Syllabus Res 341 - 4034 Words

[pic] School of Business Course Design Guide RES/341 Version 6 Research and Evaluation I Copyright Copyright  © 2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. University of Phoenix ® is a registered trademark of Apollo Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft ®, Windows ®, and Windows NT ® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Use of these marks is not intended to imply†¦show more content†¦| |Week One | | |Individual Assignment: Current Business Research Project Paper |3 | |Week Two | | |Individual Assignment: Research Terminology Matching Assignment |2 | |Learning Team Assignment: Research Process Paper |5 | |Week Three | | |Individual Assignment: Survey Paper |8 | |Individual Assignment: Statistical Symbols and Definitions Matching Assignment |3 | |Learning Team Assignment: Data Collection Paper |5 | |Week Four | | |Individual Assignment: Exercises From the E-Text |3 | |Individual Assignment:Show MoreRelatedAmerican Woman Essay2106 Words   |  9 Pagesinterdisciplinary look at American life. Communication There is a Blackboard site for this course: http://pcc.blackboard.com/ You’ll find course material there, including lecture outlines, class updates, and required readings, which are marked (BB) on the syllabus. Grading Expectations Grading will follow the standard scale: A = 90 – 100; B = 80 – 89; C = 70 – 79; D = 60 – 69; F = 59 and below Written Work: There are no exams in this course, only papers. Topics will be posted on the (BB). AllRead MoreCma Solutions63195 Words   |  253 PagesEntrance Examination Syllabus Reference Material Copyright 2006 The Society of Management Accountants of Canada All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the copyright holder. Entrance Examination Syllabus Reference Material Introduction The purpose of this reference material is to assist you in reviewing your technical knowledge of selected topics listed in the CMA Entrance Examination Syllabus. The questions illustrate the rangeRead MoreInternational Financial Accounting155754 Words   |  624 PagesS T U D Y PAPER F3 FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING (INTERNATIONAL) In this edition, approved by ACCA We discuss the best strategies for studying for ACCA exams We highlight the most important elements in the syllabus and the key skills you will need We signpost how each chapter links to the syllabus and the study guide We provide lots of exam focus points demonstrating what the examiner will want you to do We emphasise key points in regular fast forward summaries We test your knowledge of what you veRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pagesenough eco-system† to become a successful platform. Motorola has seen its phone sales plummet in recent years. The company’s global market share has declined to 6 percent after commanding 23 percent in 2006. The new phones are seen as a key to Motorola re-establishing itself in the booming smart phone business. —S. Segan, 2009 COMPANY: WARNER BROTHERS Project: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and Part II The Harry Potter film franchise is the second highest grossing film franchise ofRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 PagesVictor Turner, The Ritual Process (Chicago: Aldine, 1996), 47. 7. Rosabeth Moss Kanter, The Change Masters: Innovations for Productivity in the American Corporation (New York: Simon Schuster, 1983), 275–76. 8. John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene, Re-inventing the Corporation (New York: Warner Books, 1985), 54. 9. Robert E. Quinn, Deep Change: Discovering the Leader Within (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996). 10. B. Burnes, Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organizational Development and RenewalRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesGovernment Influence on Compensation Administration 265 Fair Labor Standards Act 265 The Civil Rights and Equal Pay Acts 265 Linking Concepts to Practice: Discussion Questions 283 Developing Diagnostic and Analytical Skills 283 Case Application 11: Re-Thinking Compensation at First Merit Bank 283 Working with a Team: Understanding Incentive Plans 283 Learning an HRM Skill: Pay-for-Performance Goal Setting 284 Enhancing Your Communication Skills 284 DID YOU KNOW?: The Minimum Wage Debate 267 JobRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesBurden of Proof ............................................................................................. 175 Diverting Attention from the Issue ............................................................................................. 176 Re-defining the Issue ..................................................................................................................... 182 Covering Up the Reasons That Favor Your Opponent .........................................................Read MoreHsc General Math Textbook with Answers153542 Words   |  615 Pagesformula sheet 429 Glossary 431 Answers 441 Cambridge HSC General Mathematics written for the stage Mathematics General Cambridge HSC General Mathematics is written for the stage 6 Mathematics General ral syllabus is designed to cater for students with wide range of abilities who differ syllabus. It is designed to cater for students with a wide range of abilities who differ substantially in their knowledge and understanding of mathematics. y g g Key features †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ HSC courseRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pagesthe instructor resources that accompany this text. The items in the test bank reï ¬â€šect the data-in-context philosophy of the text’s exercises and examples. Advanced Placement Statistics We have designed this book with a particular eye toward the syllabus of the Advanced Placement Statistics course and the needs of high school teachers and students. Concerns expressed and questions asked in teacher workshops and on the AP Statistics Electronic Discussion Group have strongly inï ¬â€šuenced our exposition

Corporate Governance and Financing Decisions by Saudi Companies Free Essays

