Thursday, October 31, 2019

Analyze the IT requirements for a fictitious online shoe business and Term Paper

Analyze the IT requirements for a fictitious online shoe business and write a proposal for how you plan to meet the IT needs of - Term Paper Example Several vital IT requirements that have the potential to support the online shoe business of the company have been recognized as well as analyzed. In this connection, certain effective planning such as constructing a new website with a valid URL and selecting an effective web host among others has also been proposed in order to meet the identified IT requirements of the company. It can be affirmed from a broader outlook that effective execution of the proposed planning might provide active support to the company towards effectively conducting its online shoe business. Introduction It has been apparently observed in the modern day context that the utilization of online business has emerged as a significant business differentiator to provide competitive advantages to the organizations. In this similar concern, it can be affirmed that there are certain imperative factors that have eventually raised the significance of conducting online business at large. These factors might embrace incr eased level of internationalization and globalization, prevalence of extreme business market competition and most vitally the introduction as well as the execution of pioneering technological advancements (Mc-Graw-Hill Education, n.d.; Sage Publications, n.d.). In other words, online business is often acknowledged as performing business activities electronically or through any electronic mode. It signifies purchasing as well as selling various sorts of products or services along with information through online media i.e. internet. With this concern, this paper intends to analyze the information technology (IT) requirements for a fictitious online shoe business and also to draw a proposal about how the IT needs of the company can be met effectively. Overview and Structure of the Business Overview The business organizations belonging to this present day context tend to conduct their respective businesses through online mode for the purpose of attaining predetermined business targets. The targets might comprise increased profitability along with gaining greater market share and attaining superior competitive position. These expected business targets of the modern organizations within the online mode can be fulfilled by meeting the requirements of the customers in terms of serving them their required products in a convenient manner without making them to visit any store physically. Structure It can be affirmed in this regard that certain technological advancements need to be introduced and executed by the organizations for performing effective online businesses and also for complying with the requirements of the customers by a greater level (Schneider, 2011). As previously mentioned that pioneering technological advancements are duly required for performing effectual online business, the incorporation of various technologies can prove to be quite beneficial for the company which is intending to sell its shoes through online mode. The benefits can be measured in te rms of gaining greater customer satisfaction, accomplishing higher profitability and most significantly attaining superior competitive position over its key business market contenders. In order to determine the business structure of the company intending to sell shoes through online, it can be affirmed that the company would have to keep a

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Financial Instruments Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial Instruments - Case Study Example For instance, debt financing bears high financial risk due to high leveraging of the company and this may lead to legal action and bankruptcy proceedings in case of default on interest payment (Henderson, Peirson & Harris, 2003). The company should consider the risk of losing control since convertible notes providers may request for directorship position in order to protect their interests in the firm. The best source is cumulative preference shares since dividends will be paid when the company finally makes profits (Henderson, Peirson & Harris, 2003). The company should also consider the flexibility and availability of the source of finance. For example, it is easy to issue redeemable preference shares since it is readily available and can be redeemed in the future. The company should also consider the tax implications of the source of finance. For instance, debt payments are tax deductable and thus it should use debt financing when the tax rate is high in order to protect the company income from the high taxes (Henderson, Peirson & Harris, 2003). The company should also consider the growth rate of the firm. For instance, the company should use debt financing during high growth cycles since the high revenues will offset the interest payments (Henderson, Peirson & Harris,

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Sicked: The True Story of a Lost Childhood

