Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Essay

Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Board: Hedging Foreign Currency Exposure Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Board: Hedging Foreign Currency Exposure Issue Identification The Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan (OTPP) is a defined contribution plan that was created in 1917 to provide and administer a pension plan for Ontario school teachers. Sponsored by the Ontario Government and the Ontario Teacher’s Federation, the plan currently supports 343,000 teachers, former teachers and pensioners. The recent government decision to eliminate the 30% constraint on foreign investments and the increased volatility in the currency market has prompted the OTPP Investment Committee to address the following: 1. Whether to continue the International Equity Swap Program 2. Whether to administer changes to the Foreign Exchange Hedging Policy Goals and Objectives In order to come to a decision, it is necessary that any solution put forth must align with the goals and objectives of the fund. OTPP is a long-term fund determined to minimize risk, costs and the additional contributions required to fund the plan while maximizing its returns. OTPP Investment Strategy In the early 1990’s the OTPP board realized that it was essential to begin investing abroad to diversify risk and to capitalize on international opportunities to achieve greater returns, given the size of the fund. However, it was not until 1996 that the Foreign Exchange Hedge Program (FX Hedge Program) was implemented in response to a significant rise in currency exposure. As the fund faced increased foreign currency risk, risk management became essential and thus, a hedging policy of 50% of its foreign currency exposure was introduced. Due to the fact that OTPP has a continual commitment in supporting its pensioners, it must expose itself to limited risk and effectively hedge against any unexpected changes in its investments. Hence, a conservative policy of hedging 50% of foreign exchange exposure was enforced. Additionally, the International Equity Swap Program (IE Swap Program) was implemented as a solution to the government restriction of 30% ownership of foreign investments. Since most assets were tied up in non-marketable Ontario Debentures, a swap program enabled OTPP to reallocate its assets. OTPP Performance Evaluation The strategic decision to diversify beyond Canada and into global markets has proved to be beneficial to the OTPP investment portfolio. It has contributed substantial value to the fund over the 10 year period (1995-2005) by reducing potential losses, since five of the six foreign currencies appreciated against the Canadian dollar. For the past 15 years, OTPP investments have also consistently outperformed the benchmark rate of returns, generating a 10-year average rate of return of 11. 4% and a gross return of $15. billion over benchmark returns. Despite the portfolio’s negative rate of returns in 2001-2002, it has still produced considerable investment growth in relation to the benchmark, demonstrating the strength of OTPP’s investment policies in risk management. However, since interest rates have declined by approximately 3% (1990-2004), the value of the pension fund has increased. This has resulted in larger amount of payments made to pen sioners. Additionally, the demographics of the OTPP plan membership have changed significantly over the past 30 years. The ratio of active members per retiree has decreased from 10:1 in the 1970s to the present ratio of 1. 6:1. Moreover, the expected years retirees rely on the pension have also increased to 29 years. All these factors have exerted a great deal of pressure on the pension plan to sustain its funding with contributions from fewer working teachers. With the foreign currency market being increasingly volatile, OTPP is concerned regarding its future ability to support pension payments. Decision Criteria The Investment Committee must consider the following criteria when deciding whether to implement changes to the International Equity Swap Program and Foreign Exchange Hedging Policy: the fund’s exposure to foreign exchange risk, transaction costs, and an alignment of goals and objectives of the fund. Alternative: Although OTPP has performed well in the past, the future outlook of the pension plan remains uncertain. Therefore, OTPP has four alternatives to the future direction of the fund. OTPP can continue or discontinue the IE Swap Program and maintain or revise the current 50% FX Hedge Policy. Continue/Discontinue the Swap Program Previously, the swap program was used as a means to bypass the government restriction on foreign investment. With the regulation being lifted, OTPP has to now evaluate whether the swap program remains necessary. The program has allowed OTPP to reallocate their assets cost-effectively as it eliminates OTPP’s cost of transacting directly in foreign exchange market. Moreover, since OTPP does not gain ownership of the securities, it has reduced the amount of cash required and limited its risk by transferring the risk to counter-parties (UBS, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, etc. ).

Machiavelli vs. Erasmus Essay

Machiavelli vs. Erasmus I believe that both of these views, to a certain extent and in certain situations, are still relevant today. With some people, the parts of the population that seek only to gain in their lives, and not contribute to the betterment of society, I would say that the Machiavellian approach would be of better use. Because he is right, a lot of men are ungrateful, fickle, deceptive, avoiders of dangers and eager to gain. With these kinds of people, they will try to take what they can without regard for who they crush, so the only way to keep them in check is their fear of the punishments they might receive. We obviously don’t have to worry about them killing someone for political reasons like in the times when â€Å"The Prince† was written, but I would say that seizure of property is still a punishment used today. That is the first thing people go for when seeking punishment or reparations; money, possessions or property. I think love of country, not necessarily the person running it is the best way to get devotion from people. So I disagree that those people who follow out of love are less reliable. Especially right now, as a member of the armed forces, I can speak for myself a many of my comrades that we don’t agree with most, if anything, our current leader says or does. But we follow his orders anyway, because we love this country, and that is greater than any personal reason for not following our President. If anyone even tried to use the fear approach, they would never even get elected. That is why they have propaganda and the occasional commercial telling all the good deeds they do, not saying who they punished for not agreeing with them. So maybe in a country where democracy doesn’t decide the leader, Machiavelli’s approach might be used, but in ours, I would say o nly for small portions of the population would it be useful. I think Erasmus’s view would be more accepted in today’s world. We all know some politicians don’t follow a lot of the things he lists a good ruler should do. I don’t agree with him saying that taking an injury and losing a little of the â€Å"empire† might be a better choice. Not taking those injuries, and showing the world that we are a super power and won’t take things laying down is the best way to avoid hurt in the long run. But his views on what a leader should be, and how he should treat the citizens of his nation I  completely agree with. The leader should put the good of the people before his own welfare. But I don’t think that war brings all the misfortunes of state, sometimes it is necessary to go to war with those who would bring those misfortunes. I believe that liberals fall under Erasmus’s category with just a little of Machiavelli, with conservatives using some of both. Judging from the two views, I would say that the liberals follow more closely to Erasmus because of his approach to peace. Give a little pride and take a hit, avoid war at all costs. These are approaches that, in my opinion, the most recent liberal presidents we’ve had have used. While the conservatives hit right back and went to war. The war might have caused many misfortunes since then, but who knows what might have happened to us if we had done nothing? We used the fear of punishment approach, and I think it worked just fine. So in conclusion, I think Erasmus’s view is the better approach on how to view and treat the citizens of a nation. But there are some times when Machiavelli’s approach is necessary, if not to your citizens, then to those who would abuse them.

Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling

Asian culture is becoming more and more seen in the western world, with Asian restaurants and settlements such as china town becoming regular parts of most urban areas and the prominence of Asian employees and managers in western businesses will continue to grow along with that. Asian culture is having a growing impact in western society and this should carry over into a larger role for Asians within western companies. The bamboo ceiling, for the large part, does not exist due to intentional racism or discrimination, but instead exists due to a variety of underlying factors that most business managers would not even think twice about. The lack of intentional racism or discrimination as factors is shown in the statistic that over 88% of Asians feel happy and good about their workplace and that 85% feel that there are no disrespectful or offensive actions (Reid amp; Berry, 2010). These factors must be exposed so that western society can focus on correcting this flaw in the corporate world and improving the upper managerial job prospects for Asians. It is wrong of our society to discriminate against other cultures, even if it is an nintentional discrimination, we must be diligent in determining why this is happening and from these factors determine how we can right the situation and help break through the bamboo ceiling. Evidence of the Bamboo Ceiling: The bamboo ceiling can be seen to exist due to the small number of Asians in management positions when compared with the large number of Asians that exist within the western business world. While Asians make up around 5% of the American population, they only represent 2% of CEO’s and upper management of the Fortune 500 companies. Varki despite his clearly excellent qualifications. Eventually he made his way into the academic industry and slowly climbed the corporate ladder, becoming the very first foreign president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the first foreign editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation (Ruttimann, 2009). This was a milestone for many Asian immigrants looking to break the bamboo ceiling. This step was one of the first of many positive examples of Asian immigrants succeeding in western corporate society, yet there is still a long way to go. A more negative example can be seen through the case of Alice Huang who was in the final round of interviews for a position as university president. Throughout the interview she was continually asked what she would be willing to give up if she got the job, and eventually came out and told them she did not think she would get the job due to how she looked and what her race was. In response to this she only received silence from her interviewers which confirmed her suspicions, and shows that the bamboo ceiling is indeed real and that it can have detrimental impacts on the life of Asian immigrants and their careers (Ruttimann, 2009). Conclusion: Companies can greatly benefit from diversifying their management staff as the business world becomes more and more global every year. If you expect to compete on the world stage then you must have a diverse staff with a large knowledge base of overseas areas, such as Asian countries. Having Asians in high level management roles would offer that company valuable information on how to break into markets overseas, as well as how to market products to all Asians, including the growing number of those residing in western society (Reid amp; Berry, 2010). This information could prove to be the difference between a company succeeding and failing in a foreign market, or with the Asian demographic in western society. To receive the benefits that comes with this diversity, western corporations must be very careful to avoid stereotyping and should be more sensitive to others cultures. Understanding that the western way doesn’t apply to everyone and it isn’t necessarily the best practice will help many corporations to get over these stereotypes, be more sensitive to Asian culture and to increase the chance of seeing Asians in top management.