string(108) " the degree to which corporate governance affect the financing decisions of Saudi Arabian listed companies\." Corporate Governance and Financing Decisions by Saudi Companies Ali Al-Nodel College of Economy and Administration, Qassim University, P. O. Box 4667, Burydah 51412 Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia. We will write a custom essay sample on Corporate Governance and Financing Decisions by Saudi Companies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Email: nodl@qu. edu. sa Khaled Hussainey Ain Shams University, Egypt Accounting Finance Division Stirling Management School Stirling University Stirling FK9 4LA United Kingdom Email: Khaled. Hussainey@stir. ac. uk 1 Abstract Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the corporate governance literature in emerging economies by examining the effect of some corporate governance mechanisms on financing decisions in Saudi Arabian listed companies. Methodology: A multiple regression model is used to examine the association between financing decisions and corporate governance mechanisms for a sample of 37 listed Saudi companies. In particular, we examine the effect of board size; ownership concentration and corporate governance reporting on the debt-to-equity ratio. Corporate governance reporting is measured by the content analysis approach. Findings: After controlling for companies’ profitability and their growth opportunities, we found that both board size and ownership concentration are positively associated with debt-to-equity ratio. Research limitations: We limit our analysis to a small sample of firms that use the internet to communicate corporate governance information between October 2005 and January 2006. Practical implications: The findings suggest that managers are likely to choose higher financial leverage when they have stronger corporate governance (large number of directors on the board and higher ownership concentration). However, we did not find any statistical association between corporate governance disclosure and debt-to-equity ratio. This suggests that firm’s asymmetric information is not an important driver of the financing decision of Saudi Arabian companies. This might be due to the nature of the Saudi business environment. Originality: We strongly believe that this paper provides a novel contribution to the existing literature as we are the first to examine this issue in Saudi Arabia. Keywords: Corporate governance, financing decisions, emerging economies, Saudi Arabia. Paper type: Research paper. 2 1. Introduction This paper aims to contribute to the corporate governance literature by examining the effect of corporate governance characteristics on financing decisions in Saudi Arabian listed companies. In particular, it examines the effect of board size; ownership concentration and corporate governance reporting on the debt-to-equity ratio. The investigation of these research issues in Saudi business environment could extend prior research and give different explanations to those carried out in more developed countries Research related to determinant of corporate capital structure is a well established part of the accounting and finance research. Modigliani and Miller (1958) is the first to study this area of research. They also provided another study in the same area of research after modifying some assumptions such as relaxing the prefect market assumptions and considering corporate tax into their models (Miller and Modigliani, 1963). In their later study, they suggested that firm value will be enhanced if the level of debt increases because interest rate is a tax deductible and consequently companies would enjoy debt tax shield when funding their activities by long-term debt. Further accounting and finance research studies were more expressive. Those researches were concentrated on examining some determinants of corporate capital structure. For example, the association between board size and capital structure decisions have been suggested by a number of empirical studies (see for example Mehran 1992, Berger et al. 1997, Wiwattanakantang 1999, Wen et al. 2002, Du and Dia 2005, Abor and Biekpe 2005 and Al-Najjar and Hussainey 2010a and 2010b). Another determinant of capital structure decision which received significant attention is the ownership concentration (see for example Wiwattanakantang 1999, and Al- 3 Najjar and Hussainey 2010a and 2010b). More recently, number of studies have, also, investigated the association between asymmetric information and corporate decisions (see for example Li and Zhao, 2006 and Bharath et al. 2009). The results of these research studies suggest that firm value will be enhanced if the level of debt increases, board size and ownership concentration are associated with capital structure decisions and firms with higher levels of information asymmetric are more likely to use debt in financing their activities than equity. Unfortunately, the results of these research studies cannot be generalized for number of reasons. First, these results provided mixed evidence. For example, Mehran (1992), Berger et al. (1997), and Abor and Biekpe (2005) found a significant negative association between the size of the board of directors and debt-to-equity ratios, while Jensen (1986) found a positive association between higher debt ratios and larger board size. Further, other researchers found that there is no significant association between board size and debt-to-equity ratios (i. e. Wiwattanakantang, 1999; Wen et al. , 2002; and Al-Najjar and Hussainey, 2010). A second reason for the difficulty behind generalizing the results of these esearch studies are that the majority of them were carried out in most developed countries such as U. S and European continental. More precisely, in developing countries the conclusions of this line of research are likely to be challenged due to the business environmental differences between those of developed and those of developing countries. In another words, in a different busi ness environment such those of the Middle Eastern countries, there are significant environmental factors that may affect corporate capital structure decisions. Hove (1986 and 1990) asserted the importance of political, economical, and social systems on corporate decisions. 4 Third reason for the difficulty of generalising the evidence of prior research examining determinants of corporate capital structure is that there are very limited numbers of studies that have examined determinants of capital structure in developing countries and even fewer such studies may be found in the Middle East countries, leaving significant doubt about the applicability of these evidence in the business environment of Middle east countries Accordingly, a natural area of extending the lines of the accounting and finance research related to determinant of corporate capital structure decisions is to explore other drivers of corporate capital structure decisions and to consider suggested drivers within a different business environment. In the present paper, we aim to examine the degree to which corporate governance affect the financing decisions of Saudi Arabian listed companies. You read "Corporate Governance and Financing Decisions by Saudi Companies" in category "Papers" We focus only on three corporate governance mechanisms. These are board size; ownership concentration and corporate governance reporting. The main reasons for concentrating on these issues are the possibility of making comparison with other studies because these are the most studied issues in the literature, the availability of data regarding these issues1, and the importance of advising regulators whom are more concern about these issues in the process of regulating corporate governance in Saudi Arabia. To help us in focusing on a group of firms that report corporate governance information on their websites, we utilised a sample of 37 companies listed in Saudi Stock Market in January 2006. This was based on a recent paper by Hussainey and Al-Nodel (2008) who collected their sample from Saudi listed companies’ websites 1 Cost of capital is an important factor in corporate capital structure decisions; however data for capital structure was not available. 