Sicked: The True Story of a Lost Childhood Sickened by Julie Gregory â€Å"Oh, God, Jewelly, you are burning up, just burning up. I better call the squad. Grandma is serious, her face etched in worry and hovering inches from mine. Her fingers spread my eyelids apart, looking for signs that she can report to the hospital. Maybe I am feeling something in my tummy. Maybe I do have a fever. What does it feel like, Grandma? Am I sick, Grandma?† (18). This passage hints that early on Julie was abused by not only her mother, but her grandmother as well. Grandma Marge had given Julie a piece of candy and then convinced Julie that she was sick. From the line, â€Å"What does it feel like, Grandma?† the reader gathers that Julie does not know how she feels and only begins to feel sick after being told she is sick. Although Julie is only three, the event this passage describes is the beginning of her abuse. After reading this passage, I began to wonder if MBP was genetic. Julies grandmother displayed the same behaviors as did Julies mother. I also wondered if Julies mothers behaviors were initially in response to Grandma Marge telling her that Julie was sick. The similarities between Julies mother and grandmother means that MBP is either genetic or can be observed and repeated. However, later in the memoir, Julie proves that she will not follow her mothers behaviors and treat her children that way. â€Å"I look between both of them. What is a headache, exactly? Is it when my eyes hurt? Is it when Im dizzy on the bus? Im trying to guess, hoping its the right answer,† (26). This passage represents the struggles Julie must face at each doctors appointment in an effort to please her mother. Here, Julie does not even understand what a headache is. Throughout her story, she sights various occasions in which she does not understand what the doctors or her mother say. When Julie says she is trying to answer correctly, she must guess at what her mother wants to hear. Julie lies to doctors so her mother will not get upset. I can not imagine having to lie about my health and the fear Julie faces. If Julie tells the truth, her mother may return home yelling at her father. If Julie lies about her symptoms, she will be forced on medication she does not need which could make her ill. Julie is an innocent girl, and this passage causes the reader to empathize with Julie and wish to grab her hand and help her. â€Å"And Mom was always on the lookout for cruelty to animals. If we were driving along the highway and there was a black trash bag puffed up and knotted at the top, full of trash someoned thrown out their window, shed pull over and have me run out and check to make sure it wasnt full of kittens,† (58). This passage is ironic because Sandy is against animal cruelty, but does not realize how she abuses her own daughter. Sandy feels she needs to care for everything and make it well and healthy. With the animals, she would take them into her home, such as the farm dogs, and feed them. However, she would abuse them by breeding and selling their puppies for extra money. With Julie, Sandy would inflict symptoms of illnesses on her in order to take her to the hospital or doctors office and make her better. The irony of the situation is that Sandy does not realize her illness and continues to inflict pain on others, whether it is Julie, animals, or her future step children. â€Å"I pride myself on how little space I take up. I am going to shrink and shrink until I am a dry fall leaf, complete with a translucent spine and brittle veins, blowing away in a stiff wind, up, up, up into a crisp blue sky,† (63). This passage explains the emotional toll Julie has suffered from her mothers abuse. Julie wants to disappear into the sky and not be alive. I cannot imagine a girl at about the age of twelve wishing not to be alive. The imagery used in the passage is beautiful as well. Julie realizes how weak she is with brittle veins and a tiny body, yet she takes pride in it. I wonder if she takes pride in being small because then her mother can keep pretending she is sick or because the thinner she gets the closer to disappearing. This passage is Julie speaking of not only her physical state but her mental state as a result of her mothers abuse. â€Å"Lets get one thing straight, Sandy. He growls low. ‘Youre going to leave Daniel Joseph Gregory the Second alone from now on. Thats my boy in there, he cracks her wrist against the counter like rock candy, her cry twists my stomach, ‘and my boys just fine,† (78). This passage is important because it reveals that Julies dad knows that Sandy is hurting his daughter. I think that he realizes that it is too late to help Julie, but he still has a chance to save Danny. Although Dan Sr. is an aggressive father who often appears not to care about his children, I think by standing up for Dannys health he proves that he does care about his children as do all fathers. However, I think Dan beating Sandy will not stop her from abusing Danny. She has a disease that she cannot control, and all Dan really is doing is scaring Julie with her mothers screams and harming Sandy. â€Å"At last, Ill just take one medication that will fix everything. Ill have friends, be in sports, go to movies. Momll be happy; she wont have to stay at home or clean up after old men or foster kids. And Ill be a real kid and not miss school anymore,† (98). This passage discusses Julies feeling when she hears that the doctors finally know what is wrong with her. The passage reveals that Julie is far from numb of her illness and her mother. She says that she wants her mother to be happy. Throughout each doctor visit, Julie pretends to have symptoms in order for her mother to be happy. She must lie and suffer. Julie loves her mother because she does not realize the abuse she is receiving; she is so convinced that she is ill. Julie dreams of being normal, being able to do well in school and have friends. I pity her for not being allowed a real childhood because her mother is ill. Julie does not deserve it. This passage is heart breaking as well, because the reader knows that the treatment will not save Julie, and Julies hope will be crushed. â€Å"Well, honey, I just cant see my little girl go out there in a bathing suit and get laughed at. You got no tits, no hips, no ass, Sissy. You look terrible in a bathing suit. Kids are cruel, sweetie, theyll just make fun of you,† (154). This passage characterizes Julies father as loving yet harsh. Dan does not want Julie to be embarrassed and laughed at, however does not know how to deliver the message. He harshly criticizes her body, which cannot help Julies self esteem. I found the situation ironic as well. At first, when Dan took Julie into the bedroom, I thought he was going to molest her. Later, once Julie has a new job set up at the hospital, I think that maybe Dan was trying to help Julie get out. At the hospital, Julie was offered counseling and help. Throughout Julies story, the character of her father troubles me because he seems to want to help Julie yet is easily manipulated by Sandy. â€Å"I look in the largest mirror. Shes a natural beauty. Im a sickened beauty. Im beautiful, but with an inch-thick layer of sick covering me,† (201). This passage is Julies revelation and the beginning to her rebuilding. Julie realizes what she really looks like and how sick she is. She no longer prides her self in her lack of space. Julie sees that she is beautiful just hurt from the abuse of her mother. The house of mirrors will help Julie see herself become stronger and healthy. Julie is on her way to becoming a self sufficient woman and eventually be able to confront her mother about the pain she caused her. Book Analysis: â€Å"Munchausen by proxy may be the single most complex—and lethal—form of maltreatment known today,† (v). Julie Gregorys memoir, Sickened is a heart-wrenching story of a child affected by Munchausen by proxy and the deadly abuse she receives. Gregory does a spectacular job pulling an emotional response from the reader while granting the reader a complete understanding of MBP. With each paragraph and each situation Julie faces, the reader is more engaged into Julies character. Sickened is a true story, therefore the reader is more connected with the story. Through first person narrative, the reader gains Julies thoughts about her illnesses and understands how Julie is trained to believe she is sick, even when she is not. Julies feeling of wanting to please her mother and taking migraine medicine causes the reader to want to come into Julies life and save her. For example, when Julie is going to court to press charges against her parents, Julies father convinces her that she is being tricked and her parents are the ones pressing charges on Julie. One wants to tell Julie that he is lying, but Julie believes him and does not testify. When Julie finds the truth out, the reader wants to reach out and hug her. Julie is always so alone and leaves the reader helpless wanting to erase the pain Julie suffers. The doctor visits and recollections of her daily family life supply the reader with an understanding of how MBP affects the child and how the mother acts with MBP. Julies mother takes her to various doctors trying to convince each that Julie has a serious illness. Julie is often confused not understanding why she must be shaved or what a headache is. MBP is a terrible form of abuse which convinces children they are ill and leaves children unaware of how to take care of themselves. When Julie leaves home, she only knows to eat cake batter. Gregory retells her story supplying the reader with an appreciation of her strength and an understanding of MBP and the torture of Julies childhood. Sickened is a well written memoir which any reader would enjoy reading. The emotional responses from the reader cause the reader to continue to read Julies story in hope that she may get help and escape her mother. After finishing Sickened, words of Julies journey sink into ones head and the power of the story sets in. MBP is a powerful disorder and living with it creates a powerful story which all should hear.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Facebook Activity Should NOT Play a Role in Employment Essay -- Social