Evolution of Performance Management Part II Assignment

Evolution of Performance Management Part II - Assignment Example Eventually, even though we could achieve our goals to some extent, the collective goal of the organization was never achieved. Your post has therefore given me a lot of insight on the best way to avoid such a situation in the future by ensuring that performance management is integrated into the larger management of the organization. I agree with you perfectly that an organization will struggle to obtain long-term success without the existence of a well-defined performance management program (Chamberlain, 2011). One probing question I would like to put forward is that in the absence of performance management program, how can the organization know whether it output from its workforce is in accordance with projected goals for the organization? Certainly there will be shortfalls in knowing how well the organization has achieved success if there are no performance management programs. But to add an insight to your take on the issue, I would suggest that when the organization is implementing performance management programs, it should not do it in an isolated manner. Rather, it will be important to integrate it into the collective program of the organization. By so doing, it will be possible to ensure that the outcome of the program is a true measure of what the organization proposes to

The Little School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Little School - Essay Example For a large number of us, the idea of a military overthrow is unbelievable such movements are committed to references in history books, dates took in school and overlooked once we are tried on them. They expected that somebody could trudge into our homes and take us detainee against our wills is new to Americans. We say what we need, when we need, in ways that boisterously show our own particular convictions, for the most part without trepidation of censure or repercussion. Alicia Partnoy's book, The Little School, is a revelation, most definitely. Inside the pages of this thin volume lies a fictionalized record of her own detainment at the hands of the military that surpassed her administration. What makes her stories more significant is the information that this didn't happen a lifetime back yet in the late 1970's, when most Americans were delighting in newly discovered opportunities of declaration. While young people in the United States were communicating their perspectives on warfare, woman's rights, and sexuality, their companions in Argentina were being hushed for setting out to stand in opposition to the legislature. By 1979, in excess of 30,000 individuals "vanished." Most of these were junior grown-ups between the ages of 18 and 35; however, Partnoy's book specifies a few companions of hers who were kidnapped when they were only 15 years of age. Folks viewed vulnerably as their kids were taken by power from their homes; little youngsters yelle d on doorsteps or were gathered up by relatives as their own particular folks were taken from them.

Healthcare Management Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Research Paper

Healthcare Management Centers for Medicare and Medicaid - Research Paper Example care has other responsibilities which include the standards for administrative simplification from the (Cms.gov, 2014) Accountability Act of 1996 and (Allgov.com, 2014) Health Insurance Portability. It also has another responsibility for worth standards in durable health care facilities through its certification process and survey (Cms.gov, 2014) process, quality standards for clinical laboratory under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments as well as oversight of HealthCare.gov. (Allgov.com, 2014) The Medicare together with Medicaid programs were contracted into law on 30th July 1965 (Cms.gov, 2014). LBJ who was the president by then is seen at the signing ceremony during independence at the Truman library in Missouri (Cms.gov, 2014). Truman who was the former president is also pictured seated beside him. President LBJ held the ceremony there in honor of the leadership of President Truman on health insurance. He had first proposed it in 1945. The most important legislative modification to Medicare referred to as the Medicare Modernization Act was as well signed into law by (Cms.gov, 2014) President George W. Bush (Cms.gov, 2014) from Texas, on 8th December 2003. This historic legislation is of significance to the outpatient as it adds the outpatient’s drug prescription advantage to Medicare and it also leads to many other significant changes (Cms.gov, 2014). A number of changes have been implemented (Cms.gov, 2014) to Center for Medical services programs since 1965 (Cm s.gov, 2014). In addition, the agencies that are concerned with the implementation of these programs have also changed (Cms.gov, 2014).The head of the Center for Medical services programs is as well the Administrator of the Center for both the Medicaid and Medicare Services (Cms.gov, 2014). This position of leadership is appointed by the president and the Senate confirms it. The Center for Medicare Services hires a total of approximately 4,100 employees 2,700 (Cms.gov, 2014) of the

Interpersonal Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interpersonal Communication - Assignment Example The script illustrated that there are various ways to understand what people are thinking or feeling at the moment through the interpersonal mode of communication. The components that will be studied in this paper that relates to the script are 1) verbal 2) vocal 3) nonverbal and 4) visual mode of communication 3. Collectivist – collectivist or group think in interpersonal communication where individual members of a group identify with the perspective, opinion, world view and emotional disposition of the dominant member of the group. 5. High-context – the cultural ecosystem of which an individual operates. Language of high context interpersonal communication needs to be interpreted according to the cultural environment or context of the individual. There are several interpersonal communication elements used in the script beginning from the child and the parents to the employees of the store. These interpersonal communication elements in the script fall into the category of culture are; A. High context – context is the lens of how people see and understand the world around them. In messages, it is their filter or vocabulary in understanding people. Interpersonal communication are often high context communication or involving a great deal of understanding about the feelings, thoughts and intent of the sender. It requires a great deal of communication agility on both the sender and receiver to be able to send comprehensible interpersonal messages (on the part of the sender) and to understand such coded messages on the part of the receiver. In the script, the misunderstanding between the parent and the child in the opening of the script was very obvious with how they argue with the music because of differing context of both parties which they are trying to impose on the other. Both party, the child and the parent has different contexts of what is a good music which caused disagreement. For the parents, their idea of a good music is classical

E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-commerce - Essay Example The changes brought about by the Internet have even broader implications. With the advent of Internet technology, every company becomes a global company, with the means and opportunity to buy and sell from, or strike an alliance with, any company, anywhere, anytime. This golden opportunity brings with it a level of complexity that surpasses anything that all but the most far-flung global enterprises have experienced to date. The recent explosion of information and information technology (IT) has induced corporate management to utilize its ingenuity in creating the best available means to manage the flow of information, control flow channels, and integrate the different assets (both hardware and software) of IT utilized by the different departments and divisions of the corporation. As companies invest heavily in information-based systems, they are vesting more (Cunningham 23-24). Like many processes, the design of a web site can be broken down into simple steps, and each step can then be further broken down in to tasks and actions. Most researches are based on the principle that most large projects can be reduced to ‘bite-sized chunks’, thus reducing the fear factor and avoiding the sense of being overwhelmed by the gargantuan nature of the task ahead (Coltman 57). Creating an action plan, setting achievable targets within sensible deadlines, and distributing responsibility appropriately, will ensure that the project moves forwards as smoothly as possible. There are four basic stages through which the planner has to move to create an effective project plan: awareness, familiarity, understanding and readiness (Eisenberg et al 38). The web is a publishing and communication medium, and as such it needs to be focused on the audience. As with any strategic development, the company should conduct some basic market research prior to the web site development. This will help keep the company planning process focused on the customer and demonstrate that the company is aware of the wider environment in which web site exists. There are many research tools and services on the web that can assist the company with this process (Eisenberg et al 49). When setting up a web site or e-business, the company should do as much research as it can to find out who is offering similar services on-line (and off-line). It is crucial to use search engines, company lists, newsgroups and word of mouth to get as much information on competitors as the company possibly can. Most importantly, the company should not stop researching once the e-company/dotcom is off the ground. It is important to carry on researching and refining (Nielsen 30). For organizations creating a new brand, or launching themselves on to the web for the first time, the selection of an effective domain name can be a difficult process. All the 'good' names seem to have gone, and the organization's preferred domain name might have been taken by someone with no apparent claim to that name (Lucas 98). Trademark and copyright issues aside, choosing a domain name is often simpler than many organizations think: the most important aspects are that it should be memorable, and easy to spell and type. Issues relating to brand reinforcement and literal, descriptive names are secondary, and can be dealt with by effective marketing and explanatory text on the web

International Business Strategy (Guanxi) in China and Taiwan Dissertation - 1

International Business Strategy (Guanxi) in China and Taiwan - Dissertation Example The literature review in Chapter two provides a meta-analysis of previous research on guanxi and also an updating of this body of work to take account of the experiences of recent times and globalisation. There follows in Chapter three a consideration of the ethical issues surrounding guanxi, including its role in fostering Corporate Social Responsibility in China and Taiwan. Chapter four concentrates on recent events, presenting a case study from Taiwan with the aim of illustrating some of the issues that arise when guanxi goes wrong. Both theoretical and practical dimensions of guanxi in the context of international business are explored, along with some of the complex social and political factors that are currently influencing business practices in China and the surrounding region. It is suggested that guanxi is changing in the new global context. The study concludes that establishing guanxi is an essential business strategy for western MNEs to be successful in China and Taiwan an d that it will remain a very important part of Chinese business culture. A number of implications for both Eastern and Western partners are listed, showing how they will each have to adapt to the way that guanxi is evolving. Keywords: China, Taiwan, guanxi, culture, business ethics, corporate social responsibility, international business, reputation management. ... Despite the amount of material available on the subject, there is very little clarity in terms of what it means in the globalised world, and how Western investors and partners can best deal with guanxi. Another important factor is the very fast pace of change in China which tends to make even some very recent scholarship obsolete within a short space of time. It is important to understand what guanxi really is, where it comes from, and how it has developed and changed throughout China’s long history. The present study explores in particular the new global context for guanxi and looks for any implications for East/West Partnerships going into the future. The previous literature on the subject is analysed thoroughly, but the study argues also for a fresh appreciation of how guanxi is changing. This has implications both for Chinese businesses and for Western companies entering the Chinese markets and so the emphasis is on ways in which both parties can benefit from this old trad ition in a globalised context. In writing this dissertation I would like to express my gratitude for the excellent assistance I have received from xxxxxxxxx Supervisors? Tutors (sponsor? Family?) Table of Contents Preface List of Figures. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION. 1.1 Chinese Culture in the Modern World. 1.2 Aims and Methodology. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW. 2.1 Origins of guanxi. 2.2 Definitions of guanxi. 2.3 Guanxi from the Western point of view. CHAPTER THREE: ETHICS AND GUANXI. 3.1 Is guanxi ethical? 3.2 Guanxi and corporate social responsibility. CHAPTER FOUR: GOVERNMENT AND GUANXI. . 4.1 Guanxi and the government. 4.2 Case Study: Chen Sui-Bian and the Corruption Incident in Taiwan. 4.3 Changes in guanxi and implications for Chinese and Western companies. CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND

Diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Diabetes - Essay Example According to the World Health Organization, a child is only susceptible to acquiring diabetes genetically from parents if both have the same type. However, is important to not that this depends on the age of which the parents acquired the disease. Therefore, if my grandparents are diabetic, the possibility of my parents being diabetic and ultimately me joining the group is limited. Nevertheless, there are various things I can do to ensure, I do not fall victim of the fatal disease. First is to undergo a thorough medical test to ascertain gene probability, as well as the blood sugar levels. Indeed, information from this test will play an imperative role in mainstreaming my lifestyle and status. Proper treatment of diabetes depends on how early it is detected. Second is to change my eating habits as well as lifestyle in general. In many cases, non-diabetic people become patients of the disease because of poor habit. In addition, poor eating habits also trigger high sugar levels hence making people culpable to the dangerous and fast consuming disease. Certainly, a good diet with moderate sugar constituents allows the body to produce average insulin that promotes a healthy life. Bad eating habits encourage diseases like obesity, which can also attract other complications such as hypertension. Undoubtedly, consistent testing and medical check-ups also play a significant role in keeping one healthy. Therefore, to prevent the maturity onset disease, I have to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Payroll System Essay Example for Free

Payroll System Essay 1.0 Introduction A payroll system involves everything that has to do with the payment of employees and the filing of employment taxes. This includes keeping track of hours, calculating wages, withholding taxes and other deductions, printing and delivering checks and paying employment taxes to the government. A computerized payroll system saves on time and lowers your error ratio. You can enter payroll payment information quicker than with a manual system, and run payroll registers to double check your information before printing the checks. This allows you to detect errors and adjust them beforehand I have completed a preliminary investigation of the payroll system. As our project the payroll system is one of the software that the professional is develop, the system is good for its specialty in the fields of accounting, it is easy to use and effective and efficient in organizing and calculating the payroll process and it is more important application that should be used by businesses of any size. Payroll systems are very simple to use, they can easily be incorporated into any business applications being used by the company. These systems are a guaranteed way to make sure your payroll is done on time and in agreement with all taxing authorities. Tax laws and rates have continually changed in recent years, new tax credits, expiration of old credits and rate changes can all affect the outcome of your payroll. 1.1 Background of the study Holy Rosary School of Science Technology was established in 1987 by Mr. and Mrs. Rosario. The old name of the school is Holy Rosary Child Center School. It started as learning center and has been improved until 4th year high school. There are four quarters every year. Every last week of the quarters, the examinations are conducted. First quarter will start from the beginning of the school year mainly June and ends at the month of August. Second quarter will start from September until October. Third quarter will start from November until December. Then Christmas break will fall in the middle of December and last until the first week of January. The examination for third quarter will be on the second week of January. Fourth and the last quarter  will start from January until the end of the school year mainly March. In every classroom there are 20-30 students. The system they are using is manual. The manual payroll system is an inexpensive method of performing the payroll process. Manual payroll means that you, or another employee within your company, calculate the payroll each pay period entirely on paper. You will need to calculate taxes, insurance, 401K, and any other applicable deductions in addition to each employees actual earnings. The advantage of using a manual system is that it is very inexpensive, with virtually no start-up costs. The disadvantage is that whatever you save on start-up costs will probably be eaten up by the amount of time it takes to process payroll. In addition, its very easy to make mistakes when processing payroll manually, and the penalty for mistakes, especially mistakes in taxing, can be very costly. There are at least free payroll templates out there, but it still difficult to do manual payroll processing. Student’s knowledge is measured by having examinations. Teachers will manually create the exam inations base on the lessons they already tackled each quarter. There are problems occur during these days. First is the creation of the questionnaire, it takes time and effort for it to be done and be ready for the examination day. Second, the examinations are mirrored to each other, so some of the students can easily cheat. Third, the questionnaire will be manually checked and it takes time before the Teachers and the student can see the results. Lastly the Teachers are having a hard time manually creating reports for the student record. 1.1 Statement of the problem 1.2.1 General problem As a manual payroll system is done entirely by hand, there are plenty of points at which things can go wrong due to human error. They need a long time to enroll and lack of security such as because of poor data storage. An individual carries out all timesheets, taxes, wages, checks, verification and recordings, and there are many small calculations that can be slightly mistaken that will cause far more serious problems further down the line. The fact that a manual payroll is done by hand can cause problems  with liability. If one individual is in charge of the payroll system, then anything and everything that goes wrong is their responsibility, meaning they will have to deal with the consequences. If there are any mistakes made with taxes, then the individual can infer penalties from the government. A manual payroll system can only really used successfully and efficiently if it is only for a handful of employees. 1.2.2 Specific problems 1.2.2.1 Poor Student Info. Using manual system, the students information are only place or written in index card, so there are times that some of the index must misplace or lost. Because it is not a computerized system, computerized payroll system saves on time and lowers your error ratio. You can enter payroll payment information quicker than with a manual system, and run payroll registers to double-check your information before printing the checks. 1.2.2.2 Lack of Security Using manual system, there is a tendency that a data will be lost or misplaced. Storing of data in everywhere, like in the table which can lead to misplacement of the data because its not a computerized system, using that system they dont need to store it everywhere because it is placed on a computer, which is a data are secured. 1.2.2.3 Problems with a paycheck Problems with a paycheck can mess up an employees budgeting for the month. Being over or underpaid and too early or too late is not only extremely irritating, but can lead to bills not being paid on time and payments being missed. The most common problems in manual payroll systems are due to the margin for error being much higher than other systems. 1.3 Objectives of the Study 1.3.1 General objective To provide a computerized system because manual system can consume time or it can waste time. Using manual system, there are plenty of points at which things can go wrong due to human error. The fact that a manual payroll is  done by hand can cause problems with liability. If one individual is in charge of the payroll system, then anything and everything that goes wrong is their responsibility, meaning they will have to deal with the consequences. Computerized system can help Holy Rosary School of Science and Technology to secure important data by the use of computer. Computerized System can manage things easier and faster. 1.3.2 Specific Objectives 1.3.2.1 Complete and Upgraded Student Information Students and Teachers in Holy Rosary School of Science and Technology can find any information easily and more accurate because it is already stored in computer. 1.3.2.2 To maintain a data secured By keeping a data secured, all students and teachers are worry free from their files or data by the help of a computerized system. They can secured it more by using password. 1.3.2.3 Complete paycheck Using computerized system, employers can manage their workers or teachers salary accurately or on time. 1.4 Significance of the study This study is conducted by the researchers for the purpose of developing a manual system to lessen the chances of the aforementioned problems to occur again. Nowadays, computerized system are widely used by schools around the world. This gave the researchers the idea to conduct this study and give solutions to the problems encountered. This study can also benefits school, principal, registrar, faculty, students, parents, researchers, and also future researchers. 1. The school The researchers proposed study can benefit Holy Rosary School of Science and Technology by having a record that we conduct a survey and interview or we are studying the system of their school. 2.The Principal The researchers proposed study will benefit the principal of the school that we conduct a survey by gaining a knowledge from our interview because the principal will know that they need to upgrade their system from manual system to computerized system. 3. The Registrar The benefit of the researchers prop osed study is to influence the owner of the school to upgrade their system, to find any  information easily and accurately. 4. The Faculty The researchers proposed study will benefit the faculty from their study because it will help them check, locate and print the reports easily. 5. Students/ Pupils The researchers proposed study serves the students as their reference or guide in creating their program. It will also help students taking computer related courses to identify the best programming language to use. 6. Parents The researchers proposed study will benefit every parents or researchers parents by being happy because of the knowledge of the researchers gained. 7. The researchers Researchers will benefit from this study by applying the knowledge and skills gained in programming to real life scenario. 8. The future researchers The proposed study will benefits and help the future researcher as their guide. The study can also open in development of this study. 1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study Scope of the Study Easily to find data Security Setting Certification of Grades Sectioning of the Students Viewing of Student Form Updating Requirements Viewing of Schedule of Exam Viewing of Students Schedule Limitations Students examination Payment Students grade 2.0 Methodology of the Study Figure 1 Waterfall Model 1. Software Requirement Specification – This is the most crucial phase of the whole project. Here, the project team, along with the customer makes a detailed list of user requirements. The project team chalks out, in detail, the functionality and limitations of the software they are developing. The document which contains all this information is called SRS and it clearly and unambiguously indicates the requirements. A small amount of top-level analysis and design is also documented. This document is verified and endorsed by the customer before starting the project. SRS serves as the input for further phases. 2. Software Design and System Design – Using SRS as input, system design is done. System design includes designing of software and hardware i.e. functionality of hardware and software is delineated. After the separation design of the software, the modules are done. The design process translates requirements into representation of the software that can be assessed for quality before generation of code begins. At the same time test plan is prepared. Test plan describes the various tests which will be carried out on the system after completion of development. 3. Implementation and Unit Testing – After the system design, code generation begins. Code generation is the conversion of design into machine-readable form. If designing of software and system is done well, code generation can be easy. Software modules are now further divided into units. A unit is a logically separable part of the software. Testing of units can be done separately. In this phase unit testing is done by the developer himself, to ensure that there are no defects.