5 etween October 2005 and January 2006 representing a total number of 77 companies listed in the Saudi Stock Exchange at that time. We found that both board size and ownership concentration are positively associated with the debt-to-equity ratio. However, we did not find a significant association between corporate governance reporting and the debt-to-equity ratio. The findings seem to suggest that managers are likely to choose higher financial leverage when they have stronger corporate governance (large number of directors on t he board and higher ownership concentration). However, firm’s asymmetric information seems to be not a driver of the financing decision of Saudi Arabian companies. A possible explanation is that decisions relate to capital structure are affected by the Islamic view of financing which prohibits interests and in turn to the public view who disrespects such practice. This is enhanced by the weakness of the business reporting practice in Saudi Arabia which could provide pave for a different mean of getting information by parties related to loan agreements. The results of this paper may be of use to the Saudi Arabian Capital Market Authority (SACMA, thereafter) who issued a guidance in 2006 that recommends all listed companies to disclose corporate governance information to the public. This would help SACMA to explore the attitude of companies to voluntarily report corporate governance rather than being enforced to do so. The paper proceeds as follows. Section 2 reviews prior research on the determinants of corporate capital structure. In Section 3, a description of the Saudi business environment is provided. Sections 4 and 5 discuss the development of the research hypotheses and the research model. Section 6 is the data description. The 6 main regression results are presented in Section 7. Section 8 concludes and suggests areas for future research. 2. Literature Review Although the relationship between corporate governance and capital structure has been the subject for an extensive research in developed countries2, a limited research has been carried out to investigate the issue in business environment of developing countries. The association between board size and capital structure decisions have been well established in prior accounting and finance research. In particular, Mehran (1992), Berger et al. (1997), Wiwattanakantang (1999), Wen et al. (2002), Du and Dia (2005), Abor and Biekpe (2005) and Al-Najjar and Hussainey (2010a and 2010b) examined the association between board size and corporate capital structure decision, but the results are mixed. Mehran (1992), Berger et al. (1997), and Abor and Biekpe (2005) reported a significant negative association between the size of the board of directors and debt-toequity ratios. However, Jensen (1986) revealed a positive association between higher debt ratios and larger board size. Other researchers found that there is no significant association between board size and debt-to-equity ratios (Wiwattanakantang, 1999, Wen et al. , 2002, Al-Najjar and Hussainey, 2010). 2 Examples include the UK (see, for example, Demirag 1998; Ezzamel and Willmott 1993; Writer 2001; Vinten 2001), The Netherlands (Groot, 1998), and Canada (Elloumi and Gueyie, 2001). Other researchers compared the corporate governance practice between developing countries. For instance, Vinten (2000) compared the corporate governance practice between the UK and the US. Another comparative study is Charkham (1994) which found significant differences in the corporate governance practices in five countries: Japan, Britain, France, the United States and Germany. 7 Ownership concentration is considered as one of the key determinants of capital structure decision. Wiwattanakantang (1999) reported that managerial shareholdings have consistent positive influence on family-owned firm leverage. In addition, Al-Najjar and Hussainey (2010a) found that insider ownership is positively and significantly associated with the debt-to-equity ratio. However, Al-Najjar and Hussainey (2010b) did not find the expected significant results. A relatively recent and growing number of studies have investigated the association between asymmetric information and corporate decisions (see Li and Zhao, 2006 for more details). For example Bharath et al. (2009) used a novel information asymmetry index and examined the extent to which information asymmetry is a determinant of capital structure decisions. They found that information asymmetry affects capital structure decisions of US companies. In particular, they found a significant positive association between information asymmetry and debt-to-equity ratio. In other words, their results suggest that firms with higher levels of information asymmetric are more likely to use debt in financing their activities than equity. On the other hand, other research found that voluntary disclosure is negatively related to asymmetric information. For example, Hussainey et al. 2003) found higher levels of voluntary disclosure reduce information asymmetry between the firm and investors and hence increase investors’ ability to better anticipate future earnings. Research investigating corporate governance in developing countries is much beyond in considering the impact of issues of corporate governance on corporation capital structure. A review of research investigating issues of corporate governance revealed that most such research approach th e issue whether to describe the state of 8 orporate governance from an official perspective or from the perspective of what should the practical applications of its principles be. For example, Al-Motairy (2003) explored the state of corporate governance practices in Saudi Arabia. He concluded that there is a vital need for (1) a review of these regulations to reflect the current practices of corporate governance, (2) the issuance of guidance for best practices for management and financial affair in corporations and (3) the establishment of an organisation to accelerate the adoption of best practices of corporate governance. Similarly, Fouzy (2003) evaluated the practices of corporate governance’s principles in Egypt. He recognised the development in Egyptian official regulations toward the application of best practices of corporate governance. He then argued that these developments are not met enough by Egyptian companies in their practical applications. Another example is the study which was carried out by Oyelere and Mohammed (2005) investigating the practices of corporate governance in Oman and how it is being communicated to stakeholders. They recommend