Corporate finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate finance - Assignment Example Miller & Modigliani capital structure irrelevance proposition In the year 1958 Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller highlighted that in â€Å"perfect capital markets† the capital structure does not have any influence on the value of the firm rendering it irrelevant. The perfect capital markets are not characterised by any market frictions like trading costs, taxes and the information is easily transmitted between the investors and the managers. M&M made a clear distinction between the financial risk and business risk faced by a firm. While the financial risk refers to the choice of risk distribution between the bondholders and shareholders, the business risk refers to the uncertainty of cash flows of the business. It has been pointed out by Miller and Modigliani that changes in leverage does not cast any significant influence on the cash flows generated by the business. Therefore changes in leverage cannot alter the value of the firm. ... The firms as well as individuals can borrow or lend at the risk-free interest rate. The firms employ risky equity and risk-free debt. There exist only corporate taxes i.e. absence of personal income taxes or wealth taxes. They assumed perpetuity of cash flows i.e. assuming the growth rate to be zero (Lee, et al., 2009, p.202). As per M&M model the value of levered firm (VL) is equal to the value of unlevered firm (VU). Suppose there are two companies- Company 1 and Company2. It is assumed that the two companies have identical cash flows and belong to same risk profile. The difference between the two companies is with respect to financing. M&M state that the market value of the two companies is same. Suppose the pay-off of Company 1 in good state is 160 and in bad state is 50. This company is financed only by the equity mode of financing. Similarly the payoff of Company 2 is 160 in good state and 50 in bad state. It is financed by the combination of debt and equity. Suppose the total debt of Company 2 is $60 and its market value is $50; the market value of its equity is $50. Then the value of the Company 2 is- VL = Value of its equity + Value of debt = 50+50 =100 Now if the value of Company 1 is different from Company 2 say 103. Then an arbitrage strategy can be created- An investor can sell Company 1 at 103. He can buy the equity of Company 2 at $50 and debt at $50. The net cash flow is- = 103-100 =3 This process will continue until the Value of Company 1 is equal to Company 2 (Banal-Estanol , 2010). The increase in leverage component raises the risk and return of the shareholders. This can be stated as- RE = RO + (B/S)(RO – RD) RE is the return on levered equity RO is return on unlevered equity B is the debt value S is the

Hip Hop Genre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hip Hop Genre - Essay Example He ventured into other business sectors, primarily in the fashion and media industries and has reaped huge dividends. His efforts o take the music from the streets to the airwaves was a resounding success. His contribution is still felt to date and has caused the immense wealth being displayed by the musicians. His business investment methods have been copied by heavyweights such as Jay Z, P Diddy and 50 Cent (vh1, 2007). Unfortunately, the freedom of expression promoted by hip-hop gave way to a negative expression channel, the use and glorification of violence, sex and drugs in lyrics. The demeaning use of women as sexual objects whose aim is to get pecuniary advantage from the rappers is a main concern. Ayanna (2008) states that: "images are shown to go along with a lot of the explicit lyrics that commonly contain name calling to suggest that women are not worth anything more than money, if that. Women are described as being only good for sexual relations by rappers who describe their life as being that of a pimp." This disrespect of women has had feminists on the rampage for years. Another vice promoted is the violence culture. The prolific growth of popularity of this culture is due to the exploitative use by record labels to make more bucks from their popularity. This phenomenon occurred during the 1990's when hip-hop became a cash cow and "gangsta rap" started. Real life "beef" was used to emotionally attach the listeners to the lyrical content. This was in contrast to the original message of hip hop, to distract youth from rowdy gang like behavior. One of the most famous incidents of violent exchange was the Biggy-Tupac feud, which resulted in both their deaths.... According to the essay "Hip Hop Genre" findings, the freedom of expression promoted by hip-hop gave way to a negative expression channel, the use and glorification of violence, sex and drugs in lyrics. The demeaning use of women as sexual objects whose aim is to get pecuniary advantage from the rappers is the main concern. Ayanna (2008) states that: â€Å"†¦images are shown to go along with a lot of the explicit lyrics that commonly contain name calling to suggest that women are not worth anything more than money if that. Women are described as being only good for sexual relations by rappers who describe their life as being that of a pimp.† This disrespect of women has had feminists on the rampage for years. Another vice promoted is the violence culture. The prolific growth of popularity of this culture is due to the exploitative use by record labels to make more bucks from their popularity. This phenomenon occurred during the 1990’s when hip-hop became a cash cow and â€Å"gangsta rap† started. Real life â€Å"beef† was used to emotionally attach the listeners to the lyrical content. This was in contrast to the original message of hip hop, to distract youth from rowdy gang like behavior. One of the most famous incidents of violent exchange was the Biggy-Tupac feud, which resulted in both their deaths. This lyric sample was taken from Tupac’s song â€Å"We Hit ‘Em Up† shows the extent of the hate that characterized their relationship. In this respect, I think these two; Biggie and Tupac were the most damaging influences in hip-hop.