As if employment isn’t already a topic of importance regardless of personal reason, most issues concerning it, hit close to home. Employment is influenced by many things. Some of the major influences are expected like drug testing and background checks. These have little to no amount of controversy, pending personal issues. Other things are not so anticipated, namely what content is on particular social media websites like Facebook. This exact scenario played out in my life much to my dismay. After I applied, interviewed and accepted a position in the education field, I received a phone call from the employer who informed me that they would no longer offer me the position due to an undisclosed reason. Subsequently, I began an investigation into the reason I lost the opportunity of employment with the school district, only to discover astonishing exploits, the culmination of which resulted in my misfortune. These exploits had originated from a personal conflict between an individual that was my friend on Facebook prior to the dispute. Though I can honestly admit that this altercation got vicious, I never believed it would go as far as it had. This individual took my name and pictures and attached them to messages that I had allegedly sent to her. These messages contained highly inappropriate and threatening material. Then she proceeded to send them to the administration department. One person in the Human Resour ces department came to the decision that even though he didn’t know me, my qualifications, or even if the allegations were true, my personal life and Facebook page disqualified me from employment. Incontestably, I felt this infringed on my constitutional rights, confidentiality, as well as my personal life. Most Ame... ... with job performance, and work time. Without this distinction a mental and physical toll is paid and it comes at a high cost to the motivated. Employment simply should not be based upon a personal social networking website, it is unconstitutional, breaks social expectations of confidentiality, as well as imposes upon personal lives and motivations. Unless contractually bound to obey particular guidelines concerning social media, it should play no role in obtaining or termination of employment. Considering that there was no proof of legitimacy and it did not happen on work property or time, undeniably my claim of hideous encroachment on these Rights and socially accepted standards is correct. This very travesty, lead to the children at that particular school district to potentially have to settle for a person that is less qualified than I for their education.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Everything for Sale