enhanced regulation and communication for the Omani stock market to keep pace with the international developments. Finally, a research paper by the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE, 2003) examined the corporate governance practice in four Middle Eastern countries (Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Lebanon). It found that corporate governance practice is approached differently by each country depending on the sophistication of the financial market in each country. The research paper further provided several 9 ecommendations to improve the application of the principles of corporate governance in the region as a whole. The impact of the corporation attitude toward their corporate governance on their financing decisions needs further investigation giving the unique of the Saudi business environment and the mixed results of the accounting and finance research relating to the determinants of corporate capital structure. This is evident by the unique aspects of the business environment of Saudi Arabia which will be discussed in the following paragraph. 3. Saudi business environment This section provides a general description of the environment of the Saudi business practices. The discussion will be directed to the most important environmental factors, as suggested by the literature. The main aspects of the Saudi business practices that will be discussed are the social, economical, and political systems. Also, some highlights will be given to the 1965 Company Law that regulates the practice of Saudi businesses and the guidance of corporate governance issued by SACMA in 2006 which regulates corporate governance reporting. As a conservative society, a significant number of Saudis are adherent to Islamic values such as avoiding loan interests. This does not mean there is no such type of transactions but to mean that the majority of Saudis do not openly accept such transactions. Saudi society is also characterized by the impact of the personality and power of particular individuals, the role of family and friend relationships over regulations, privilege given to personal relationships over tasks, and the existence of a high level of secrecy (Al-Rumaihi 1997; Al-Nodel 2004). 0 The economy of Saudi Arabia is an oil-based economy and government exercises strong controls over major economic activities. Since the discovery of oil in 1938, oil revenue represents the biggest contribution to the economy. In 1990s, it accounted for around 35% of nominal GDP, about 75% of government revenues, and 85% of export receipts (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2003). Table 1 presents the country’s budgetary revenues, e xpenditures and net surplus or (deficit) for the last three years. Insert Table 1 here Similar to most developing countries, Saudi businesses are characterized by the domination of family businesses, the deep involvement of the government in the private sector, and the existence of a number of foreign-owned and controlled companies based on joint venture agreements with domestic companies. Al-Nodel (2004) reported that joint-stock companies represent only 1. 14% of the total number, and account for less than 40% of the total capital of the registered businesses. Since the type of businesses is mostly small to medium size companies, there was an apparent need for more foreign investors and involvement of the government in the private sector to carry some important activities which cannot be carried out or provided by local companies. This has left the country with significant number of foreign-owned and controlled companies based on joint venture agreements with domestic companies and significant involvement of government in some major business activities (Presley, 1984; Aba-Alkhail, 2001). The political system of Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, headed by the King. Within the political system, there are three legislative bodies, which have the authority to initiate and/or approve policies, regulation or rules: the Council of 11 Ministers, the Consultative Council, and various individual Ministries (Al-Amari, 1989; Al-Rumaihi, 1997). The legal system of Saudi Arabia is derived from Islamic law (Shariah; Alqur’an Alkareem and Sunna Alsharifah3), and coded laws for a number of specific fields, such as commerce, tax and labour. Al-Amari (1989) reported that Islamic law prevails in legal disputes. Two of the most important aspects of the Islamic values relating to corporate financing are that Islamic law prohibits loan interests whether giving or taking by individuals or business institutions and obligation of Zaket4 which should be giving, calculated based on the capital of the business or individual, and given to specific groups as mentioned by Alqur’an Alkareem and Sunna Alsharifah. Taxes duty is imposed on non-Saudi or Gulf States companies operate in Saudi Arabia. There are some differences between Zaket and Taxes whether on whom to impose, the manner of collection, or calculation. For example, Zaket is based on the wealth of the business with some specific deductions for specific items as indicated by Shariah; Alqur’an Alkareem and Sunna Alsharifah, while Tax is based on the net income with some deduction according to the law of Taxes. The 1965 Company Law regulates the practice of businesses in Saudi Arabia. It sets conditions for several aspects of businesses such as legal frameworks through which business companies can be established, the registration requirements, minimum capital to be maintained, number of partners, number of directors, accounts, the 3 Alqur’an Alkareem is the Holly book of Islam and Sunna Alsharifah is the interpretations, speeches and actions of prophet Mohamed Peace be up on him. Alqur’an Alkareem and Sunna Alsharifah provide the main of Islamic instructions. 4 Zaket is a financial religious duty and represents the third pillar. Alqur’an Alkareem and Sunna Alsharifah explain to Muslim the compliance with the Zaket duty. 12 annual audit of the accounts, and so on. Shinawi and Crum (1971) asserted that the origin of the 1965 Saudi Company Law goes back to the British Companies Act of 1948. The similarity between the 1965 Saudi Company Law and the UK acts issued in 1948, 1967 and 1976 was also reported by Kahlid (1983). The reporting requirements which are imposed by the 1965 Company Law represent the only rules that should be observed. It requires the issuance of a balance sheet, a profit and loss account, and a report on the company’s operations and financial position every fiscal year. It further stipulates that all corporations and limited liability companies must issue annual financial statements audited by an independent auditor licensed to practice by the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Similar to stock markets in developing countries, the Saudi stock market is new and small. In 1984, the Royal Decree No. 81230 was issued as an attempt to officially regulate the stock exchange (Abdeen and Dale, 