, economic pressure and if needed be, then military might as well. In this context, opening of markets implies free trade and international division of labor. Neoliberalists mostly favor multilateral political pressure through various international organizations and treaty devices such as the WTO, the World Bank and the African Development bank. It promotes reducing the role of national governments to negligible. It encourages privatization over direct government involvement and evaluates success in the overall economic gain. To build on efficiency and increase employment, it works to reject and alleviate labor policies such as minimum wage and overall bargaining rights. It is a vehement opponent of socialism, protectionism, fair trade and according to some critics it is a major obstacle to democratic rule. Similarly these critics argue that labor rights and social justice should be prioritized over international relations and economics. In the United States neo-liberalism has been linked with positions that support free trade and welfare reform. It does not oppose Keynesianism and environmentalism in these areas. In the American context, for instance Brad DeLong is a very avid defender of Neoliberalism, despite being a Keynesian, someone who has constantly supported income redistribution and also a fierce critic of the Bush Administration. It is also colinked with the Third Way aka social democracy under the New Public Management movement. Those supporting the US Version of Neo-liberalism put it forward as a pragmatic position that focuses on what works and what doesn’t work. The concept emerged during the 1980s as an alternative to the famous interventionist approach of the Democratic Party and the anti-government Pro Business approach of the Republican Party. Charlie Peters, Robert Reich, Lester Thuron, Gary Hart, Paul

Outline and discuss the evolution of CSR, including its history, role Essay - 1

Outline and discuss the evolution of CSR, including its history, role in the financial crisis and prospects for the future. Supp - Essay Example The topic of social responsibility is a highly debated one, as several theorists think that â€Å"business is obligated only to make profits.†2 On the other hand, many believe that all business entities have a social obligation it is bound to fulfill. However, there is no denial of the fact that while operating to make profits, a business organization has to ensure that they keep the interest of the society and environment in mind because basically the revenues they make have to primarily derive from the same society and environment. Definition: Corporate Social Responsibility can be defined as the â€Å"relationship between global corporations, governments of countries and individuals citizens.†3 CSR is also encompasses the relationship between corporations and their stakeholders. The EU Commission further defines CSR as a concept where â€Å"companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations†4 as well as during their interactions with stakeholders on a â€Å"voluntary basis.†5 Thus, in simple terms it is the responsibility corporate organizations have towards the society they work and operate in. Furthermore, this responsibility is not limited to the present generation in a particular society, but also extends to coming generations, that is the â€Å"future members of the society.†6 CSR is greatly related with â€Å"corporate citizenship, business responsibility, business reputation, ethical corporation, sustainable business†7 etc but is different from them. The CSR approach believes that stakeholders such as â€Å"consumers, employees, the community at large, government, and the natural environment†8 are supposed to be given a stronger focus. Social responsibility of the firms basically stems from the fact that they are using the natural resources available in the area where they function. Thus, they are bound to give something back to the society. In the present day, the wellbe ing of society has become increasingly important, and community is given the main priority in all spheres. In such a community centered world system, the question of who is responsible to safeguard the interests of the people cannot simply be answered by government. While government has a key role, the growing private sector companies including corporate entities need to focus not only on making profits, but also consider the impact of their operations within the society. History and Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility: The basic idea of CSR has its roots in the era before the birth of Jesus Christ and is first seen when in â€Å"1700 BC†9 the ancient Mesopotamian ruler brought into practice a code that imposes punishment on â€Å"builders, innkeepers or farmers†10 by death if as a result of â€Å"their negligence†11 any inconvenience is caused to local citizens. The people engaged in any trade related activities have to abide by this code, not merely b ecause they feared â€Å"legal consequences†12 but because of their strong sense of â€Å"moral conviction.†13 On the other hand, ancient Roman senators were upset with the fact that businesses were unable to provide adequate taxes in order to â€Å"fund military campaigns,†14 therefore unsuccessful to â€Å"contribute to the war programme.†