Everything for Sale by Robert Kuttner: A Summary [Insert full name here] [Insert institutional information here] Everything for Sale by Robert Kuttner: A Summary In his book, Robert Kuttner (1999) tries to shake the dominant orthodoxy of laissez-faire economics, which he sees as the â€Å"natural form of capitalism,† by attempting to â€Å"reclaim a defensible middle ground† between when the market is â€Å"best left alone† and when it â€Å"needs help† (p. 5). Kuttner’s chief premise is that a mixed economy is necessary for a society that is civil and decent, a society where the economy is in optimum health.For Kuttner, unfettered laissez-faire economy is in conflict with mixed economy, and that their opposition is essentially a struggle between the moderate but rational dissent — the call for a mixed economy — and the prevailing orthodoxy, or the desire to retain the economic status quo. He further maintains that a mixed economy is r ealistic precisely because there is virtually no escape from politics, especially in the economic landscape where the government can influence its course by adopting certain national economic policies.Kuttner readily accepts some notable contributions of the market system. For instance, he concedes that â€Å"[m]arkets accomplish much superbly,† and that â€Å"[t]hey offer consumers broad choices† (Kuttner, 1999, p. 11). Paraphrasing Adam Smith, Kuttner (1999) states that â€Å"the great paradox of the market is that the individual pursuit of self-interest aggregates to an efficient general good† (p. 11). He reaffirms the long-held belief that markets, when left alone, can lead to a vibrant economy.Yet, Kuttner eventually notes that the free market capitalist system is not entirely a rigid structure that has an aversion to changes. He believes that, â€Å"[f]or economies to operate efficiently, drastic change or abrupt disjuncture is the exception rather than t he rule† (Kuttner, 1999, p. 12). Thus, markets may accommodate new prices, whether higher or lower than the prevailing prices. Old businesses may go insolvent, and new businesses offering the same goods or services may take their stead.Through the introduction of changes, the market is able to correct itself. In his book, however, Kuttner proposes something else. Kuttner seeks to dispel the complement notions that government interventions in the market are never successful and that markets are self-correcting and can thus work on their own. To reclaim the so-called middle ground, Kuttner offers detailed examples of how previous government interventions in the market did in fact work. He also writes about the shortcomings of the market for healthcare, the labor market, and the financial markets.By providing those examples, he then reduces the theoretical clout of contemporary laissez-faire economics, which he then deploys to draw attention to his position in favor of mixed econ omy. Kuttner further combines these examples with the premise that there are many kinds of economic and social goods that the market simply cannot provide without failing in one significant way or another. For instance, transportation and communication infrastructures are often financed by the government in association with other private and political entities.Though the funds are not entirely from the government, it cannot be doubted that the government has its share and that it is through its political efforts that the infrastructure projects are realized. Thus, for Kuttner, without the participation of the government in the economy, no matter how limited, the country will hardly be having the social and economic goods it now enjoys today. Clearly, â€Å"markets are not perfectly self-correcting† for Kuttner (1999) and, as a necessary consequence, â€Å"the only check on their excesses must be extra-market institutions† (p. 62), which is short of saying that the chec k is the government itself. Kuttner lists several areas upon which excesses have been committed. For instance, he states that even the seemingly innocent frequent-flyer program is guilty of frustrating shopping around for travel services by other airline companies since this program is designed to entice people to â€Å"stick with a favored carrier in order to earn mileage credits† (p. 261). To curb this, Kuttner (1999) states that there must be a regulated airline competition where â€Å"[r]egulators could set a zone of tolerable prices, to reflect actual costs more nearly† (p. 68). Another example is the case of the electric power market where the subsequent technological innovations in the first three decades of the mass availability of electricity led to the situation where â€Å"real prices rose dramatically between 1930 and 1933,† except that the â€Å"introduction of public power and federal regulation in the mid-1930s† brought back the â€Å"virt uous pattern of declining prices, technical advances, and increasing usage† (Kuttner, 1999, p. 272).Even the environment is not spared from the failure of a free market. Kuttner observes that the laissez-faire system has encouraged more spewing of pollutants, the manufacture of dangerous products, and others. Through regulatory measures out of broad public-policy goals, Kuttner believes that markets will have no choice but to cut down their waste discharges. The discussion cites other examples in order to illustrate the fact that the free market oftentimes finds help from the federal government.Kuttner (1999) concludes his book with a restatement of how nations â€Å"have now experienced more than two decades of the celebration of markets and denigration of government† (p. 361). Instead of continuing such prevailing notion, he reasserts that â€Å"the case for the market is much more of a mixed case than its champions insist,† especially since markets have become increasingly impulsive in breaching what used to be the province of rights.For Kuttner, the more these markets try to penetrate the province of inalienable rights in their relentless pursuit of profit, the more constraints from the government are needed. Otherwise, the whole foundation upon which the free market capitalist system stands will likewise become endangered. Reference Kuttner, R. (1999). Everything for sale: The virtues and limits of markets. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