1984; El-Sharkawy, 2006). Under this Royal Decree, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) was given actual control over the stock exchange through national commercial banks. The significant change was in 2003 when the Saudi Arabian Capital Market Authority (SACMA) was established to oversight the exchange of Saudi stocks (Ramady, 2005). This period observed significant increase of the number of listed companies, regulations for the market in general and reporting in specific. Table 2 compares some key numbers of the Saudi stock market between 1996- 2005. Insert Table 2 here 13 For example, in 2006 SACMA issued a draft for reporting requirements of corporate governance for listed companies. The draft provides recommendations of the criteria for the best corporate governance practice that should listed companies counsel. It has covered to some extent the main five principles issued by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): the rights of shareholders, the equitable treatment of shareholders, the role of stakeholders in corporate governance, disclosure and transparency, the responsibility of the board of directors. According to the recommendations of SACMA, listed companies are required to report to SACMA about their compliance with the criteria of corporate governance as issued by SACMA or reasons for uncompliance if any. The disclosure contains, for example, the board of directors’ functions, responsibilities, formation, committees of board of directors; audit committee; Nomination and Remuneration Committee; Meetings of the Board and Remuneration and Indemnification of Board Members5. Finally, SACMA asserted that the criteria for the best corporate governance practice mostly constitutes the guiding principles for all listed companies unless any other regulations, laws or rules require such requirement. 4. Research hypotheses To examine the effect of corporate governance characteristics on financing decisions in Saudi Arabian listed companies we formulated three research hypotheses; 5 Detailed information about these regulations is discussed in the following articles (SACMA, 2006): Article 9: Disclosure in the Board of Directors’ Report; Article 10: Main Functions of the Board of Directors; Article 11: Responsibilities of the Board; Article 12: Formation of the Board; Article 13: Committees of the Board; Article 14: Audit Committee; Article 15: Nomination and Remuneration Committee; Article 16: Meetings of the Board; Article 17: Remuneration and Indemnification of Board Members. 14 he effect of board size; ownership concentration and corporate governance reporting on the debt-to-equity ratio as following. Board size hypothesis Given that prior research investigating the association between board size and debt-to-equity ratios gave mixed result (see section 2), we also revisited this research area and examined the association between board size and capital structure for Saudi Arabian companies. We set the following first research hypothesis for the impact of board size on capital structure: H1: Ceteris paribus, there is a relationship between board size and debt-to-equity ratio. Ownership concentration hypothesis Given the results of the prior research are – to some extent – mixed, we also revisited this research area and examined the association between ownership concentration and capital structure for Saudi Arabian companies. We set the following second research hypothesis for the impact of ownership concentration on capital structure: H2: Ceteris paribus, there is a relationship between ownership concentration and debt-to-equity ratio. Corporate governance reporting To examine the role of the information environment on capital structure decision in Saudi Arabian companies, we used a corporate governance voluntary disclosure index as a measure of a firm’s information environment and set the 15 following third research hypothesis for the impact of corporate governance reporting on capital structure: H3: Ceteris paribus, there is a relationship between corporate governance reporting and debt-to-equity ratio. 5. Model Development In order to test the above hypotheses, we regress debt-to-equity ratio on some corporate governance characteristics and some control variables. The study will investigate the following model: Levit = ? + ? ? X it + ? it Where: Levit is defined as long term debt to equity ratio; ? is the intercept. ? ? is the slope coefficient estimates of regressors. X it is the corporate governance variables (and control variables) for firm i at time t. Dependent variable: The dependent variable ( Levit ) is defined as the long term debt to equity ratio. Independent variables: We have three independent variables and two control variables. We identified three types of corporate governance variables: 1) Board size (BOARD): This represents the number of executive and non executive directors on the board. (2) Ownership concentration (OWNERSHIP): This represents the total percentage of the company’s shares that owned by owners. 16 (3) Corporate governance reporting (DISCLOSURE): This is calculated as the number of sentences that include at least one corporate governance related information. Control variables: (1) Profitability (PROF): we used return on total assets as a measure for firms’ profitability. (2) Growth opportunity (MB): we used share price to book value ratio as a measure for firm’s growth opportunity. . Data Our data collection is based on a recent paper by Hussainey and Al-Nodel (2008). This helped us to focus on a group of firms that report corporate governance information on their websites. We focused on firms that disclose information through internet because prior research argued that internet reporting is one of the most important sources of voluntary disclosure and this source is more likely to complement published annual reports (Aly et al, 2010). Hussainey and Al-Nodel (2008) collected their sample from Saudi listed companies’ websites between October 2005 and January 2006. At that time, the total number of companies listed in the Saudi Stock Market was 77 representing eight sectors: agriculture, services, cement, industrial, banks, electrical, telecommunication and insurance. They used TADAWUL website (www. tdwl. net) and Google website (www. google. com) to access every company’s website. They deleted some companies from their analysis for a number of reasons. These include 11 firms without websites; one firm with a website under construction and one firm with a restricted website. This reduced their sample to 64 companies. We also further excluded 27 firms because of missing corporate 7 governance and accounting information. This led to a sample of 37 listed firms for the current study. Data on debt-to-equity ratio, Board size, ownership concentration, profitability and price-to-book value ratio were collected from TADAWUL website. Following Hussainey and Al-Nodel (2008), we used the content analysis approach to measure the number of sentences that contain corporate governance information. Accordingly we used the corporate governance disclosure index developed by Hussainey and AlNodel (2008) to analyse the content of every company’s website. 