Development Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Development Administration - Essay Example In foreign policy, Neoliberalism is a proponent of the opening of foreign markets via political means, through diplomatic means, economic pressure and if needed be, then military might as well. In this context, opening of markets implies free trade and international division of labor. Neoliberalists mostly favor multilateral political pressure through various international organizations and treaty devices such as the WTO, the World Bank and the African Development bank. It promotes reducing the role of national governments to negligible. It encourages privatization over direct government involvement and evaluates success in the overall economic gain. To build on efficiency and increase employment, it works to reject and alleviate labor policies such as minimum wage and overall bargaining rights. It is a vehement opponent of socialism, protectionism, fair trade and according to some critics it is a major obstacle to democratic rule. Similarly these critics argue that labor rights and social justice should be prioritized over international relations and economics. In the United States neo-liberalism has been linked with positions that support free trade and welfare reform. It does not oppose Keynesianism and environmentalism in these areas. In the American context, for instance Brad DeLong is a very avid defender of Neoliberalism, despite being a Keynesian, someone who has constantly supported income redistribution and also a fierce critic of the Bush Administration. It is also colinked with the Third Way aka social democracy under the New Public Management movement. Those supporting the US Version of Neo-liberalism put it forward as a pragmatic position that focuses on what works and what doesn’t work. The concept emerged during the 1980s as an alternative to the famous interventionist approach of the Democratic Party and the anti-government Pro Business approach of the Republican Party. Charlie Peters, Robert Reich, Lester Thuron, Gary Hart, Paul

Comparison of EUS and ERCP in diagnosis of bile ducts stone Essay

Comparison of EUS and ERCP in diagnosis of bile ducts stone - Essay Example All the authors possess masters degree in medicine and the last two authors possess even PhD degree. They are gastroenterologists with keen interest in study and research pertaining to stones in bile ducts. The first and second authors have published several articles pertaining to this topic. Thus the authors have professional experience and qualifications in this regard. An abstract is included in the study and is described heading wise. The abstract gives clear information in a concise manner about various aspects of the study. The abstract does identify the research problem, i.e., "factors affecting diagnostic accuracy and comparison of patients in the follow-up period for negative outcomes are not thoroughly investigated in a randomized trial." There is no hypothesis in the research. The methodology, sample subjects and major findings in the study are mentioned in the abstract. The rationale for the study is clearly mentioned. The limitations of the study are not mentioned. The literature review in the study is not in detail and very short. However, it is up-to-date. No underlying theoretical frameworks have been identified in the study. The literature review however, does identify the need for the research proposal. There is no hypothesis in the study. The methodology is clear. The study is a prospective unicentric randomized study conducted over one year after appropriate approval from the Ethics committee. 256 patients with suspected biliary stone disease who were hospitalized were included in the study. The aims and objectives in the study are clear and well defined. Even secondary objectives are indicated. All the terms in the research are clearly defined. A standardized criteria defined by Barkun et al 17 was used to determine common bile duct stones. The methodology is clear, reproducible and appropriate to the research problem. The inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria for this study are definite and described

Merger and Acquisition Essay Example for Free

Merger and Acquisition Essay Indian Trade Unions In India the Trade Union movement is generally divided on political lines. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, trade unions had a combined membership of 24,601,589 in 2002. As of 2008, there are 11 Central Trade Union Organizations (CTUO) recognized by the Ministry of Labour These are different recognized Central Trade organizations All India Central Council of Trade Unions All India Central Council of Trade Unions, a central trade union federation in India. AICCTU is politically attached to Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, AICCTU had a membership of 639,962 in 2002. The affiliated unions of All India Central Council of Trade Unions are * All India Agrarian Labourers Association * All India Construction Workers Federation * Bengal Chatkal Mazdoor Federation is a trade union of jute mill workers in West Bengal, India.[1] The union is affiliated to the All India Central Council of Trade Unions. * Bunkar Mahasabha is a trade union of weavers in Varanasi, India. Bunkar Mahasabha was formed in 2001 * Rajasthan Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan (Rajasthan Construction Workers Organization) is a trade union of construction workers in Rajasthan, India. RNMS is affiliated to All India Central Council of Trade Unions. The President of RNMS is Shrilata Swaminathan. * The Tamil Nadu Democratic Construction Labour Union is a trade union of construction workers in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. TNDCLU is affiliated with the All India Central Council of Trade Unions. TNDCLU hopes to increase its membership to 15,000 during 2005. * Indo Japan Air Services Staff Union (IJASSU) is a registered staff union of Indo Japan Air Services Private Limited (a 100% subsidiary of Japan Airlines Company Limited) under the Indian Trade Unions Act 1926 having registration no. F-10/RTU/E/06/11. Indo Japan Air Services Staff Union is affiliated to All India Central Council of Trade Unions * All India General Kamgar Union * Building Workers Union * DTC Unity Centre * Mahila Kamgar Union * Khet Mazdoor Sabha All India Trade Union Congress The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) is the oldest trade union federations in India and one of the five largest. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, AITUC had a membership of 2,677,979 in 2002. It was founded on 31 October 1920 in Bombay by Lala Lajpat Rai and a few others and, until 1945 when unions became organised on party lines, it was the primary trade union organisation in India. Since then it has been associated with the Communist Party of India. AITUC is governed by a body headed by National President Ramedra Kumar and General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta, both the politician affiliated with Communist Party of India. AITUC is a founder member of the World Federation of Trade Unions. Today, its institutional records are part of the Archives at the Nehru Memorial Museum Library, at Teen Murti House, Delhi Following are the affiliated unions to the All India Trade Union Congress * Andhra Pradesh Auto Rickshaw Drivers and Workers Federation,. a trade union of auto rickshaw drivers in Andhra Pradesh, India. APARDWF is affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress * Andhra Pradesh Mica Mine Workers Union A.P. Mica Mine Workers Union, a trade union of mica mine labourers in the Gudur minesfields in Andhra Pradesh, India. APMMU is affiliated to All India Trade Union Congress. APMMU claims a membership of 1200 out of a total of 7000 workers. Andhra Pradesh is one of the three leading areas where mica is mined in India. India produces roughly 62% of the worlds mica but in recent years other materials substituting mica in its main applications (such as electronics) have impacted the price and mining of mica in India. * Calcutta Hawkers Men Union is a trade union of hawkers in Kolkata. CHMU was founded in 1971. CHMU is affiliated to All India Trade Union Congress. Its membership is mainly based amongst food vendors. * Federation of Chatkal Mazdoor Unions, a trade union of jute mill workers in West Bengal, India. The union is affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress. The general secretary of FCMU is Debasish Dutta * Nikhila Orissa Beedi Shramika Federation (All Orissa Beedi Workers Federation), a trade union in Orissa, India, organizing women beedi workers. NOBSF is affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress. * Patiala Aviation Club Workers Union, a trade union organizing workers at the Patiala Aviation Club in Patiala, Punjab, India. PACWU is affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress. The president of PACWU is Balinder Kumar Sharma. In the period of 1999-2001 PAC workers were not paid salaries for over two years, something that was highlighted by the PACWU. * Pondicherry Textile Labour Union, a trade union of textile workers in Puducherry, India. PTLU is affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress. The secretary of PTLU is V.S. Abishegam. * Powerloom Workers Union, a trade union of powerloom workers in Andhra Pradesh, India. PWU is affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress. The president of PWU is S. Mallesham. * Punjab Breweries Workers Union, a trade union of brewery workers in Punjab, India. PBWU is affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress. The president of PBWU is gurbir singh and the general secretary Kishan Chand * Vegetable Market Workers Union, a trade union in Andhra Pradesh, India. VMWU is affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress. The president of VMWU is Moulana. * Visakha Steel Workers Union, a trade union of steel workers at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, in Visakhapatnam, India. VSWU is affiliated with the All India Trade Union Congress. In March 2008 VSWU, contesting union elections in coalition with the CITU-affiliated Steel Plant Employees Union, regained the union recognition at the plant. The AITUC-CITU front won 6,597 votes against 4,361 votes for the INTUC-affiliated Visakha Steel Employees Congress. All India United Trade Union Centre The All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), formerly known as United Trade Union Centre (Lanin Sarani) or UTUC-LS, is a Central Trade Union Organisation in India and the labour wing of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist). Presently its activities are spread over 19 states. The organisation claims to have 600 affiliated unions, comprising an individual membership of over two million. It is the 6th largest trade union in India. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, UTUC-LS had a membership of 1,368,535 in 200 History All India UTUC was founded at a conference held in Kolkata 26–27 April 1958, following a split in the United Trade Union Congress. Initially it used the name UTUC, but in the general media it was referred to as UTUC (Dharamtala Street) (where it had its offices) to distinguish it from the original UTUC. In 1969, at the initiative of Subodh Banerjee, West Bengal State Committee President of the organisation and PWD Minister in anti-Congress United Front Government in the state, the name of the street was changed to Lenin Sarani. Thus the new name of the organisation became UTUC (Lenin Sarani). In the 17th UTUC(LS) conference held in Delhi in 1985 the organisation was renamed as United Trade Union Centre (Lenin Sarani). In the 18th conference held in 1992 in Calcutta Lenin Sarani was un-bracketed, implying that it no longer referred to the name of the street where the office is located but became an integral part of the name of the organisation which was thereafter known as United Trade Union Centre-Lenin Sarani (UTUC-LS). The 19th all India conference of the organization held in Delhi on 27 March 2008 approved the change of name to All India United Trade Union Centre (All India UTUC) Activities The All India UTUC is functioning in both formal and informal sectors. In informal sector, the most important segment where it has been working from the very inception is agriculture. In the formal sectors All India UTUC has unions, federations and activities in basic, heavy and key industries and important service sectors like Iron and Steel, Engineering, Electricity, Coal and Non-Coal Mines, Railways, Port and Dock, Road-Transport, Banks and Financial Institutions, Insurance, Central and State Government Services. On the basis of its membership strength All India UTUC has been recognised as a Central Trade Union Organisation by the Government of India and has its representations in apex level tripartite committees as well as in International Labour Conferences (ILC) of the ILO. Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (Indian Workers Union) is the largest central trade union organization in India. It was founded by Dattopantji Thengdi on July 23, 1955, which also happens to the birthday of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The BMS itself claims to have over 8.3 million members. At present it is estimated around 5860 unions are affiliated to the BMS. According to provisional statistics from the Ministry of Labour, the BMS had a membership of 6,215,797 in 2002.It can also be noted that the BMS is not affiliated to any International Trade Union Confederation. History BMS was founded on 23 July 1955 – the day being the birth anniversary of Lok Manya Bal Gangadhar Tilak – veteran of Freedom Movement. Two important aspects stand out in connection with this: (a) Formation of BMS was not the result of split in the existing trade union organisations, unlike in the case of almost all other trade unions. Hence it had the formidable responsibility of building its organisational structure from the grass root level. It started from zero having no trade union, no membership, no activist (karyakarta), no office and no fund. (b) On the very first day it was visualised as a trade union whose base-sheet anchors – would be Nationalism, would work as a genuine trade union, keeping itself scrupulously away from party politics. This was also unlike other trade unions which were linked to one or the other political party, overtly or otherwise. Aims and Objective (a) To establish ultimately the Bharatiya order of society in which there shall be secured among other things: i. Complete utilisation of manpower and resources leading to full employment and maximum production. ii. Replacement of profit motive by service motive and establishment of economic democracy resulting in equitable distribution of wealth to the best advantage of all individual citizens and of the national as a whole. iii. Development of autonomous industrial communities forming part and parcel of the nation, culminating in ‘Labourisation of industry’ iv. Provision of work with living wage to every individual through maximum industrialisation of the nation. (b) With a view to enable the workers to strive successfully for the ultimate realisation of the above objects and to strengthen them, in the meanwhile, to make their own contribution to the cause of protecting and promoting their interest consistent with those of the community: v. To assist workers in organis ing themselves in trade unions as a medium of service to the motherland irrespective of faiths and political affinities. vi. To guide, direct, supervise and coordinate the activities of the affiliated unions. vii. To assist the affiliated unions in the formation of state BMS units and Industrial Federations as constituent units of the BMS and viii. To bring about unity in the trade union movement. (c) To secure and preserve for the workers: ix. The right to work, the right for security of service and for social security, the right to conduct trade union activities and the right to strike as a last resort after having exhausted other legitimate methods of trade unionism for redressal of grievances. x. Improvement in conditions of work, life and social and industrial status. xi. A living wage consistent with a national minimum and due share in the profits in their respective industries as partners. xii. Other appropriate amenities xiii. Expeditious enforcement and appropriate amendment of existing labour legislation in their interest and xiv. Enactment of new labour laws from time to time in consultation with the labour representatives. (d) To inculcate in the minds of the workers the spirit of service, cooperation and dutifulness and develop in them a sense of responsibility towards the nation in general and industry in particular (e) To educate the labour by organising worker’s training classes, study circles, guest lectures, seminars, symposia, excursions etc., in cooperation with institutions and organisations having similar aims and objects such as the Central Board of Workers Education. Labour Research Centre, Universities etc., and also to maintain libraries. (f) To publish or cause publication of journals, periodicals, pamphlets, pictures, books and many other types of literature mainly concerning labor