Leadership Styles in Sainsburys

Leadership Styles in Sainsburys ABSTRACT Nowadays we can distinguish many different types of leadership styles. Some of them are respected by employees, but on the other hand there are also styles which are considered very poorly. This paper presents and explores leadership styles based on the observations of managers in Sainsburys Nine Elms. In the first part research question has been formed and discussed. The second part is a literature review, with characteristic of most popular leadership styles. In the third part, methodology which will be used for research and to find an answer on research question will be discussed. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1. RATIONALE Human resource management is a series of activities which, first enables working people and the organisation which uses their skills to agree about the objectives and nature of their working relationship. Secondly, ensures that the agreement is fulfilled. (Torrington, 2008) This research project will be based on a field, which is human resource. One of the topics which should be explored in reference to human resources is leadership style. In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a catalyst and servant whose leadership style is support, advocating and empowerment. While in an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a pushover whose leadership style is abdication and fraud. Human Resource Leaders believe in people and communicate that belief; they are visible and accessible; they empower, increase participation, support, share information and move decision making down into the organization. We recognize effective leaders when we work with them or observe them. However many different ways exist for defining who leaders are and when they are effective. Dictionaries define leading as guiding and directing on a course. A leader is someone with commanding authority or influence. Researchers have developed many working definitions of leadership. According to Nahavandi (2009) leader is a person who influence individuals and groups within an organization, helps them in establishing goals and guides them toward achievement of those goals, thereby allowing them to be effective. Leadership is a function more than a role. Good leaders are made not born. 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION Research Question is a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be studied. The research question, which I am going to study is: How does the leadership style affect employees performance in the organisation? The research will be based on the case study, which is supermarket. Sainsburys Nine Elms is a place where I have been working for over 3 years. I have a contact with managers every day and whats more I am familiar with different styles of leadership. This experience helps me to formulate the following hypothesis: positive and accurate leadership style motivates people to good and effective work. To find an answer on my research question and to confirm my hypothesis, I will do some qualitative research. This type of research is designed to tell the researcher how and why the things happen as they actually do. It helps to achieve an in-depth understanding of a situation. . 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY Positive atmosphere in the work place is a very important factor and has a big influence on employees job. This is why the way how leaders and managers behave is so important. Unfortunately my long-time observations prove that managers very often do not even realize what kind of mistakes they do. They do not understand that their inappropriate way of behaviour, has an influence on peoples work and effectiveness of the organization. The aim of this report, based on literature review, is to describe the most valuable and effective leadership styles. Moreover the most negative styles will be considered, those which are not approved of by employees. Finally some interviews with Sainsburys Nine Elms employees will be made to gather their opinions and verify my hypothesis. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 LEADERSHIP STYLES IN EARLY XX Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. Lewin (1939) led a group of researchers to identify different styles of leadership. This early study has been very influential and established three major leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire. In the past several decades, there has been a significant revolution in how the leadership is defined by management experts. Their approach has changed from a classical one to a very innovative, democratic approach. Although it was also determined that some old ideas were still good whereas some of the new ones were not perfect. The key is to use different styles depending on each situation so leaders have to approach every case in a different way. LEADERSHIP STYLES TODAY There are four primary leadership styles, many of them we can find within most businesses or organizations around the world. These styles are: Autocratic Democratic Laissez-faire Bureaucratic Each of the leadership styles has impact on employee performance in the company. There are short and long-term effects of each style. For instance, the authoritative style may produce great results in a short amount of time. However, excessive use of authority will decrease productivity in the long-term. People either get fed up and leave or fall into a malaise of hum-drum repetitive tasks without creativity and innovation. (Sadler, 2003) AUTOCRATIC STYLE The autocratic leadership style is very often regarded as an old fashioned technique. It was a very popular style among managers commanding subordinates and it is still used around the world. This style basically comes natural to many leaders and brings many benefits, thus many managers start to lead using this style and try to improve it when pursuing their own leadership development. This style is used when leaders inform their employees what they want done and how they want it attained, without being advised by their followers. Furthermore when leaders are short on time, they