7. Empirical Results This section discusses the descriptive analysis, the correlation analysis and the empirical results. Descriptive analysis Table 3 shows the descriptive analysis (mean, minimum, maximum and the standard deviation). It shows that on average the number of directors on board in Saudi Arabia companies is around 8, with a minimum of 4 members and a maximum of 11 members. Mean ownership concentration is 35. 6 and the mean corporate governance disclosure is 5 sentences with a minimum of zero corporate governance sentence and a maximum of 21 corporate governance sentences. A broad range of variation in financial variables is also evident in our sample. The debt-to-equity ratio ranges from 0 to 97 with a mean of 24. 52 and a standard deviation of 32. 576. The return on total assets ratio ranges from -37. 3 to 71. 74 with a mean of 8. 8535 and a standard deviation of 13. 81767. The share price to book value ratio ranges from 0 to 21 with a mean of 5. 03 and a standard deviation of 5. 336. On 18 average, our sample covers large firms as the mean firm size is 23240077. 81. Finally, our sample covers nine sectors as follows: Banks (9 firms), Chemical (8 firms); Cement (6 firms); Retailers (2); Energy (I firm); Agriculture (7 firms); Telecommunication (2 firms); Advertising (1 firm) and Insurance (1 firm). Insert table 3 here Table 4 shows the correlation analysis. The correlation between each of the independent variables is not too high. The highest correlation found between corporate governance disclosure and share price to book value ratio (MB) is 43. 5, which is acceptable. This confirms that no multicollinearity problem exists between the independent variables. Insert table 4 here Table 5 shows our empirical results. It shows that the coefficient estimate on board size is positive significant with a p-value of 0. 059 (see model 4). This is consistent with Jensen (1986) who also found a positive association between higher debt ratios and larger board size. Our finding indicates that larger board size puts Saudi Arabian firms in a good position to finance their activities by using debt. This is consistent with the fact that higher quality of corporate governance improves companies’ financial performance (Bhagat and Bolton, 2008) and hence leads increase the ability of the company to obtain debt. Liang and Zheng (2005) provided an explanation for this positive sign. They argued that boards with a large board size are more likely to have a difficulty in getting an agreement because of different and conflict opinions and views. Accordingly, firms with large number of directors on board might not choose equity financing which requires high transaction cost to resolve communication and coordination dilemma. In addition, they argued that 19 directors would choose debt for financing their activities because this source of finance will not dilute the equity of current shareholders and change their current position. This leads us to accept hypothesis 1. Table 5 also shows that the coefficient estimate on ownership concentration is positive significant with a p-value of 0. 005 (see model 4). This result is consistent with Wiwattanakantang (1999) Al-Najjar and Hussainey (2010a). This indicates that when the total percentage of the company’s shares is concentrated internally, managers will prefer to use debt to finance their companies’ activities. This is because – as mentioned in Liang and Zheng (2005) – debt will not dilute the equity of current shareholders and change their current position. This leads us to accept hypothesis 2. Insert table 5 here Finally, corporate governance disclosure as a proxy for asymmetric information between managers and investors is expected to be negative and statistically significant. However, Table 5 shows that the coefficient estimate of DISCLOSURE variable is positive, indicating that firms with higher levels of corporate governance disclosure (less information asymmetry) has higher debt-toequity ratio. This finding is statistically insignificant and not consistent with prior research. This leads us to reject hypothesis 3. . Conclusion The aim of this paper was to examine the effect of corporate governance mechanisms on capital structure for Saudi Arabian listed companies. Our results show that the corporate capital structure decisions in Saudi Arabia is driven by some of the same corporate governance determinates suggested in prior research. Based on 20 a sample of 37 Saudi Arabian listed companies, our results show that the number of dir ectors on boards and ownership concentration are the main drivers of Saudi companies for capital structure decisions. Our results, however, show that corporate governance reporting was not an important driver of Saudi companies for capital structure decisions. This might be due in part to the nature of the Saudi business environment where there is a weak reporting requirement of the practice of corporate governance in the country. This fact could have encourage parties to loan agreements approach different means to get the needed information rather than the traditional reporting mechanisms which is likely to be practical in a small community of businesses. This is also likely to be affected by the characteristics of Saudi society whereas the impact of the personality and power of particular individuals, the role of family and friend relationships prevail over regulations, and tasks, and the existence of a high level of secrecy. The main limitation of the study is that it did not cover the whole market so the sample may not be representative of the population of Saudi companies. This, however, is justified by the nature of the study, which relied on the availability of data needed. Further recheck was carried for companies which are not included. We found that these companies are in general small and less likely to affect the results. Nevertheless, a study with a large number of companies is needed for future research. A future research may also try to overcome the limitation of the availability of data and investigate other determinants of capital structure decisions by utilising other mean of research tools such interviews with parties involved in loan agreements. 