What is Anthropocene?

The videos In the website â€Å"Welcome to the Anthropocentric,† discusses about Anthropocentric. Questions that I will answer are what Is Anthropocentric? Why Is It label that way? What are some patterns in the era that are exhibited? Along with why should we care about mass extinction? Anthropocentric is a new geological epoch dominated by humanity.The word â€Å"Anthropocentric† is given its name because human activity has polluted the sea, caused mass extinction of animals and plants, and changed the Earth's natural cycle. Some of the patterns that this era has exhibited re the changes in the Earth's life support system, such as changes within the environment. For example, temperatures and sea levels are changing due to global warming, level of greenhouse gases is rising, and changes In the global water systems Is through damming, extraction, arrogation, and climate change.Furthermore, population, production, and consumption have grown exponentially. We are moving m ore sentiment than natural erosion and rivers. Therefore, there Is a whole In the Ozone and this Is causing us to lose bloodlessly. We should be concern about the mass extinctions of organisms because without hem, we will not have any support for food supplies and the environment. Especially, the functioning of the ecosystem.However, I believe that this catastrophe has been going on for years, however some people have no idea where this will lead us to. We should do something about this and that carries with responsibility. We have the option to stop and act upon the current rate of extinction with measures that will prevent habitat loss, and with regulations and rules that will provide species the kind of safety net that humans have. Most importantly, we must adapt to change.