have all information needed to achieve a goal and employees are enthused, autocratic still is also common. Nevertheless it should be used occasionally and with big carefulness. Having a lot of time and dealing with highly motivated workers it is better to use democratic style. DEMOCRATIC STYLE The democratic leadership style is also named the participative style due to the fact that it encourages one or more employees to be a part of the decision making process (determining what to do and how to do it). Nevertheless it is the leader who makes the final decision and maintains authority. Definitely this style strengthens the position of the leader which is respected by his employees. When information and data is divided between the leader and employees, democratic style is used very often. Managers are not expected to be familiar with everything, this is why they employ knowledgeable and competent employees. Concluding, using this style is of mutual benefit, because employees can become a part of the team and on the other hand leaders can make better decisions. LAISSEZ-FAIRE STYLE The laissez-faire leadership style is also known as the hands-off ¨ style. This style is based on making the decisions by employees whenever the leader let them. Even though, he is still responsible for all the decisions. This style is used usually when employees are able to decide what needs to be done and how. They also should have good analytical skills. Leaders only set most of the priorities for their team and divide tasks between employees. This style should be used only when leaders are confident about his people and trust them no matter what. It should not be used as a way of blaming employees of made mistakes. BUREAUCRATIC STYLE The bureaucratic leadership follow the rules rigorously and guarantee that staff follows procedures accurately. In this kind of style everything must be done according to the rules or policy. This is a very appropriate style for work involving serious safety risks (such as working with heavy equipment, with toxic substances, or at dangerous heights) or where large sums of money are involved (such as handling cash). If manager is not capable of making decision on his own, he refers to the next level above him or her. The role of the leader is very similar to a police officer. OTHER LEADERSHIP STYLES There are a number of different approaches or styles to leadership and management that are based on different assumptions and theories. The style that individuals use will be based on a combination of their beliefs, values and preferences, as well as the organizational culture and norms which will encourage some styles and discourage others. CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP A charismatic leadership style can seem similar to transformational leadership, because these leaders inspire lots of enthusiasm in their teams and are very energetic in driving others forward. However, charismatic leaders tend to believe more in themselves than in their teams. As a result this creates a risk that a project or even an entire organization might collapse if the leader leaves. In the eyes of the followers, success is directly connected to the presence of the charismatic leader. Therefore charismatic leadership carries great responsibility and requires a long-term commitment from the leader. It is interesting to watch a charismatic leader working the room as they move from person to person. They pay much attention to the person they are talking to at a particular moment, so this person very often feels like a most important person in the world. Charismatic leaders focus as well on scanning and reading their environment and are also good at picking up the moods and concer ns of both individuals and larger audiences. Then they will hone their actions and words to suit the situation. (Conger Kanungo, 1998) PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP A Participative Leader, rather than taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve other people in the process, possibly including subordinates, peers and superiors. However, managers are still very important, as they decide whether to give or deny control to their subordinates. Most participative activity can be observed within the immediate team. The question of how much independence others are given thus may vary on the managers preferences and inclinations. A whole spectrum of participation is possible, as in the table below. Highly participative > Autocratic decision by leader Leader proposes decision, listens to feedback, then decides Team proposes decision, leader has final decision Joint decision with team as equals Full delegation of decision to team The level of participation may also depend on the type of decision being made. Decisions on how to accomplish goals may be highly participative, whereas decisions during subordinate performance evaluations are more likely to be taken by the manager TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP This style of leadership starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader completely when they accept a job. The term transaction means that usually the organization pays the team members in return for their hard effort and compliance. If they do not work as stated in the agreement, they might be punished by the leader. In this style rules are very clear and reward system is introduced for the hardest working subordinates. Moreover, punishments are also possible and formal systems of discipline are quite common. The leader can give an opportunity for his team members to have an impact on their income. It happens when they work harder which cause greater productivity. Alternatively, a transactional leader could practice management by exception rather than rewarding better work. In fact transactional leadership is rather type of management than an actual leadership style. It focus basically on short-term task and is not suitable for a creative work. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP People with this leadership style are true leaders who inspire their teams constantly with a shared vision of the future. While this leaders enthusiasm is often passed onto the team they can be supported by detail people. Thats why, in many organizations, both transactional and transformational leadership are essential. The transactional leaders (or managers) ensure that routine work is done consistently, while the transformational leaders look after initiatives that add value. Working for a transformational leader can be a brilliant and uplifting experience. Whatever they do they put passion and energy into it. They care about team and want them to succeed. Transformational leaders also tend to see the big picture, but not the details. So if they do not have people to pay attention on this level of information, then they are usually doomed to fail. Finally, transformational leaders, by definition, seek to transform and develop. When the organization does not transform and nobody com plain about his fact, then such a leader will be frustrated. Like wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come into their own and can be personally responsible for saving entire companies. (Burns, 1978) TASK ORIENTED LEADERSHIP Highly task-oriented leaders focus only on getting the job done, so as a result they can be quite autocratic. They actively define the work and the roles demanded, put structures in plan and place, then they organize it and finally monitor. However, there is a danger connected with this style, that it might suffer the same drawbacks as autocratic style. Leaders do not pay to much attention about their team members as they focus only on finishing the task. PEOPLE ORIENTED (RELATIONS ORIENTED) LEADERSHIP This is the opposite of task-oriented leadership. In this style leaders are completely focused on organizing, supporting, and developing the people in their teams. It might be compared to a participative style as it has similar assumptions. Most valued are team cooperation and creativity. In practice, very often leaders tend to use both task-oriented and people-oriented styles of leadership. SERVANT LEADERSHIP This term was created by Robert Greenleaf, describes a leader who is often not formally recognized as such. He says that true leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others. Servant leadership is a very moral position, putting the well-being of the followers before other goals. When someone, at any level within an organization, leads simply by meeting the needs of the team, he or she is described as a servant leader. In many ways, servant leadership is a form of democratic leadership, because the whole team tends to be involved in decision making. Supporters of the servant leadership model recommend it as an important way to move ahead in a world where values are increasingly important and where servant leaders achieve power on the basis of their values and ideals. Others state that in competitive leadership situations, people who practice servant leadership can find themselves left behind by leaders using other leadership styles. (Greenleaf, 1 977) SAINSBURYS NINE ELMS- CASE STUDY J Sainsbury plc was founded in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury. Drury Lane was one of Londons poorest areas and the Sainsburys shop quickly became popular there for offering high-quality products at low prices. Today Sainsburys is the UKs longest standing and third largest supermarket. Operates a total of 872 stores comprising 537 supermarkets and 335 convenience stores, as well as Sainsburys Bank. Sainsburys employs over 160 000 colleagues and serves over 19 million customers a week. The store Sainsburys Nine Elms was open in February 1982 with 100 employee and 3 departments. Within almost 30 years the store has changed a lot. Today the store has 346 employees and 11 departments. Every department has its own department manager plus store manager and 3 DU store managers. Most of the managers are male, only 2 female and all of them between 26-45 years old. And every one of them represents different style of leadership. From very strict and autocratic through task oriented leadership till completely laissez-faire style. Leadership style is very important in a company or a firm. This is because a leaders job is to help everyone e.g. the leader can help workers in a company by training them to improve their skills at work. Leadership style inspires people to achieve demanding goods. Leadership explains many different approaches that can be taken to be an effective leader. Good leaders are made and not born. They develop themselves through a never ending process of self-study, education, training and experience. 3.0 METHODOLOGY 3.1 RESEARCH METHODS There are two measure research methods: quantitative and qualitative. Some researcher prefers to take a quantitative approach to address their research question and design study that involves collecting quantitative data and analysing those using statistical methods. Other opportunity is qualitative method, which involves collecting qualitative data and analysing them by using interpretative methods. (Collis Hussey, 2009) For this project the most suitable method will be qualitative. Figure bellow shows, how the qualitative research and research process should goes. Figure 1: Qualitative Research and Research Process (Cooper Schindler, 2008) 3.2 QUALITATIVE TECHNIQUES According to Cooper and Schindler (2008) qualitative techniques are used at both the data collection and data analysis stages of a research project. This project will be based on primary data and inductive method. Three techniques will be used to collect the data: individual interview, case studies and research observation. 3.2.1 INTERVIEW The interview is the primary data collection technique. They vary depending on the number of people involved during the interview, the level of structure, the proximity of the interviewer to the numbers of interviews conducted during the research. There are 3 ways of interviewing: à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ unstructured interview- no specific questions or order of topic to be discussed. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ semi structured interview- starts with few specific questions and then additional questions are asked with reference to the answers from opening questions à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ structured interview- specific, detailed questions, normally with open-ending Most of the qualitative research is made on unstructured or semi structured interview. It enables the interviewer to ask additional questions during the interview to gain more information. Many interviews are made face-to-face, which increase the quality of the interview. This kind of interview is more valuable than an interview by phone or online, because it allows the interviewer to observe nonverbal behaviour of the people. It is very important for the interviewer to have at least a basic knowledge about making an interview. Knowing how to gains someones trust and how to encourage answering questions honestly is definitely significant. Usually the interviewer is responsible for generating the interview, questions or topic to be discussed and what the order should be. The figure bellow shows the hierarchical questioning structure. Figure 2: The interview Question Hierarchy (Cooper Schindler, 2008) 3. 2. 2 CASE STUDY The case study (case history) is a very significant research methodology that includes individual and (sometimes) group interviews with record analysis and observation. Firstly researchers gain information from company brochures, annual reports, magazines and newspapers articles, and then together with direct observation, they finally combine it with interview data from members. The aim of this method is to obtain multiple perspectives of a single organisation. The case study should have a case which is the object of study. It should have the following characteristics: a complex functioning unit; investigated in its natural context with a multitude of methods and be a contemporary one. Yin (1993) has identified some specific types of case studies: Exploratory cases are sometimes considered as a prelude to social research. Explanatory case studies may be used for doing causal investigations. Descriptive cases require a descriptive theory to be developed before starting the project. Stake (1995) included three others case studies, which are: Intrinsic cases when the researcher has an interest in the case. Instrumental cases when the case is used to understand more than what is obvious to the observer. Collective cases when a group of cases is studied. 3. 2. 3 OBSERVATION Observation involves looking and listening very carefully. It is very common that people observe each other, although they do not look for anything particular and do not discover any reasonable information about their behaviour. It is possible to distinguish different relationship between observer and participant, view from three perspectives: Directness of Observation Concealment Participation Direct observation, when the observer is physically present and personally monitors what takes place. In this kind of observation, it possible for the observer to respond to certain aspects of human behaviour as they occur, therefore this method is very flexible. Indirect observation, when the recording is done by mechanical, photographic or electronic means. In comparison to the direct observation, the indirect one is less flexible. But on the other hand permanent data can be reanalysed many times so many different aspects of an event can be included. Another factor which affects relationship observer and participant is concealment. The question is, whether the observer should reveal himself. From the psychological point of view, it might be damaging (it has negative influence on the observation outcome) because people who know that are being observed, do not behave normally. On the other hand, hidden observation is a form of spying and the propriety of this action must be reviewed carefully. The best scenario is to reveal that people are being observed but the objectives and participant of interest are hidden. The last type of relationship is based on the observer participation in the whole situation while observing. Participant observation often requires months or years of intensive work, due to the fact that researcher needs to become accepted as a natural part of the culture. By doing this it is most likely that the observation will be of the natural phenomenon. Besides collecting data visually by observation, we can also use communication. The figure below describes the conditions under which observation is an appropriate method for data collection. Figure 3: Selecting the Data Collection Method (Cooper Schindler, 2008) Before starting the observation, it is necessary to make a good plan. Helpful might be finding the answers for this few important questions: WHO? Who do we want to observe? Does a person suit our criteria? WHAT? What do we want to observe? What are we concerned about? What is the aim of our observation? How long or what period of time? How often (daily, few times a week)? How many hours? WHEN? When do we want start our observation? Is there some specific period of time (for example Christmas time)? HOW? Will the data be directly observed? How many people will be observe? WHERE? Where does the observation take place? The location of the observation? 3.3 RESEARCH PROCESS ONION The research methodology of the present dissertation proposal is influenced and structured by the research process onion, which was developed and introduced by Saunders et al. (2003). The figure below illustrates the relationships between research philosophies, research methodologies, data collection methods, and more. Figure 4: Research Process ONION 4.0 CONCLUSION Concluding, so far in this report leadership styles has been explored and precisely described. The influence of each leadership style on the employees has been investigated as well. In the methodology part, qualitative method has been discussed which will be used for the research. It will be based on three different methods which are: interview, case study and observation. Case study of this report will be the place of my employment which is Sainsburys Supermarket which also has been briefly described.