and their interests and to purchase, sell circulate them. (g) To establish, encourage and organize Labor Research Centers and similar activities. (h) Generally to take such other steps as may be necessary to ameliorate the social, economic, cultural, civic and general conditions of the workers. For sound health of workers and society BMS has been against the use of any type of drugs, liquor, alcohol and smoking. (i) To render assistance or to establish cooperative societies, welfare institutions, clubs etc., for the overall welfare of the common man in general and the workers and their families in particular. National Labour Day India has a heritage of thousands of year where the dignity of labour as well as those of labourers was well established. The dire need of the hour is to re-establish the same the Dignity of Labour by observing our own labour day. As also, most of the Nations have their National Labour Day. National Labour Day was rediscovered to be on Vishwakarma Jayanti, Vishwakarma, being the first craftsman – artisan, sculptor, and engineer and in fact the traditional symbol of hard labour. This falls on Kanya Sankranti of each year. BMS, since its inception, has been observing Vishwakarma Jayanti – on 17 September of English Calendar Year as National Labour Day. While functioning since 1955 it has given to the labour movement new slogans benefiting its ideology: * Bharat Mata Ki Jai * We will work in the interest of the country and will take full wage for the work done (Desh ki hit me kam karenge, kam ki lenge poore dham) * The sacrifice, penance and martyrdom are identification of BMS (BMS ki kya pehchan, Tyag, Tapasya aur Balidan) * Understand the value of Capital and Labour is equal and same (Paise aur pasine ki kimmat samjo ek samaan). * Workers unite the world (Mazdooron duniya ko ek karo) * Industrialise the nation, Nationalise the Labour, Labourise the Industry (Rashtra Udyogikaran, Sharamik ka Rashtriyakaran, Udyog ka Mazdoorikaran) * Bonus to all wage earners – as deferred wage (Sabi Vetanbogiyonko der se diya hua vetan ki roop me bonus) * Stop discrimination. Income-ratio should be one and ten. (Bed-bhav bandh karo. Aay ka anupath Ek aur Dus ho) New trends in the trade union movement BMS has contributed quite a few new ideas which have virtually become trend setters. The non-political nature of BMS has now gained currency and has become acceptable not only in India but also abroad. The XII World Trade Union Congress of WFTU, held in Moscow, in 1990, adopted a document to this effect. BMS doesnt believe in class concept and rejects the class theory propounded by Marx. Instead its struggle and fight is against the injustice on workers from whatever quarters. Being non-political, its attitude towards any democratically elected government is governed by the principle of â€Å"Responsive Co-operation†. BMS idea of â€Å"Labourisation† of Industries – a stage where workers would collectively own and manage the industrial units has initiated a national debate on it. This experiment has been successfully undertaken in New Central Jute Mills, West Bengal. New Economic Policy (NEP) and New Industrial Policy (NIP) While opposing the above policies BMS was first to give slogan for 2nd war of economic independence. At the same time it has suggested some positive alternatives. It has vigorously condemned the object surrender to the conditionality of the IMF and WB as that would amount to giving up our sovereignty. BMS considers the movement as an opportunity to build up Swadeshi Model of Economy. Hence it has inspired movement for the use of Swadeshi (Indigenous) Products as against the foreign or MNC products. It has offered to cooperate in turning the loss making PSUs profitable where practicable, it has agreed to induce the workers to take up their unit to run them on sound lines. To curb excessive profiteering, which is the main culprit behind price rise; it has suggested that the Government should take steps to make the consumer aware of the cost of production of each product to daily use. This awareness will serve as a watch dog to restrain the prices. BMS is also of the view that for creating enough job opportunities, agricultural development should get more attention as also agro-based and small and tiny industries. Vishwakarma Sector (Self-employment sector) should get more encouragement than at present. On modern technology, BMS while not being antagonistic would prefer developing our own technology based on indigenous and traditional knowledge to best suit our conditions. From this angle national technology policy should be drawn. Indian National Trade Union Congress Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) is the trade union wing of the Indian National Congress. It was founded May 3, 1947, and is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation Objectives of INTUC To establish an order of society which is free from hindrance in the way on an all round development of its individual members, which fosters the growth of human personality in all its aspects and goes to the utmost limit in progressively eliminating social political or economic exploitation and inequality, the profit motive in the economic activity and organization of society and the anti-social concentration in any form. To place industry under national ownership and control in suitable form in order to realize the aforesaid objectives in the quickest time. * To organize society in such a manner as to ensure full employment and the best utilization of its manpower and other resources. * To secure increasing association of the worker in the administration of industry and their