Social Worker Essay Example for Free

Social Worker Essay As the saying goes, â€Å"Our children are our future† and who you are as a child can determine who you can be later on in life. It is important for a child to be in a safe, comfortable and loving environment during its development so that the child can have the full advantage to become the best he can be in his future. My future career as a social worker will ensure just that. I chose this profession because of my own history. Growing up, I’ve had my share of social workers in my house. I experienced them as people who helped my family during a hard time. This is a career where I can fight for people’s rights. I will also be able to protect those who are vulnerable and give support to those who need it. I want to be able to have a positive impact on others as social workers have had on my family. According to the Occupational Handbook, there are two different kinds of social workers; â€Å"direct-service social workers who help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives, and clinical social workers, who diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.† My main focus would be children and family. This will fall under the direct-service social worker. The description of this job would be to provide social service and assist improvement of the social and psychological functions of the children and their families. Also I would try to maximize families well-being and children’s academic functions. I may be able to do so by assisting parents, arranging adoptions, or by finding foster homes for abandoned children or in any dangerous situation the children may be in. If the child was removed and the danger has been address, I may also work to help unify the family. I may act as an advisor, an advocate or even just a listener and to do my best to make sure they have the best option available for them. Overall I work and support the children and families to find and develop long lasting solutions. I’ve learned from the Occupational Handbook that a bachelor’s degree in  social work is required. But also, in many cases you may be able to become employed by having a similar degree such as psychology or sociology. As of now I am currently enrolled in LaGuardia community College majoring in psychology. My plan is to transfer to Hunter College to get my bachelor’s degree. However, I do not plan to end there. I’ve learned that in the state of New York, a competitive and demanding need for social workers, a bachelor degree may not be enough to earn a successful position. I plan to complete my master’s in social work (MSW). From what I’ve learned on the Occupational Handbook, â€Å"a degree in almost any major is acceptable† to enter the MWS program. This means that with my bachelor’s in psychology I would be able to get in the program. In the MWS program it may take an additional two years to complete and in the state of New Yo rk it also requires a license (LMSW) as well to become a social worker. After all the hard work and challenges I may face academically, I’ve learned that I may also face emotional challenges once I have my foot stepped into the career. Although I believe I have an emotionally strong personality, this career as a social worker still can be stressful. As my responsibility to make decisions about the welfare of the children and families, I may be faced with difficult situations such as not being able to help everyone in the way I hope. Some of my clients or cases may be stuck because of obstacles created by the legal system, courts, schools or other kinds of institutions. Because of this there can be times when there is really little that I can do. In cases like this, it can become really frustrating and emotionally challenging for myself. In other cases, some people may not want my help. Since I cannot control how client behaves I am still mandatory to give them the tools and recourses they need and then move on to the next person who needs my help. As current social worker, Amy Dogenske, she says â€Å"sometimes they don’t want us to be there but in the end you see changes in the parents and kids.† As of now I must have my mind set that I cannot go down expecting to resolve everything all at once. It can be frustrating, but I must learn that I have to be patient, and that the reward of feeling satisfied with my job will come my way because the positive changes in the kids and families is what my job is all about. It is very easy to become engaged in helping others, but there must be a line between my job and my personal life. According to Amy Dogenske, she emphasizes how important it is to have â€Å"self care and take time for your self.† In this profession I may deal with many cases with unimaginable crisis and it is important for me to know to leave my work at the office everyday. In doing so it will allow me to rejuvenate and return to the job without burning myself out. As I’ve mentioned before, I have a personal history with social workers. They have helped my family and I through difficult situations and I want to be able to return the favor to the society. Although I am in no longer in need of the assistance of social workers I still believe that in pursuing this career it may still help me in other forms. I believe this career can allow me to gain a lot of insight and personal growth. I believe once I start to experience some of the cases I may be assigned to, ill be able to see sometimes what other people miss by getting a look beneath the surface of someone’s life. I believe I’ll be able to cultivate qualities like compassion and insight through working with the clients who are less fortunate. I also believe that when I help others deal with their struggles, I will be able to gain opportunity to learn more about my own beliefs and values, which will enable me to grow more as a person. I cannot imagine a more rewarding job than social work. Being able to go home and know that I may have made a difference in someone’s life; a child, the whole family, or in extreme cases actually saving a life is a privilege that not many careers are able to experience. As a social worker, working with the children and families, using the knowledge and skills that I will have learned and develop, to listen, suggest and assist. Sometimes I will be taking in hard decisions, celebrating achievements or just being useful until there is a point when I am not needed anymore, that’s the most rewarding bit of it all. Works Cited Dugenske, Amy â€Å"A Day in the Life Social Worker.† Dir. Amy. Perf. Amy Dugenske. YouTube. YouTube, 11 May 2009. Web. 03 Dec. 2013 United States. Department of Labor. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.