M252 81mm Mortar :: essays research papers

M252 81mm Mortar INTRODUCTION: Good morning, my name is your name and my period of instruction is on the M252 81mm Mortar. We will cover some basic mortar knowledge including nomenclatures, rates of fire, and weight. We will also cover the mission of an 81mm mortar platoon and how that platoon is configured. The purpose of this period of instruction is to provide you with basic information and working knowledge of the 81mm mortar. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a. TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVE: To familiarize you with the main   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  components and characteristics of the 81mm mortar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  b. ENABLING LEARNING OBJECTIVES:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a. State the three main components of the mortar and their nomenclature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  b. State the weights of the three main components of the mortar.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  c. State the maximum range of an 81mm mortar. METHOD / MEDIA: I will use the lecture method and the mortar you see in front of you. There will be no posttest after this period of instruction. Are there any questions about your learning objectives or the method and media? TRANSITION: Now if there are no questions for me let’s get into the nuts and bolts of this period of instruction. BODY:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  MISSION:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 81mm mortar platoon is commonly called the battalion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  commander’s hip pocket artillery. It is called this because 81’s are foot   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  mobile, are on target faster, and more accurate than artillery. The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  mission of the 81mm mortar platoon is to provide continuous indirect   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  fire support to the infantry battalion and it’s subordinate elements in the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  offense and defense.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CHARACTERISTICS: The M252 81mm mortar is a smooth bore, muzzle loaded, high angle of fire weapon. Smooth bore meaning it has no lands and grooves like a rifle barrel. Muzzle loaded, because you insert a round into the muzzle of the cannon, allowing gravity to pull the round down, striking the firing pin. High angle of fire because it is capable of firing from within defilade, over hills, and other obstructions. COMPONENTS: The M252 81mm mortar consists of three main components, and a dovetail slot sight. They are: M253 Cannon (barrel): The M253 cannon consists of the barrel, sealed at the lower end with a removable breech plug that houses a removable firing pin. At the muzzle end is a cone-shaped Blast Attenuator Device (BAD) that is fitted to reduce noise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   M177 Mount (bipod): The M177 mount is composed of 3 main assemblies. They are: the leg assembly, the traversing gear assembly, and the barrel clamp assembly.

Blink by Gladwell

As explained in Blink by Gladwell and Payne, unconscious discrimination is a type of discrimination that is very hard to recognize. We have all heard about explicit discrimination, which can take two forms: the individual level and the institutional level. At the individual level, people openly like. This can be seen in the case of bias hiring when an employer tells a postulant; â€Å"I will not hire you because you are a female. † At the institutional level, one of the most striking examples of discrimination occurs with the Nuremberg Laws in Nazi Germany.These laws restricted the rights of German citizens that were Jews. People working in the Nazi institutions had to enforce these discriminatory laws even if they disagreed with them. By discriminating against Jews, they were only â€Å"doing their job and following orders†. Implicit discrimination is more subtle and we will look more particularly at the unconscious form of this kind of discrimination. As seen in Blink , The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell, unconscious discrimination can be positive or negative.The election of Warren Harding is described by Gladwell as an error, as he proceeded to explain that President Harding was elected based more on his looks and personality than his competencies and abilities to govern the country. Most historians agreed that he was one f the worst presidents in history. Malcom Gladwell â€Å"thinks that there are facts about people's appearance- their size or shape or color or sex- that can trigger a very similar set of powerful associations† and Harding’s election was obviously an example of this.Many people looked at him and saw how handsome and distinguished-looking he was and jumped to the conclusion that he had t be a man of courage, intelligence and integrity. They didn’t dig below the surface. Gladwell stated that â€Å"the Harding error is the dark side of rapid cognition. It is at the root of a good deal of prejudice and discrimination†. Unconscious or implicit association plays a big part in our behavior and belief as the Implicit Association Test (IAT) reveals.This test is based on the fact that our minds make quicker connections between pairs that are already related than we do with paired ideas that are unfamiliar. I decided to take the Race IAI test to see what the result would be. Firstly I was asked what my attitude towards blacks and whites was, and coming from a mixed background it was obvious for me to answer that