21 References Aba-Alkhail, K. (2001). Regulating the auditing profession in Saudi Arabia: the formulation of early auditing standards. PhD Thesis. University of Essex. Abdeen, A. and Dale, S. (1984), The Saudi Financial System in the Context of Western and Islamic Finance, John Wiley ; Sons. Abor, J. and Biekpe, N. (2005). â€Å"Does Corporate Governance Affect the Capital Structure Decisions of Ghanaian SMEs? , Working paper, University of Stellenbosch Business School Al-Amari, S. (1989). The development of accounting standards and practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. PhD Thesis. University of Glasgow. Al-Motairy, O. , (2003), â€Å"Implementing corporate governance in Saudi Arabia†, Arab Journal of Administrative Sciences, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 281-305. Al-Najjar, B. nd Hussainey, K. (2010a). â€Å"What drives firms’ capital structure and dividend policy? †, Working paper, Middlesex University, UK. Al-Najjar, B. and Hussainey, K. (2010b). â€Å"Revisiting the capital structure puzzle: UK evidence†, Working paper, Middlesex University, UK. Al-Nodel, A. (2004), † The business risk audit approach: international dissemination and the impact of a business orientation on auditors’ perceptions of risks†. PhD Thesis. University of Manchester. Al-Rumaihi, J. (1997). Setting accounting standards in a non-western environment with special reference to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. PhD Thesis. University of Dundee. Aly, D. , Simon, J. and Hussainey, K. (2010). ‘Determinants of corporate internet reporting: evidence from Egypt’. Managerial Auditing Journal, 25 (2): 182-202. Berger, P. G. , Ofek, E. , Yermack, D. L. , (1997). â€Å"Managerial entrenchment and capital structure decision†. Journal of Finance 52, 1411–1438. Bhagat, S. and Bolton, B. (2008). â€Å"Corporate governance and firm performance†, Journal of Corporate Finance, 14(3): 257-273. Bharath, S. , Pasquariello, P. and Wu, G. (2009). â€Å"Does asymmetric information drive capital structure decisions? , Review of Financial Studies, forthcoming. Capital Market Authority (CMA), 2006, http://www. cma. org. sa/cma%5Far/ (Accessed on 15th September 2006). Driffield, N. , Mahambare, V. and Pal, S. (2007). â€Å"How does ownership structure affect capital structure and firm value†. Economics of Transition, 15 (3), 535-537. 22 Du, J. and Dai, Y. (2005). â€Å"Ultimate corporate ownership structure and capital structures: Evidence from East Asian economies†, Corporate Governance, 13 (1): 6071. El-Sharkawy, H. (2006),†Historical years in Saudi stocksâ€Å", Al-Jazirah Newspaper, September, No. 12413. Fouzy, S. (2003), â€Å"Evaluation of corporate governance in the Arab Republic of Egypt†, The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, Working paper No. 82 pp. 1- 39. Kahlid, T. M. (1983). â€Å"Financial audit: comparative study about the responsibility of an external auditor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom† Proceedings of the second accounting conference on accounting development. Riyadh, King Saud University. Hove, M. (1986). ‘Accounting practices in developing countries: colonialism’s legacy of inappropriate technologiesà ¢â‚¬â„¢. International Journal of Accounting Education and Research Vol. 22 (1): pp. 81-100. Hove, M. (1990). ‘The Anglo-American influence on international accounting standards: the case of the disclosure standards of the international accounting standards committee’. Research in Third World Accounting Vol. 1: pp. 55-66. Hussainey, K. and Al-Nodel, A. (2008). ‘Corporate governance online reporting by Saudi companies’, Research in Accounting in Emerging Economies, 8, 39-64. Hussainey, K. , Schleicher, T. and Walker, M. (2003). ‘Undertaking large-scale disclosure studies when AIMR-FAF ratings are not available: The case of prices leading earnings’. Accounting and Business Research, 33(4): 275-294. Jensen M. C. (1986), ‘Agency costs of free cash flow, corporate finance, and takeovers’, American Economic Review, 76: 323-329. La Rocca, M. (2007). â€Å"The influence of corporate governance on the relation between capital structure and value†, Corporate Governance, 7 (3), 312-325. Li, K. and Zhao, X. (2008). â€Å"Asymmetric information and dividend policy†, Financial Management, 37 (4), 673-694. Liang T. Zheng J. (2005), â€Å"Board characteristics and capital structure: An empirical study on China’s private listed companiesâ€Å", Journal of Modern Accounting and Auditing, 1 (7): 31- 40. Mehran, H. (1992). â€Å"Executive incentive plans, corporate control, and capital structure†. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 27, 539–560. Middle East Finance and Economy (ameinfo), 2006, â€Å"Will the Saudi stock market boom continue? † http://www. ameinfo. com/fn/ (Accessed on 30th September 2006). 23 Mohamed, F. (2002), â€Å"Financial reporting on the Internet: a survey of Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, and Kuwaiti companies†, Journal of Financial and Commercial Studies, Vol. 3, pp. 203-227. Miller, M. ; Modigliani, F. (1963). â€Å"Corporate income taxes and the cost of capital: A correction†. American Economic Review 53 (3): 433–443. Modigliani, F. ; Miller, M. (1958). â€Å"The cost of capital, corporation finance and the theory of investment†. American Economic Review 48 (3): 261–297. Oyelere, P. and Mohamed, E. (2005), â€Å"A survey of internet reporting of corporate governance practices by companies listed in Oman†, The 2nd Annual International Accounting Conference, Istanbul – Turkey, November. Presley, R. (1984). A guide to the Saudi Arabian economy. London, Macmillan Press. Ramady, M. (2005), The Saudi Arabian Economy: Policies, Achievements and Challenges, Springer. Regional Corporate Governance Working Group of Middle East and North Africa, (2003), Recommendations in Corporate Governance, Center for International Private Enterprise, Website http://www. cipe-arabia. org/search. asp (Accessed on 20th September, 2006). Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), (2007), http://www. sama. gov. sa/ (Accessed in 20th September 2007). Shinawi, A. , and Crum, W. (1971). â€Å"The emergence of professional public accounting in Saudi Arabia. † International Journal of Accounting Education and Research Vol. 6(2): pp. 103-110. Wen, Y. , Rwegasira, K. and Bilderbeek, J. (2002). Corporate governance and capital structure decisions of the Chinese listed firms†, Corporate Governance, 10 (2), 75-83. Wiwattanakantang, Y. (1999). â€Å"An empirical study on the determinants of the capital structure of Thai firms†, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 7, 371–403 Wikipedia website (2006) http://www. Wikipedia. Com (Accessed on 10th July 2008). 24 Tab le (1): Saudi Arabia budgetary revenues, expenditures and net surplus or deficit 2005-2007 Annual government budgeting ( estimates ) Million Saudi Riyals ($1= 3. 75 SR) Total Non-oil Total (Deficit)/ Oil revenues revenues revenues expenditures Surplus Amount Amount % Amount % Amount Amount 2005 280000 220000 79% 60000 21% 280000 0 2006 390000 320000 82% 70000 18% 335000 55000 2007 400000 330000 83% 70000 17% 380000 20000 Source: SAMA (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency) annual report (2007). 25 Table (2): Key Figures of Saudi Stock Market between 1996-2005. YEAR 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 NO. OF TRANSACTIONS (THOUSAND)) 284 460 377 438 498 605 1,034 3,763 13,320 46,607 TRADED STOCK (MILLION) 138 314 295 528 555 692 1,736 5,566 10,298 12,281 Source: TADAWUL website accessed on 29th September 2006 26 MARKET VALUE ($ MILLIAR ) 46 59 43 61 68 73 75 157 306 650 INDEX 1,531 1,958 1,413 2,029 2,258 2,430 2,518 4,438 8,206 16,713 Table (3) Descriptive Statistics ; Industry Classification a) Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Lev 37 0 97 24. 