The Equal Opportunity Policy

The Equal Opportunity Policy Equality of Opportunity is put into place to safeguard everyone. An important aspect of the Equal Opportunity Policy is that it protects vulnerable adults in care. The Equal Opportunity Policy specifies that all clients will be given equal and impartial treatment regardless of their gender, age, disability, ethnic origin and race. It is important that all employees working within the care field comply with the Equal Opportunities Policy so that all clients are free from prejudice and are protected (Care Quality Commission: 2011). When concerned with the care of vulnerable adults, key legislations are put in place. These include laws, policies and strategies. All social care services are governed by legislation and government guidance which must be followed accordingly (www.legislation.gov.uk). Some Acts which are relevant to the case study include the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), the Care Standards Act (2000), the Race Relations Act (2000), the Human Rights Act (1998) and th e Community Care Act (2003). The purpose of these Acts is to ensure that there are high standards set which health authorities and local authorities can follow to regulate care (Nazarko: 2002). The Afan Nedd care study explains that the residential home cares for vulnerable adults. When concerned with those most vulnerable it is important that each service user is treated fairly and equally with their human rights taken into consideration at all times. The Afan Nedd case study shows that these basic requirements are not always met. The article states that the care home is being run by trained nurses and unqualified care assistants. In April 2002, the legislation that all residential homes in the UK must meet in order to stay registered changed. The Registered Homes Act of 1984 was replaced by the Care Standards Act (CSA) (2000). The CSA regulates and inspects all local authorities, establishes a General Social Care Council in England and a Care Council in Wales and it makes provision for the registration, regulation and training of social care workers (Nazarko:2002). The CSA ensures that the regulation of care workers is monitored closely. The Act also states that social ca re workers must be registered with the English or Welsh Council where each Council is required to ensure high standards of practice and training are being used at all times. It is important that Registered Social Care Workers (RSCWS) must abide by a strict code of conduct; any employees who breach this code of conduct will be called in for a disciplinary hearing which could result in suspension or being removed from the care register. In Wales, the Care Council approve courses and make allowances and grants for training to ensure that care homes care run properly (Nazarko: 2002). Afan Nedd care home is regulated by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW), they encourage the improvement of social care, early years and social services in Wales (www.wales.gov.uk). CSSIW works in conjunction with the Welsh Assembly Government; they inspect local authority social services and regulate and inspect social care environments (www.wales.gov.uk). The CSSIW regulations include registration, inspection, complaints and enforcement in order to protect vulnerable adults. It appears that Afan Nedd care home does not comply with the CSSIW policies as it does not have qualified care assistants. To resolve this issue, a possible solution is that the care home should provide training for all employees to ensure the safeguard of vulnerable adults and to provide the highest standard of practice to service users. When caring for vulnerable adults it is extremely important that their care is main priority. All care homes are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which is responsible for monitoring the standards of care services (www.direct.gov.uk). The CQC is in place to ensure good work practice for professionals and to improve the standard of living of the service user. All care homes must follow the Care Value Base; in nursing theory this is an ethical code which sets out rules which carers must follow within their social care setting which ensures that the carer is not discriminating the service user and are not violating their rights (Moonie: 2005). These values also include the promotion of equality and diversity and to have the ability to challenge discrimination. In 2002, the General Social Care Council (GSCC) published a code of practice for both employees and employers which explains the promotion of these values along with confidentiality and other rights and responsibiliti es. (Moonie: 2005). The case study explains how John Davies, a registered general nurse, has been verbally abusing some of the clients. This should be a major concern for Afan Nedd nursing home as the service user is not receiving the correct care. The case study also explains that John Davies appears to be experienced and is very popular with the matron. This can then cause problems within the care home as issues such as discrimination and prejudice may arise. It can be said that any type of institutional abuse is completely illegal and unprofessional. Verbal abuse within the care home cannot be tolerated as those who are physically and mentally frail are most at risk (www.direct.gov.uk). The Equality Act 2010 is a key piece of legislation which must be followed within every social care environment. The Act provides a modern and accessible framework of discrimination law which protects individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a fair and more equal society (www.equalities.gov.uk). Every health care professional must know all key pieces of legislation before they undertake any social care and must implement the rules throughout their health care career. By law each service user has the right to be treated with respect and dignity. The Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme was launched by the Department of Health which provides a list of care workers who have harmed vulnerable adults in their care. It is now a statutory requirem ent for managers to use when appointing individuals to work with vulnerable adults (www.criminalrecordscheck.co.uk). This could mean that John Davies may have had a history of verbal abuse to service users and this may have not been checked prior to being employed as the case study explains he is an agency worker. As mentioned earlier, John Davies appears to be popular with the matron which may cause problems if another social care worker wanted to report his verbal abuse to the service users. It could also mean that the service users do not feel confident enough to report the abuse to the matron as they feel that they may be discriminated against or they may not have the mental capacity to report this issue. Since 2006, the social services complaints procedure has changed in Wales. The CCSIW are legally obliged to have their own written complaints procedures. It is important to stress that all complaints must be kept confidential along with following the CCSIW complaints procedure (Department of Constitutional Affairs: 2007). Another issue that may arise from the fact that John Davies is popular with the matron is other employees of the nursing home may not want to be seen as a whistle blower if they wanted to repot abuse within the care home. Knights and Willmott (2006) believe that whistle blowers tend to be well respected and conscientious employees. They tend to believe that once they have informed the appropriate managerial authority of these illegal or unethical acts the organisation will take the appropriate measures to change its behaviour. However, it appears that many whistle-blowers feel that management do not see whistle blowing as an act of good organisational citizenship, instead management see this as trouble making. In many cases, the whistle blower may be victimised or even disciplined, making other employees stay silent in reporting any further discrimination or abuse within the care home. The Older Peoples Commissioner for Wales, created a policy where the commissioner is contacted by an employee from another organisation who is worried about unethical acts in their place of work and want to report it (www.powysweb3.ruralwales.net). The Public Interest Disclosure Act, (PIDA) protects employees who blow the whistle about wrong doing within the nursing home, providing that they do so in the ways set out by PIDA. Any employee who is victimised by their employees for blowing the whistle has the right to take their employer to a tribunal. The Commissioner recognises that employees are often the first to realise that there may be something wrong within their organisation and therefore encourages all individuals to raise genuine concerns about wrongdoing at the earliest possible stage (www.powysweb3.ruralwales.net). This policy relates back to the Afan Nedd nursing home as the policy will protect them if they wanted to report the John Davies for abusing the service user. The Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) believe that it is important to establish a comprehensive vulnerable adult protection and safeguarding service to ensure good leadership and performance management, however, it appears that such arrangements are not consistently found across social services (www.nmc-uk.gov). Albert and Gladys Griffiths have recently arrived at Afan Nedd nursing home, the case study states that Albert is mentally alert however his wife Gladys have early onset Alzheimers. The reader learns that Gladys becomes easily confused and disorientated but is usually calmed by Alberts presence; however they do not have a double room in the nursing home. As the couple does not have a double room this can be seen as discrimination and a violation of their human rights. It can be said that to maximise Albert and Gladys quality of life, they have the right to a double room as they have never spent a night apart. Quality of life refers to the total living experience, which results in overall satisfaction with ones quality of life. Quality of life is a multi-faceted concept that recognises at least five factors; lifestyle pursuits, living environment, clinical palliation, human factors and personal choices (Singh: 2009). It can be said that quality of life can be improved by bringing in t hese five factors into the delivery of care. It appears that the Human Rights Act (1998) has been breached as Gladys and her husband are not able to share a room together. The Act states that these rights not only impact matters of life and death, they also affect the rights you have in your everyday life: what you can say and do, your beliefs, your right to a fair trial and other similar basic entitlements. When working in a social care environment, it is the responsibility of the health care professional to respect the rights of the service user. Learning that Gladys has early onset Alzheimers, this could mean that she does not have the mental capacity to address her human rights within the nursing home. The Mental Capacity Act (2005), safeguards those with mental illness and it is also a stepping stone for those most vulnerable to receive treatment in a nursing home to improve their quality of life (Department of Health 2005). The Mental Capacity Act (2005) is designed for those who are unable to make decisions for themselve s or lack the mental capacity to do so. It can be said that under the Mental Capacity Act, any person is presumed to make their own decisions unless all practical steps to help him or her to make a decision have been taken without success, (www.nhs.uk). It is important to remember that a change of routine can affect behavioral problems with someone suffering with Alzheimers which can cause them to lash out of feel uneasy. It is said that Alzheimers do not do well to change as change causes anxiety and stress, therefore changing Gladys normal routine is not in her best interests when settling into a new environment (Gale: 2010). All service users of nursing homes have the right of privacy. The right of privacy is a fundamental basic right that must always be met. Each service user has the right to live in a friendly, homely and caring environment, where the care assistant always delivers the level of care that is appropriate to each individual. Each person has the right to be treated as an individual, with respect and dignity, as well as having a right to privacy and to choice; it is the duty of the management and staff to safeguard these rights and to help the service user exercise them correctly (Ford: 2005). The case study explains how Musad Mohammed is a Pakistani Muslim who is a resident at Afan Nedd nursing home. Musad Mohammed is finding life in the nursing home strange as he has no immediate family living in the UK; the food is an issue for him, having a female carer and the lack of privacy at prayer times. Being a Muslim man, resourcing halal food for Mr Mohammed should not be an issue as it is easily sourced in the UK (Q News: 1999). The Race Relations Act 1976 states that no person should be discriminated against on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin in the fields of employment, the provision of goods and services, education and public functions (www.legislation.gov.uk). From the information on the case study, it is clear to see that Mr Mohammed is being discriminated against as his needs are not being met. However, this type of discrimination tends to be indirect discrimination. It can be said that indirect discrimination is when a condition or rule within the workplace disadvantages one group of people more than another (www.direct.gov.uk). This applies to the case study as Mr Mohammed is being cared for by female care assistants which is against a Muslim mans beliefs. This is also a breach of his human rights which could affect Mr Mohammeds quality of life. It is important to understand that each service user of the nursing home is entitled to privacy and an independent living. It is also important that the right of every individual to select independently from a range of options, incorporating, choice of meal, bed times and taking part in activities/ entertainment (Rose and McCarthy: 2010). These basic needs are not being met for Mr Mohammed as he feels he has a lack of privacy at prayer times. For a Muslim man prayers play an important role in his faith and his care values are not being met. Every individual has the right to be treated as unique regardless of their beliefs and should be treated with respect at all time s (Rose and McCarthy: 2010). It appears that the employees at Afan Nedd are not educated in a Muslims faith; a possible solution for this is that the staff could take part in discrimination training and multicultural awareness training. Dilys Watkins enjoys staying up to watch the television at the nursing home, however the staff at the nursing home does not allow her to do this as it is said to interfere with the rota as everyone needs to be in bed before the night shift commences. This can be seen as a breach of her human rights and independence as Dilys says she is able to put herself to bed after her programmes have finished. It is important to avoid stereotyping an elderly person in care, mainly with regard to their own independence. This is because negative images of independence can become self fulfilling. This can cause an elderly person to have low expectations of their abilities and performance (Beaulieu: 2002). However, the case study does not state Mrs Watkins mental awareness, and the care assistants may feel that it is not in her best interest to stay up on her own and put herself to bed as she may fall and hurt herself. This is a possible reason as to why the Mental Capacity Act (2005) is put into pla ce at nursing homes as the Act sets out a checklist of things to consider when deciding what is best for the service user. Another possible argument is the idea of empowerment in nursing homes. The idea of empowerment is that those who have little or no influence, such as Dilys Watkins are able to acquire the capacity to have informed opinions, to take initiatives, make independent choices and influence change. It also means that those with influence actively change their attitudes and rules and change the way decisions are made through engaging with excluded people (www.equal.ecotec.co.uk). It can be said that the staff at Afan Nedd must show service users such as Dilys Watkins respect and dignity and must always follow the correct codes of practice; Processional Codes of Conduct are put into place to avoid discrimination and to improve the quality of life for residents at the Afan Nedd nursing home (www.npc-uk.org). It is clear to see that Afan Nedd nursing home is beset by a number of problems where the relevant policies and legislations are not being followed correctly. The Care Council for Wales is the social care workforce regulator in Wales responsible for promoting and securing high standards within nursing homes to protect and safeguard vulnerable adults; these regulations are not being followed by Afan Nedd nursing home. There are many key issues identified in the case study such as discrimination, lack of staff training, verbal abuse, lack of privacy and poor professional practice. It is important to address these issues straight away to improve the quality of life to all service users. All social care workers are expected to meet the code of conduct set by the Care Council and serious failure to do so can result in the closure of the nursing home and suspension and the removal of employees from the Register. Nursing homes care for the highly dependent and vulnerable people. Many of the m have many nursing needs that require a high level of professional knowledge and understanding. It is therefore important to ensure that all staff working at nursing homes takes part in any opportunities for improving and updating their skills along with organising educational and training days. Afan Nedd nursing home could promote and support research into the efficiency of diverse approaches to caring for the elder and those with mental disabilities.  Ã‚  