they were equal. I took the test and immediately had an uneasy feeling about it. When the conclusions came I had, as did more than eighty percent of those who had taken the test, pro-white association.The test rated me as having a â€Å"moderate automatic preference for whites. † These results were astonishing to me and allowed me to understand better what unconscious discrimination was. In my brain the connection between black and good was harder to make than white and good. If a person coming from a mixed background like myself, had difficulties associating African Americans with good, and hence could be bias, I began to wonder how other races viewed African Americans.Even though very revealing, this example is just a test, and doesn’t have significant repercussions, but let’s take a real life justice example. Amadou Diallo, a 23-year old African man was shot and killed by four New York City Police Department officers. They fired a total of 41 shots at this unarmed man. In this case, one could ask one’s self if racial profiling was used and to what extent Diallo’s color played against him. The family filed a lawsuit against the City Of New York and the officers and won 3 million dollars.The event gendered social psychology researches notably one directed by Eberhard in 2004 which revealed that police officers are quicker to decide to shoot an unarmed black person rather than an unarmed white one. A ll these findings set ethical problems as problems of justice. How could we have justice if even mixed people, non-white or African Americans are biased? How could we write the rules for a society if trained officers face unconscious discrimination issues? How can the rules be written so that the ethical problem that is unconscious discrimination would become a thing of the past?From very early ages, dark colors have been associated with bad, and light or brightness with good. It is something that is deeply entrenched in our society and culture, so in order to change the mentalities and habits, children should, at a young age, be exposed to examples reinforcing or teaching them that good and bad are not a matter of color. Discrimination is instilled in our kids’ everyday lives just as seen in most cartoons or kids’ programs: the â€Å"good guy† is often white and the â€Å"bad guy† is darker. What is priming?The online glossary of the American Psychologic al Association defines it as â€Å"the advantage conferred by prior exposure to a word or situation†. I believe that at an elementary level, kids should have some classes and videos teaching them that all human beings are equal and cannot be judged by their color. Just like the propaganda advertising can influence us to buy and like a new products, this â€Å"race advertising† would encourage kids to be less biased and to treat everyone with the same respect independently of their race or religion.This reasoning takes from the affirmative action programs that helped thousands of women access jobs and levels of responsibilities never experienced before. I truly believe that if at a young age, children are exposed to more diversity, this exposure would result in less unconscious discrimination later in their lives. Schools should have race and religious diversity and if we could succeed in mixing the population, children could learn to live together at a very young age. Now, let’s consider the hiring process.Is an interviewer named â€Å"John† more likely to give an edge to a job candidate also named â€Å"John? † Recent academic research suggests that the answer is yes but how does this type of unconscious discrimination affect a company’s ability to develop a merit-based model. Auren Hoffman and psychologist Brett Pelham conducted a study at the University of Buffalo and found the following groundbreaking results: â€Å"In hiring, positive gut feelings can lead to decisions based on superficial similarities to the decision maker, including those that may not be lawfully considered, such as age, race, and national origin.Equally importantly, they can lead to decisions based on a host of other irrelevant factors, such as hair color. † Hoffman concludes by stating that such decisions are bad business practices that can confer competitive disadvantage. T o remedy these injustices, I believe that pictures, names, and gender should be blanked from resumes, giving equal chances to everyone. Blind hiring could be a good solution to unconscious discrimination in the hiring process. Often the composition of an orchestra is a good example of gender discrimination.In most orchestras, brass instruments are played by men. In this specific example, during the music auditions, a screen could be put up so the players’ gender would be impossible to identify. These methods implemented would firstly, force integration and expose the problems of unconscious discrimination and bring it to a state of awareness. Secondly, these methods would mix the population and undoubtedly change certain discriminatory practices, such as can be seen where it has become normal nowadays for women to have the right to vote, whereas before it was not possible.As we have discussed above, discrimination takes many different forms and even occurs without being a deliberate action on the part of the discriminatory party. Obviou sly the effects of discrimination are widespread and in some cases can be very devastating. As I mentioned before though, although challenging, it is not impossible to address the issues presented through discrimination. Obviously there has to be the acknowledgement that it is occurring, and after this acknowledgment steps can be taken, some of which I have suggested, to alleviate or eradicate the problem altogether. Some rules can be implemented to lighten or fix the problem.