full participation in its control. * To promote generally the social civic and political interest of the working class to secure an effective and complete organization of all categories of workers, including agricultural labour. * To guide and co-ordinate the activities of the affiliated organizations. * To assist and co-ordinate the activities of the affiliated organizations. * To assist in the formation of trade unions. * To promote the organization of workers of each industry on a nation-wide basis. * To assist in the formation of Regional or Pradesh Branches or Federations. * To secure speedy improvement of conditions of work and life and of the status of the workers in industry and society. * To obtain for the workers various measures of social security, including adequate provision in respect of accidents, maternity, sickness, old age and unemployment. * To secure a living wage for every worker in normal employment and to bring about a progressive improvement in the workers standard of living. * To regulate hours and other conditions of work in keeping with the conditions of the workers and to ensure the proper enforcement of legislation for the protection and up-lift of labour. * To establish just industrial relations. * To secure redressal of grievances, without stoppages of work, by means of negotiations and conciliation and failing these by arbitration or adjudication. * To take recourse to other legitimate method, including strikes or any suitable form of satyagraha, where adjudication is not applied and settlement of disputes within a reasonable time by arbitration is not available for the redress of grievances. * To make necessary arrangements for the efficient conduct satisfactory and speedy conclusion of authorized strikes or satyagraha. * To foster the spirit of solidarity, service, brotherhood co-operation and mutual help among the workers. * To develop in the workers a sense of responsibility towards the industry and community. * To raise the workers standard of efficiency and discipline.

The Awareness Of Point Of Sale Information Technology Essay

The Awareness Of Point Of Sale Information Technology Essay Point of sale is a place where transaction occurs in exchange for services and goods. The point of sale refers to the physical electronic cash register or dedicated Point of Sale hardware used during checkout, but the POS is simply the location where the sale is conducted, money changes hands and a receipt a is given, which can also occur on a smart-phones, tablets, laptops or mobile POS device when the right hardware and POS software is combined with the mobile devices. It is a system allowing business transaction to be monitored, and also facilitating tasks that would otherwise be time-consuming when they are done manually such as monitoring stock, inventory managing, etc. POS also refers to the capturing of data and customer payment information at counter when goods or services are bought and sold. The POS transaction are captured using a variety of devices which include computers, cash registers, optical and bar code scanners, magnetic card readers, or any combination of these devices. This is the physical location from where  goods  are  sold  to  the customers. Point of  sale  is often more specific than a  general  building or  store  where goods are sold, typically indicating the piece of  technology  which is used to finalize the  transaction. They are seen as a  standard  cash register  at the  front  of the store; such as, at a restaurant, grocery store, shopping malls, etc. The point of sale can also be an electronic  system  which are used by the staff for  multiple  purposes, such as ringing up  orders  as well as generating the  receipt  and finalizing purchases. Devices Used The computer software and the register are not the only devices used in POS systems. Devices such as bar code scanners are as important to use the POS system effectively. Magnetic card readers are used for debit and credit cards and optical scanners that examine the object itself for signatures and images. All these provide different sets of data to the computer which can be used to track sales more accurately. POS systems can be very expensive. Small businesses will need to invest several thousand of dollars for the system, legal bar code system, scanner and software needed to run the POS system. Even when a POS system is set up, the data it produces does no good unless managers and marketers know how to use it effectively and efficiently. Literature Review POS (Point of Sale) systems are commonly used in retail stores, restaurants, stadiums, hotels and casinos, etc. The basic use of these systems is to scan items for purchase, place in order and calculate the bills. They are usually industry specific. What can Point Of Sales System do? * Track all elements of each order, from payment, design details, delivery date and months in advance. * Customer Information: It automatically records the customers name, credit card information, address and what they bought and when. * Customer Relations: Everything regarding the customers purchases can be immediately called upon from the system. This makes handling returns, payments and other transactions easier even if the customer has misplaced the paperwork. In a multi-store environment it does not matter which store the customer goes to. All the information are available at all the stores. * Inventory Control: The computer keeps record of the stores inventory. This makes the POS terminals attached to it, automatically update the inventory with every sale or return. This helps the person in multi-inventories keep track of any