The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

Doesn’t it always seem as though rich and famous people are larger- than-life and virtually impossible to touch, almost as if they were a fantasy? In The Great Gatsby, set in two wealthy communities, East Egg and West Egg, Fitzgerald describes Gatsby as a Romantic, larger- than-life, figure by setting him apart from the common person. Fitzgerald sets Gatsby in a fantasy world that, based on illusion, is of his own making. Gatsby’s possessions start to this illusion. He lives in an extremely lavish mansion. â€Å"It is a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden.† It models an extravagant castle with a European style. Indoors it has â€Å"Marie Antoinette music- rooms and restoration salons.† There is even a â€Å"Merton College Library, paneled with imported carved English oak and thousands of volumes of books.† There is even a private beach on his property. He also has his own personal hydroplane. Gatsby also drives a highly imaginative, â€Å"circus wagon†, car that â€Å"everybody had seen. It is a rich cream color with nickel and has a three-noted horn.† It has a â€Å"monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes, supper-boxes, tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields and a green leather conservatory.† Other than Gatsby’s possessions, he develops his personal self. His physical self appearance sets him apart form the other characters. His smile is the type â€Å"that comes across four or five times in life. One of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it.† He has a collection of tailored shirts from England. They are described as â€Å"shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel.† He has shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and la- vender and faint orange, with monograms of Indian blue.† Gatsby wears a unique â€Å"gorgeous pink rag of a suit† that sets him apart as a â€Å"bright spot.† Gatsby’s mannerisms are different too. He gives the â€Å"strong im- pression that he picks his words with care.† Gatsby is an â€Å"elegant young roughneck whose elaborate formality of speech just misses being absurd.† Gatsby also has a particularly distinct phrase which is â€Å"old sport.† Further, at his parties he stands apart from the other people. Unlike everyone else, he does not drink any alcohol. Also, there are no

National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People Essay

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Born from the Niagara Movement, led by William E. B. DuBois, the NAACP has had a volatile birth and a lively history (Beifuss 17:E4). The impetus for the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People came in the summer of 1908. Severe race riots in Springfield, Illinois, prompted William English Walling to write articles questioning the treatment of the Negro. Reading the articles, Mary White Ovington and Dr. Henry Moskowitz were compelled to meet with Walling. Consequently, the three along with a group of black and white citizens had considered the present state of the Negro, disfranchised in the South and taxed while going unrepresented in the government, a national conference needed to be held to answer the "Negro Question" (Jenkins). It was then that the idea of NAACP was created. February 12, 1909, Lincoln's birthday, a conference to review the progress that the nation made since Emancipation Proclamation and to celebrate Lincoln's birthday took place; Thereupon, a statement, now known as "The Call", was released. This statement reiterated the treatment of the black race since 1865. Many notable figures in history signed "The Call" , e.g., Ida Wells Barnett, Jane Adams, W.E.B. DuBois and John Dewey. In a matter of two months, another conference was held. As a result of that conference, the NAA...

Mathematics of Light Essay -- Math

Introduction Up to the seventeenth century, most theories attributed color to some sort of modification of light that was thought to occur when light interacted with matter. Light, in its purest form (such as sunlight) was thought to be colorless. However, progress in understanding color was made by Isaac Newton when in 1666 he was able to show that normal white light already contained all the colors of the spectrum, which could be separated using a prism. He also concluded from his experiments that objects have color because they selectively reflect certain colors of the spectrum while absorbing light of other colors. Light is the small part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can affect the human sense of sight. The visible part of the spectrum (for us) ranges from 400 nm (blue) to 700 nm (red). Each wavelength value within the visible band corresponds to a distinct colour. Parameters of light that are of interest to us: Wavelength - the length of one light-wave cycle Frequency - the number of wavelengths per second Three attributes are used to specify a color: hue, saturation and brightness. These describe only the perception of light, not its physical properties. 1. Hue - a feature of monochromatic light that varies with wavelength and used to denote the various regions of the spectrum (in other words, the basic color from the spectrum). 2. Saturation - how much a color differs from white (ie vivid pure color versus pastel color) 3. Brightness - the perceived intensity of light Spectral Power Distribution Monochromatic light is light that has only one wavelength, and thus cannot be further divided into different components using a prism. But most light sources are not monochromatic ... ...d (B) of wavelength 435.8nm. This means that given an RGB color (C) = L1(R) + L2(G) + L3 (B), its coordinates in the XYZ system are: X = 2.7689*L1 + 0.38159*L2 + 18.801*L3 Y = L1 + L2 + L3 Z = 0 + 0.012307*L2 + 93.066*L3 This particular transformation was chosen so that the XYZ system would have several convenient properties. One is that there are no negative tristimulus values, which reduces the possibility of error. Another is that the color triangle enclose the spectrum locus as closely as possible. Works Consulted Williamson, Samuel J. and Herman Z. Cummins. Light and Color in Nature and Art. 1983. John Wiley and Sons. Overheim, R. Daniel and David L. Wagner. Light and Color. 1982. John Wiley and Sons. Bouma, Dr. P. J. Physical Aspects of Colour. 1971. MacMillan. Wright, W. D. The Measurement of Colour. 1969. Adam Hilger.