Shedding Light in the Shadow of Misconceptions

With a sad heart, I answer the aforementioned question with yes.   Islam is viewed unfavorably by many people in this globalized world.   Sometimes, it is often dubbed as the religion espoused by the terrorists o extremists. But not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslims. The media magnified and somewhat vilified the image of Islam more after the September 11 event. But are these accusations and perceptions all true? Misconceptions about the religion continue to generate fear, resentment and judgment among uninformed minds. This paper aims to shed a little light on the three common misconceptions about Islam involving women, Jesus Christ, and the alleged use of sword in spreading the religion. It aims to convey the message to the country’s non-Muslim population. Firstly, non-Muslims thought that Islam degrades women by classifying them as properties or as second-class citizens. The notion is wrong. The Qur’an upholds and esteems women; they are not regarded as evil temptress. Women’s rights were guaranteed by the Islamic Law over 1,400 years ago. Islam allows women to own properties, operate a business and receive equal pay for work.   History tells us that about 50 years ago, women in both England and America were not allowed to acquire any property without the consent and signature of their husbands or father. Likewise, Islam women can’t be forced to marry against their will. Islam women are not confined under the veil, as many see it. The clothes serve as protection against any malicious intention stemming from a man’s sight. Flaunting a body invites rape and harassment; it is therefore logical for a Muslim woman to wrap herself with cover.   Many Muslim women around the world are in top positions.   Consider the late Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan. Isn’t she the embodiment of Muslim woman empowerment? Women are highly-valued, cared for and esteemed in Islamic society.   In addition, Islam stopped the ancient Arab practice of killing newborn daughters.   Such is the premium given by Islam on women or young girls. Under Islam, both sexes are treated fairly. Secondly, other people view Islam as against Jesus Christ. But to a Muslim, Jesus Christ is a great prophet. Muslims respect and love Jesus. Muslims call him as Nabi Isa – the Arabic term for Prophet Jesus. The Qur’an speaks about him and admonishes Muslim to believe in his virgin birth and miracles. It must be remembered that Muslims are not attacking Jesus Christ when they speak against the Bible or Christianity. Muslims are just criticizing some claims of Christians.   However, Muslims reject the idea of Trinity and the theology of Incarnation.   In a Muslim’s heart, Jesus Christ remains the great prophet who performed good deeds and miracles to many people. Lastly, non-Muslims were taught that Islam spread through the use of sword. It must be noted that Muslims are educated by the Qur’an on non-compulsion in religion.   If Islam was spread by the sword, then most of India, China and even more than half of the world should be under Islam by now.   India remains a predominantly Hindu country and China, a communist republic. Islamic traders went through different places to bring business but did not kill or force people to be converted to Islam. The people were impressed by the traders’ life that they adopted the religion which they have.   In contrast, history attests to the violence and brutal killings by other religions, such as the Crusades, in vain attempt to convert people. Furthermore, according to the Reader’s Digest, for a period of 50 years, from 1944 to 1984, more people converted to Islam than in any other faith. Now, were they threatened to be killed or forced to be converted?   Islam means submission and those who chose to be a Muslim, did so volitionally, out of their free will. The above-mentioned are just a few among the many misconceptions about Islam. Still, much of the world’s humanity has animosity towards the religion or its followers. For someone to understand Islam, one has to open his or eyes. Judgment must be suspended first to see that Islam is more than a religion, but a way of life. It is a life of submission to the will of God. Muslims are not enemies. Like us, they are also humans in need of acceptance and belonging. Like any other religions, Islam must be respected, too.   If one would take the time to study and understand its teachings, only then will he o she would be able to correct the misconceptions on the religion.            

Bernoulli essays

Bernoulli essays The Bernoullis Principle was a phonomena for all physics. He was considered to me the father of mathematical physics. The principle itslef was named after the Swiss scientist named Daniel Bernoulli during the eighteenth century. Bernoulli studied the many relationships among fluid and pressure. This principle shows the relationship of velocity, pressure, and the height for a steady fluid flow. When a horizontal flow is created, the speed of the fluid is increased while the pressure it creates decreases. The strong example of this is shown through the lift of an airplane in its motion. When the speed of the plane begins to increase, air is flowed faster over the curved top of the wing rather than the bottom part of the wing underneath. When the pressure becomes exerted upwards a net upward force is greated. This is called lift. This is because the pressure that is exerted downward above the wing is not as great of pressure as being exerted upwards. Another example demonstrating this similar method is witnessed in the spoilers of race cars. The spoilers are shaped in the image of an upside down wing . The curved surface it has in the bottom of the wing is what causes and produces the net downward force. In other words, a wing with more curvature on the top surface will have a greater lift than a wing with a flat surface. The similar application for demonstarting this and helping Bernoulli achieve his conclusion is the Venturi Tube. When Bernoulli was studing the flows of fluid as it reached the area in which the the Venturi Tubes pipe diameter was reduced. From this, Bernoulli stated that the velocity of the fluid, flowing through the most narrow diameter is increased while the pressure in that area becomes decreased. The Bernoullis Princliple clearly states that the pressure of a fluid that could be liquid or gas decreases when the speed of the fluid begins to increase. In the fluid, the high speed flow becomes a ...