stock is going to get over. The central office knows at all times how much stock each store has. * Inventory Analysis: The system is able to calculate at what rate each item is selling at all times, making it easy to decide what quantity has to be purchased. * Reduce Out of Stock: In case there is low stock, Low stock reports and purchase orders are generated automatically with enough lead time to receive goods. * Bar code Integration: Various bar-code reading devices can be used in conjunction with shelf stocking, warehousing and at the sales terminal. This will create a speedy entry and reduce human error. * Warranty Tracking: The time and date of purchase are automatically recorded. This information can be easily retrieved from the system within seconds. Warranty issues can be easily handled by stores other than the one where the purchase was made. * Special Pricing: Sales and specials discounts are easily controlled. Starting and end dates can be assigned to the products or product groups and the system will automatically handle them. * Sales Commissions: The commissions are automatically calculated and reported by the system. Different product lines can carry different commissions. Later commissions can be automatically reduced if the sales-person discounts an item. * Profit Center / Product Line Control: It is very easy to set up both profit centers and product lines. This makes tracking performance of individual sales managers and product line profitability easy. * Accounting: The Point of Sale system is completely integrated with full function accounting (Inventory, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and General Ledger) thus making the books always up-to-date. No hand entries by book-keeping staff are required. In a multi-store environment the central office always has the accounts for each individual store in real time and can produce consolidated accounting reports as well. * Data Export: The Data files and reports can be exported from the POS system for use with other software when there is need. * Data Import: Part number lists, customer lists and other bulk information from outside sources can be imported into the POS system without resorting to hand entry. * Manager Control: The manager has complete access and control to the store or chain of stores at any time of day or night. He can even do store transactions locally. * Security Levels: The Employees are only allowed the access assigned to their password only. * Loss Prevention: Record keeping is so thorough and clear that any employee theft of inventory or received cash, even if cleverly disguised can be detected and traced. Need of the study To know the level of use of POS system among the students of Amity University, Noida. To know the awareness of POS among the students. To know the amount of use of POS system among the students of Amity. Objective of the study: The objective of the study here is to know the use and awareness of the POS system among the students. The amount of use of POS transactions by the students during different courses of purchases. To increase the level of knowledge of POS system among the students. To find out the reasons why POS system is not used in case of both awareness and non-awareness. Rationale behind the study: The presence of POS system in various Malls or stores has become a common sight in todays market. People make their purchases mainly using debit/credit cards in place if paper cash. How does this POS system work? The person making the payment through his card is debited an amount which is the value of the price of the product he is purchasing from the store. This amount is directly credited into the account of the store, form which ever bank it has opened its account with. Since there is no exchange of paper money, transactions takes place in a few seconds, making it less time consuming and less energy involved. On the customers side he does not have the pain of carrying ready cash with him. This wide use of POS system brings us to a study of whether this facility is aware to the young minds of the future leaders and entrepreneurs. The research topic will study how much are the students aware about the POS system that are available in the market. With both the mode of cash and card purchases available, it will see what is used more often and why. It will study the positive as well as the negative impacts in the minds of the students using the system and also who dont use it. The level of awareness of both the group of people who use and who dont will be required to obtain, which will provide the researcher to obtain the final result. Research Methodology: Research method: Descriptive research Sampling method: Convenience Sampling Sampling size: 200 Sampling Universe: Student of Amity University, Noida Sector 125. Data collected: Primary Statistical tool Analysis: Microsoft Excel. Data Collection Method: Data will be collected through the distribution of questionnaires and interaction with the students. After the questionnaires are filled up as required and obtaining the required number of responses, it will be analyzed to reach the necessary findings. Primary Data: The data will be collected by the means of survey which will be done on the basis of various interactions with the students. A questionnaire prepared by the researcher will also be given to the responder who will be filling up the necessary questions. This set of questions will later be analyzed to obtain the required result. Hypothesis: Null: H0: the students are aware about the Point of Sales system Alternative: H1: The students are not aware about the Point of Sales system. Null H0: The