Determining Ka by the half-titration of a weak acid Essay

To get the Ka of acetic acid, HC2H3O2 I will react it with sodium hydroxide. The point when our reaction is half-titrated can be used to determine the pKa. As I have added half as many moles of acetic , as NaOH, Thus, OH- will have reacted with only half of the acetic acid leaving a solution with equal moles of HC2H3O2 and C2H3O2-. Then I will use the Henderson-Hasselblach equation to get pKa. CH3COOH + NaOH H2O + NaCH3COO Results: Below is a table that summarizes our results for the reaction of 1M of acetic acid with 1Molar of NaOH which 50cm3 was used. The table shows the PH record at  ½ equivalence and at equivalence. We also recorded the observations we saw during the reaction. PH  ±0.1 Qualitative observations At  ½ equivalence 5.0 When I recorded this, as we slowly added NaOH to the acid, there was a change of color from colorless to a very slight pink as the Phenolphthalein indicator changed color. At equivalence 8.9 As I added the acetic acid to 250 cm3 of reaction mixture, there was no color change. Also as we measured the PH, the PH changed slowly but then changed very quickly at the solution approached equivalence. At this time, the indicator turned pink, when equivalence was reached Calculating the PKa To calculate PKa, we will use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. Hence the calculations below show how using this we can calculate the PKa = PKa + But at the half equivalence, the concentration of acetic acid and its salt ion are the same. Thus, we get: = PKa + = PKa Now the PH was, so PKa= 5.0  ±0.1 = 5.0  ± 2% 5.0  ±2% = = 10-5  ±2% Titration curve: To get error we are going to sketch a titration curve, and from this measure the PH at half equivalence. To do this: PH of acetic acid (1M): Ka = = 10-4.76 = √(1Ãâ€"10-4.76) So PH of acetic acid= 2.38 Now PH of NaOH, (1M) Now concentration of NaOH, was 1M So = 1 = -log(1) = 0 ±0.2% So PH= 14 ±0.2% Thus with these results we can plot this: Volume of NaOH (0.2%) PH of solution ( ±0.2) 0 2.38 45 14 48 14 50 14 We know that at volume of NaOH of 45 and 48, the PH will still be 14 as it’s in excess by far, thus getting to the PH of NaOH as the PH measured The PH of the solution has uncertainty of  ±0.2, as this is the smallest division of our y-axis in our titration sketch. Now after plotting our titration results, we can see that the equivalence point the volume was at a volume was at 28cm3 as it has the steepest gradient. Thus, the half-equivalence is at half a volume, 14cm3. At this volume the PH is 4.8  ±0.2 Using this value, as = PKa + = PKa PKa= 4.8  ±0.2 4.8 ±4.2% = = 10-4.8  ±4.2% Conclusion: I have concluded that the of acetic acid is -5 ±2% just using the data recorded (method 1). However from using that data and calculating the pH of acetic acid and NaOH, and then plotting a titration curve (method 2), we got a of 4.8 ±0.2%. As I calculated both I can calculate the % error of both comparing it with the actual value, -4.76.[1] % error of method 1= = 100  ±5% % error of method 2= = 100  ±0.84% The data I have concluded and summarized above is backed up by the data produced in the experiment and trends seen. We conclude that method 2 is more accurate as the % error is less and that our oringal method had  ±5% error. This is clearly backed up in our %errors as 4.8 is much closer to the actual value 4.76. The data that supports our % errors is the graph. It clearly shows a trend that as the volume of NaOH increased the PH rose, and the higher gradient signaling the equivalence point was at 28 cm3. Thus the graph clearly showed a half-equivalence point of 4.8 PH. Also the graph bolster that the PH at half-equivalence had to be less than 6, thus supporting the PH obtained by method 1, and hence the PKa obtained. Finally as for method 1, we simply recorded two results; we know that the datum that determined our percentage error was 5.0, and hence this data is what supports our %error. Finally the confidence level for my conclusion is good. I got the results expected, as method 2 will always be more accurate than method 1 as the latter depends too much on qualitative and subjective recordings. Thus my confidence level for such conclusion is good. Also my confidence levels on the %error and PKa for method 1, is high as 5% error was small. Thus due to this low %error, my confidence level of the experiment done for method 1 is high. Even more the PKa obtained by method 2, has a higher confidence level as the % error was barely 0.84%. Thus method 2, has excellent confident level for its extremely low %error. However the first factor that affects my confidence level is uncertainties. From the %error of PH, we got the %uncertainty of the PKa for method 1. Thus, we know, that from the total % error of 5%, 2% was made by systematic errors i.e uncertainties in this case. Thus the other 3% was caused by random error. Similarly, for method 2, we got % uncertainties for the PH by the volume measure of NaOH. This %error was 4.2%, meaning 4.2% of the total error was caused by systematic error of the graph. Clearly this is bigger than the total %error of 0.84%. Thus this means that actually, even if our graph has on the y-axis an uncertainty of  ±0.4, this is an over-estimate. This is since, while we can read a value off with this uncertainty, it can still be very close to the actual half-equivalence PH. Thus this increases my confidence level, as it shows, that the systematic error of the graph y-axis uncertainty is very limited. Thus the biggest error is random error. This occurs when estimating the equivalence point from the titration graph, which is random error as it’s an estimate of the steepest point and hence has no uncertainty. Thus as we could underestimate or overestimate this value, it creates error, as we calculated the half equivalence from it. In this case, clearly we overestimated it as; the PKa from this method is higher than the actual one. Hence this error is directly reflected in our results limiting confidence levels. Thus now we know what caused the % error for our methods. Hence, now my confidence level will increase as I know what type of error must be targeted to reduce most error. The random errors and systematic errors that constitute these percentages will be explained below, in the evaluation. Evaluation: From the results it is clear error was limited for method 1, 5%. We calculated that uncertainties make up at least 2% of that error. Thus systematic error only makes 2% of the error while random error makes 3% of the error. Thus the significant error is random errors. This was due to the subjectiveness at seeing the half-titration points. As we relied on the fact that the phenolphatlein made the solution light pink, it was difficult to see such color change. Thus it was very easy to keep adding base, when there was already a color change. Hence our error was that we could overshoot the titration. As we added to much NaOH the color change seen was too much. So when we added the acetic acid, the PH at half-equivalence is higher so we overestimated the PKa. This was reflected directly on our results. Finally another less important random error was that pipettes leaked. Thus more NaOH was added. This while small also explains why we overestimated the PKa, as we overshooted the titration even more. Finally our less significant errors were systematic error. They only make 2% of our errors. They were mainly caused by inaccuracy of our apparatus. The main systematic error caused was by the PH probe. The PH probe, first of all has great inaccuracy recording PH with a  ±0.1 uncertainty. Thus as the PH recorded was small, the %uncertainty calculated is much bigger than it would be with a higher PH. The other uncertainty was caused by the inaccuracy of pipettes. When we measured the volume of the acetic acid, there was a systematic error as Burets have uncertainties of,  ±0.10 cm3. Thus at a volume we measured of acetic acid at 25cm3, we had 0.4% error caused. We can also analyze improvements for method 2. We used this method and generated it from data we had form method 1. However, the titration sketch clearly was much more accurate than method 1, as it yields 0.84% error of which 0.2% was caused by uncertainties. Thus as we got the results for the titration curve from method 1, the error that caused the systematic errors were the same. However the main cause of error is the random error. At calculating the equivalence point, we had to estimate the point with the maximum gradient. As this is subjective, there is human error. Hence, when we then halved that volume, we could overestimate or underestimate the error since we estimated the point with maximum gradient. Improvements: To reduce the random error firstly we must do more trials. Just by doing this, we will reduce the random error. Finally as the problem with the color change was that it was a qualitative observation. To improve this we can get a quantitative measurement. To do this we use a colorimeter. This is a device we will put behind the solution. This measures the exact absorbance or transmission of light. Thus as the light absorbance changes when there is a color change, when the colorimeter states such we know that the color change has occurred. Hence we know exactly the equivalence points. The significance of this improvement is that it would enable us to get qualitative results. Thus if the colorimeter very accurate we can decrease random error, as there is no human error. Also, as the colorimeter is accurate, systematic error will also be limited. Another way we can improve is in the systematic errors. The first problem was measuring accurately volumes. As the pipettes had big uncertainties, the volume recorded had high %uncertainties. If we however use micropipettes, which have  ±0.01 cm3 uncertainties, our volumes will be extremely accurate. Hence %uncertainties will be minimal. Also micropipettes allow much easier for drops of base to be dropped. Thus the significance of this improvement is that when we measure volumes, the equivalence point will occur, more exactly as we will be less likely to overshoot the solution. Finally to solve the inaccurate measurements of PH we can get a PH sensor and data logger. These do real-time measurements and will state the PH with less uncertainty. It will also provide an alternative method for calculating the half-point. As the data logger draws the graph of the titration done, it can calculate the point with the highest gradient. Thus this will be the equivalence point. Hence we can calculate the PH at half the equivalence point of the graph as this is half the volume of base at equivalence. Thus clearly calculating a very accurate PH from the curve. The significance of this will be that it is a major improvement on method 2 and 1 as it is not qualitative. Thus it does not allow for human error. Hence as the sensor is also very accurate systematic error will also be limited as well as random error. Thus this method will get a very accurate PKa with low systematic and random errors.

The Honor Code

This course will survey the significant events, personalities, and changes in military affairs that occurred between the colonial period and the present day. Students are expected to grasp complex theories and ideas pertaining to the interpretation of American Military History. Requirements: Students are required to attend all classes and are expected to keep up with the assigned readings. Students are also expected to submit four graded writing assignments and participate on four discussion days.Finally, each student is expected to complete an in-class mid-term and a final examination held during the University's prescribed examination day. Grade Breakdown: Writing Assignments: 30% (1 0% each) Final Project: 15% Participation: 5% Mid-term: 25% Final Exam: 25% Writing assignments: Students will submit three typed response papers, each 3-5 pages (750 to 1,200 words) in length, in response to three assigned books. These assignments are due on February 3, March 3, and April 7. They will be in response to J. K.Martin's and Edward Lenders A Respectable Army, Perry Gaminess's and Grady Machinery's Attack and Die, and Robert Lessee's Helmet for My Pillow. TO receive a high grade, each student must demonstrate four things: First, each student must concisely and accurately explain the book's central argument. Since Lessee's book is a memoir, there will not be an argument as such, but a central theme. Identify the central theme. ) State the thesis clearly in the first paragraph. Second, each student must summarize the evidence or examples utilized by the author.Third, each student must offer an analytical critique of the book. (This means critiquing the scholarship, not the author's writing style). Fourth, students must cite their sources, and to do this, they must use footnotes or endnotes. (For assistance in the proper format, see http://press. Chicago. Deed/books/turban/ turban_acidification. HTML. ) Emailed papers will not be accepted. Late papers will not be accepte d except in the case of emergencies, and in case of those emergencies, students must provide proof that the emergency situation occurred.Final Project. On April 28, students will submit a final project paper, 7-10 pages (1 , 750 to 2,500 words) in length. Read the final book assigned to this course, Craig Mulligan's The Unforgiving Minute, and write a critical review of it. Adhere to the guidelines described in the section on ‘Wavering assignments. † However, in explaining Analyses argument, your final project must do two additional things. First, it must clearly define the â€Å"unforgiving minute. † What did Manually mean by this phrase?Second, this paper must identify, in your own opinion, the five most important moments in Analyses military education. What five moments most well-prepared him for combat? Students must appropriately cite their sources. (Use the Chicago Manual of Style-?see http://press. Chicago. Deed/books/TU proper citation format. ) Emailed pa pers will not be accepted. Late papers will not be accepted. Participation: On February 3, March 3, April 7, and April 28, students are expected to have read the books assigned for those days.They are expected to participate in an informal discussion of the material with their classmates and instructor. Non-participation in these discussions may result in a 0% for each students participation grade. Mid-term: On March 5, students will take an in-class mid-term. Students must bring a blue book to class to submit their response. Responses not written in a blue book will not be accepted. Anal: Students will take a final examination on April 30. Students must bring a blue book to the exam to submit their response. Responses not written in a lee book will not be accepted.Final Grades: Final Grades are earned according to the following point system. A Conduct: Students should remain courteous and respectful at all times. Students must also adhere to the University's principles of academic integrity-?the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner. All students should act with personal integrity, respect other students' dignity, rights and property, and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their efforts. Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course.Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: cheating, popularizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Old Dominion University adheres to an Honor Code. The Honor Code applies to all work done for this class. Any violation of the code, even one as minor as the accidental omission of quotation marks, will result in a failing grade for the assignment in question.Plagiarism in any form is not acceptable. Any student who violates the rules specified below will receive a zero for the assignment in question, perhaps a failing grade for the course, and may be subject to disciplinary action by the university. For more information, please consult: http://al. Odd. Deed/al/ resources/undergrad. SHTML. 1 What is plagiarism? Old Dominion's Catalog defines plagiarism as follows: â€Å"A student will have committed plagiarism if he or she reproduces someone else's work without acknowledging its source; or if a source is cited which the student has not cited or used.Examples of plagiarism include: submitting a research paper obtained from a commercial research service, the Internet, or from another student as if it were original work; making simple changes to borrowed materials while leaving the organization, content, or phraseology intact; or copying material from a source, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation marks. Plagiarism also occurs in a group projec t if one or more of the members of the group does none of the group's work and participates in none of the group's activities, but attempts to take credit for the work Of the group. † 2)Hints for Avoiding Plagiarism: a) More than three words copied in sequence is plagiarism. This is ordinarily a good yardstick to use when wondering whether or not quotes are appropriate; they are, if you are copying more than three words in sequence that are not part of a common phrase (e. G. â€Å"up-to-date†). B) When in doubt, cite! If you have any doubt about whether or not to cite a source, err on the side of making the attribution. C) Look away. When you are writing, do not have open books or papers in front of you as you type. Read your sources, and then put what you have read into your own words. Avoid Internet sources. The Internet is a fantastic resource and search engines are terrific research tools. But what you find on the Internet was written by someone; it is their intelle ctual property. Also, when it comes to history, many internet sites can factually incorrect. There is no supervision to prevent amateurs from posting erroneous interpretations of history. If you absolutely must cite Internet web sites, you must cite the web address, and if you use a quote, use appropriate quotation procedures. E) Paraphrasing is more than changing a verb tense or reordering a list.Essentially, paraphrasing is used to summarize another author's text. A paraphrased passage must be cited. F) Use a Style Guide. Purchase a style guide and refer to it. Your instructor may suggest one that is specific to an academic discipline. You may also ask a reference librarian for recommendations. 3) The High Cost of Plagiarism: Plagiarism can ruin your reputation and cost you your professional career, along with the respect of your peers. Plagiarism at Old Dominion University is an act of academic dishonesty that has serious consequences.Note that plagiarism is pacifically covered i n the Old Dominion Honor Pledge. Refer to the Student Handbook and the Office of Student Affairs for details about sanctions and penalties for this behavior. Disability Access Statement: Old Dominion University encourages qualified people with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities and is committed to the policy that all people shall have equal access to programs, facilities, and admissions without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by university policy or by state or federal authorities.

The Definition of a Princess

Every little girl has once wished (upon a star) to one day be a princess in a fairy tale. However, do they truly understand what the definition of a fairy tale princess is? Fairy tales have created a definition and a set of requirements of a true princess, a definition and a set of requirements that could easily be applied to a pretty teacup or any other inanimate object. These fairy tales have defined a princess as someone who is unrealistically beautiful, passive, with no voice, and helpless and dependent. Beauty is one of the key requirements to be a princess. Every woman in a fairy tale is either a beautiful princess or an ugly witch or stepmother. There are no average looking women to be found in these tales. Since physical qualities are often an allegory to the goodness or evil of a character, beauty has been a requirement for a princess. In the picture books and movies of these fairy tales, audiences will see tall skinny girls whose waists are almost the size of their necks with eyes that are abnormally large. Though unrealistic, this appearance has been made necessary in these tales. Would Cinderella be let in to the ball or ever have a dance with a prince if she were ugly? Would Prince Charming even consider kissing â€Å"Sleeping Beauty† if she were â€Å"Sleeping Ugly†? Beauty is such an important part of a princess but how does it affect those young girls who wish to be like them? These fairy tales give the message that the only way to find love or Mr. Perfect is to be beautiful. Young girls watch and read storybooks and movies that have princesses with body types that are considered anorexic. This image will sink in to their minds subconsciously and affect them for the rest of their lives, since most children will never be able to reach the standard of beauty required to be a princess. Along with beauty, a princess has been defined to have no voice or say. In almost every fairy tale a princess never gets to express her opinion or personality. The ultimate example of this is in the Little Mermaid (Disney Version) when Ariel trades her voice so she can alter her appearance. She is told that she won’t need a voice to get the prince and all she needs to do is look pretty. This leads young girls to think their voice and opinion don’t matter and to have their â€Å"happily ever after,† all they have to do is stay quiet passive and be visually attractive. Lastly a princess is defined as someone who is helpless and dependent. Almost every single fairy tale has a damsel in distress waiting for the prince to save them. Sleeping Beauty has to wait for Prince Charming, Rapunzel has to wait in her tower, and Prince Eric saves Ariel. In all fairy tales this is a common factor; the princess is always helpless and needs saving. Never in a traditional fairy tale does a princess save the prince. In addition to the sexism in these tales, they present and promote a negative message for girls. It communicates to girls that if something bad is happening or if there is a problem, wait for a male to come and solve the situation. Putting these ideas in little girls’ heads at such an early age will discourage them from to ever becoming strong and confident women. Understanding the true definition of a fairy tale princess is, princesses should not be role models for so many girls. However so many little girls still want to be princesses, even if they are defined to be unrealistically beautiful, passive, voiceless, and helplessly dependent on others. This needs to change in order to have more confident and smart women. Society should think about these fairy tales and really consider if the princess in the tale is someone young girls should have as their role models.

Merchant of Venice Essay

A rich Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the villain of The Merchant of Venice in that the problem he initiates causes great concern in the community of the city. He insists that Antonio keep his bond and extract a pound of flesh since he has failed to make the three thousand ducats Shylock has loaned to Bassanio on Antonio’s word. When they go to court the duke insists that the charges must be drop, but Shylock will not tolerate it. Antonio is a merchant in Venice. When Bassanio asks him for money to impress Portia, Antonio wants to give it to him but cannot because all of his money is tied up in goods that are being transported by ship to ports where they will be sold. Out of kindness to Bassanio, he agrees to secure any loan Bassanio might get in the marketplace. Bassanio requests that loan from Shylock, a moneylender with whom Antonio is not on the best of terms. Antonio has criticized Shylock for usury, and Shylock, in turn, resents Antonio’s generosity in loaning money out at no†¦ Portia is a wealthy heiress from Belmont grieving over her father’s death and bond over the inherence. When Portia is introduced in the play Bassanio is struck by her beauty and does anything to be with her, but the only way to do that is to choose a casket. Among the three suitors her true love is bassanio.

The implications of the previous implementation of the electronic Essay

The implications of the previous implementation of the electronic identification and central database management of sheep in the UK farming industry - Essay Example he various aspects of the economy – referring to the national economy or the economy of a greater region, like the European Union – that create the framework in which a series of activities – mostly the financial ones – is developed. For states that are members to the European Union all economic activities – as most of their activities – need to be evaluated in the context of the relevant European rules, ethics and practices, in other words, European economic environment is also likely to affect the economic activities and initiatives developed in the members of the Union – apart from the national economic environment. Current paper focuses on the examination of the advantages and problems of existing system of identification and tracking of sheep in UK. At the same time reference is made to the benefits and problems of the system that is going to be replaced the existing one by the end of December 2009. The effects of both these syste ms on the British and the European economic environment are also identifying and analysed – at the level that they can offer explanations on the reasons that led to the initial use of information systems for the particular economic activity but also the reasons that led to the need for the replacement of these systems at the specific point of time. The rules that are currently used for the identification of sheep in UK were introduced on the 11th of January 2008; farmers across the country were appropriately informed in order to take the measures required (DEFRA, 2009). Existing system offers a series of advantages – compared to the systems of sheep identification used in the past. These advantages could be summarized as follows: a) In the existing system, different provisions have been introduced regarding the animals with different characteristics in a way that the existing system of identification can be applied on all sheep and goats across UK. As an example, a differentiation is made between the animals born

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy - Essay Example This essay discusses that President Truman appointed General Marshal to administer the entire process and make sure the necessary steps are taken. In the wake of such build up, General Marshals were sent to Europe in early June 1947 to assess the actual ground situation and present report to Congress about the exact amount of funding needed.In the entire scheme of Marshal Plan an amount of 17 billion dollars was to be allocated to the different countries of Europe (Chandra, 27). This scheme lasted between 1947 to 1952. The overall analysis of the scheme reveals that this was one of the most effective and successful steps undertaken at that time and allowed for the containment of the Soviet Union. While the outer origin of the funding was economic and political assistance largely, the funding allowed to help these two countries getting enrolled into the league of the defense and security system that was introduced. The NATO entity that was established in 1949, Turkey and Greece both m ade into it in 1952 (Bà ¶là ¼kbasi, 799) and were enrolled as a result of the Truman Doctrine. This can be termed as the direct success of Truman Doctrine which paid dividends on the military front as well. Historians have termed it one of the first positive and successful moves placed by the United States of America in those days which not only enabled containment but also allowed for establishing United States of America’s influence in the region. This influence enabled U.S.A maintaining an edge over its arch-rival for the next four decades.