students use the POS system Alternative: H1: The students do not use the POS system. Data Analysis and Interpretation Period of using a bank account: Respond Frequency Percentage Less than 6 months 117 58.5% Between 6 months to 1 year 35 17.5% 1 to 2 years 27 13.5% More than 2 years 21 10.5% According to the data collected from the survey, it was found that most of the students had their accounts operating from two years and above. The others had accounts opened just a few months back or a year. Mode of Purchases more frequently used: Response Frequency Percentage Cash Purchase 52 26% Card Purchase 148 74% The research Survey shows that majority of the students used the mode of cash payment. Card payment was also used but at a lower scale. When asked why, their reply would be because they felt more comfortable using cash other than cards. Their main reason for not using card payments was lack of security and confidence. Awareness on Point of Sale system: Response Percentage Good 36 Average 38 Poor 10 It has been found that the level of awareness of Point of Sale system among the students were good. Majority of them had an idea or knowledge what exactly a point of sale could do and also were aware about its benefits as well as its short-comings. There were very less percentage of students who had less or no knowledge a all of the POS systems. Frequency of using Debit/Credit Card Response Frequency Percentage Always 32 16% Very Frequently 60 30% Occasionally 42 21% Rarely 20 10% Very rarely Never 10 5% The survey shows us that the use of POS is very frequently used. This frequency is mostly among the students who are aware about the POS systems and use both cash as well as card purchases. Rank of POS system according to preferences Ticketing 3 Entertainment 4 Online Shopping 2 Shopping 1 Cash Transfers 5 The survey shows that majority of the students who use the POS systems are using them mainly for the purpose of shopping and online purchases. The facility o cash transfers are the least used. Satisfaction of using Point of Sale system: Response Frequency Percentage Strongly Agree 20 10% Agree 60 30% Neutral 30 15% Disagree 5 2.5% Strongly disagree The level of satisfaction among the students using POS system has been agreed by a majority. A neutral feeling is followed by the students who has been aware and using this service. Also a strong level of satisfaction is also found among the sampled sized. Reason for not using Point of Sale system Lack of advertisement 5 Lack of interest 15 No use 4 Lack of security 10 Lack of confidence 10 Any other 2 The survey studied the various reasons why some of the students were not using this POS system when it made transactions so much easier. The main reason for this was due to the Lack of interest in the minds of the students. This was followed lack of security and interest. Lack of advertisement was another reason for causing a low awareness among the students. Findings: The level of awareness about the POS system among the students is good. The use of this system is also found at a good scale among the students who are aware about the POS system. Though the level of awareness is good, some students still do not use as frequently as expected due to different reasons. The use of POS system is more among the group of students who have opened their bank accounts from 2 years and above. Students using accounts below a year have lesser use. Reason for lack of awareness is mainly because of not having a account for themselves. Another reason for not using this system is the lack of proper advertisements, lack of confidence and security. The POS system is mainly used for the purpose of shopping and online purchases by the students. They are more comfortable with these simple transactions that the POS offers. Suggestions: Banks and any other financial institutions providing this facility should make the effort of educating the POS system to its customers. Effective advertisements should be made in order to make the customers more aware of the system available. The Lack of security and confidence among the customers can be eradicated by using effective softwares that are immune to hackers and other flaws. Proper education should be implanted in the minds of the consumers in order to make them aware as well as use this facility. Adequate on sight experience from frequent users can also be done to motivate the individuals who do not use due to various reasons. Conclusion: The study of the topic Study on Awareness of Point of Sale system among the students of Amity University, Sector 125 found that a large number of students are aware about the presence of POS systems around them. Many use them because they are convenient and easy. Others though they have the knowledge and awareness are still hesitated to use them for various reasons. The Point of Sale system has made transactions operating in various stores very fast and efficient. They not only provide the benefit of cash less transactions but also keep track of every product or product group in the stores. This information helps the store manger to keep track of his products in his store and make necessary purchases before they run out of stock. Countries like USA mostly use this facility on a very large scale. Thus the final conclusion to this study was that the level of awareness of the POS system among the students is above average. In order to promote it more, a good amount of work in the field of advertisements and security has to be done. The above few reasons were the most prominent for its non use by certain people. It is only when they use the system they will realize the benefits of it.