52 32. 576 Board 37 4 11 7. 89 1. 822 Ownership 36 .0 82. 7 35. 550 27. 7875 PROF 37 -37. 30 41. 74 8. 8535 13. 81767 MB 37 .00 66. 87 9. 9181 10. 56721 Total assets 37 0 Disclosure 37 0 136950480 23240077. 81 21 b) Industry Classification Sectors Number of firms Banks 9 Chemical 8 Cement 6 Retailers 2 Energy 1 Agriculture 7 Telecommunication 2 Advertising 1 Insurance 1 27 5. 03 3. 888E7 5. 336 Table (4) Correlation analysis Disclosure Board Ownership Lev MB PROF 1. 000 .077 .246 .301 .435** -. 139 .649 .149 .070 .007 .410 37 37 36 37 37 37 Pearson Correlation .077 1. 000 .234 .395* .083 .212 Sig. (2-tailed) .649 .170 .016 .626 .207 Disclosure Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Board N 37 37 36 37 37 37 .246 .234 1. 000 .504** .097 .064 .149 .170 .002 .574 .711 36 36 36 36 36 36 Pearson Correlation .301 .395* .504** 1. 000 .109 -. 062 Sig. (2-tailed) .070 .016 .002 .520 .716 37 37 36 37 37 37 .435** .083 .097 .109 1. 000 -. 019 .007 626 .574 .520 37 37 36 37 37 37 Pearson Correlation -. 139 .212 .064 -. 062 -. 019 1. 000 Sig. (2-tailed) .410 .207 .711 .716 .910 37 37 36 37 37 Ownership Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N Lev N MB Pearson Correlation Sig. (2-tailed) N PROF N **. Correlation is significant at the 0. 01 level (2-tailed). *. Correlation is significant at the 0. 05 level (2-tailed). 28 .910 37 Table (5) Reg ression analysis 5. 1 Model summary R Square Adjusted R Square 1 .617 a .380 .277 28. 002 2 .616b .379 .299 27. 565 3 .602c .363 .303 27. 492 4 .576d .332 .291 27. 726 Model R Std. Error of the Estimate a. Predictors: (Constant), PROF, MB, Ownership , Board , Disclosure b. Predictors: (Constant), PROF, Ownership , Board , Disclosure c. Predictors: (Constant), Ownership , Board , Disclosure d. Predictors: (Constant), Ownership , Board 29 5. 2 ANOVA analysis e ANOVA Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Regression 14436. 181 5 2887. 236 3. 682 .010a Residual 23524. 187 30 784. 140 Total 37960. 368 35 Regression 14405. 109 4 3601. 277 4. 739 .004b Residual 23555. 258 31 759. 847 Total 37960. 368 35 Regression 13774. 798 3 4591. 599 6. 075 .002c Residual 24185. 570 32 755. 799 Total 37960. 368 35 Regression 2592. 380 2 6296. 190 8. 190 .001d Residual 25367. 988 33 768. 727 Total 37960. 368 35 Model 1 2 3 4 a. Predictors: (Constant), PROF, MB, Ownership , Board , Disclosure b. Predictors: (Constant), PROF, Ownership , Board , Disclosure c. Predictors: (Constant), Ownership , Board , Disclosure d. Predictors: (Constant), Ownership , Board e. Dependent Variable: Lev 30 5. 3 Coefficient estimat es Coefficients Unstandardized Coefficients Model a Standardized Coefficients t Sig. -1. 839 .076 .315 2. 079 .046 .181 .400 2. 619 .014 1. 064 1. 032 .174 1. 031 .311 MB -. 101 .507 -. 032 -. 199 .844 PROF -. 311 .352 . 132 -. 886 .383 -39. 272 20. 901 -1. 879 .070 Board 5. 669 2. 696 .312 2. 102 .044 Ownership .475 .178 .401 2. 672 .012 Disclosure .971 .906 .159 1. 072 .292 PROF -. 315 .346 -. 134 -. 911 .369 -38. 586 20. 831 -1. 852 .073 Board 5. 185 2. 637 .285 1. 967 .058 Ownership .466 .177 .393 2. 630 .013 Disclosure 1. 113 .890 .182 1. 251 .220 (Constant) -35. 046 20. 814 -1. 684 .102 Board 5. 196 2. 659 .286 1. 954 .059 Ownership 4 .519 .173 .438 2. 990 .005 21. 252 5. 721 2. 752 .474 Disclosure 3 -39. 090 Ownership 2 Std. Error Board 1 B (Constant) (Constant) (Constant) a. Dependent Variable: Lev 31 Beta How to cite Corporate Governance and Financing Decisions by Saudi Companies, Papers

Communicable Disease Essay Sample free essay sample

Catching disease is defined as an infective disease catching ( as from individual to individual ) by direct contact with an affected person or the individual’s discharge or by indirect agencies ( Merriam Webster. m-w. com ) . A catching disease can be transmitted through unstable exchange or by a vector. Hepatitis B is a known catching disease still impacting the United States and worldwide. Hepatitis B is a viral infection that caused liver damaged from the Hepatitis B virus HBV ) . redness of the liver. In the first phases of HBV normally within the first six months a individual becomes infected naming it acute Hepatitis B infection. HBV can experience like holding the grippe or no marks of symptoms in which it could travel off on its ain in a few months. If it doesn’t it is called chronic HBV. which so last a life-time. Chronic HBV can take to liver scarring. liver malignant neoplastic disease and liver failure. Hepatitis B virus is found in the blood of people with HBV infection. it transmits through the organic structure by blood-to-blood contact. This paper will depict Hepatitis B. the attempts being made to command it. supply informations grounds. resource for intervention options. how it act upon the life styles and socioeconomic position. and farther bar recommendations such as immunisations. Heath Care Act which provide everyone with insurance to be treated. and instruction. Hepatitis B has similarities to the HIV virus as manners of transmittal. although is 100 times more infective. Both diseases are exposed through blood-to-blood contact from infected blood or merchandises. and from female parents giving birth to babies. Peoples can besides acquire HBV by sharing acerate leafs for injection of drug usage. inadvertent needle stick with a contaminated acerate leaf. tattooing equipment and sexual contact. HBV can distribute through insouciant contact and go life endangering. HBV symptoms range from bare minimal in early phases. to icterus. abdominal hurting. sickness. febrility and unease in the acute stage. Fatigue. appetite los. dark piss. itchiness and picket stools are other symptoms. HBV normally has a few symptoms after the initial infections. Worldwide Hepatitis B has infected two billion people saying to be one out of three people. Approximately 400 1000000s are inveterate infected and an estimated sum of 1 million people die each twelvemonth from Hepatitis B and its complications. that is approximately two people per minute that dies from Hepatitis B. In the United States 12 million Americans have been infected saying to be one out of 20 people. more than one million have it inveterate and 100. 00 will go septic each twelvemonth. 5. 000 people die from it each twelvemonth and about one wellness attention worker dies each twenty-four hours from Hepatitis B. ( Hepatitis B Foundation ) . In the metropolis of Las Vegas the Southern Nevada Health District states that 19 instances per 100. 000 have been studies up to the terminal of October 2012. There are about two million people in Las Vegas. bespeaking the 380 people have been infected in 2012 as of October 2012. There is a three shooting series to assist protect yourself and loved 1s against hepatitis B. The first injection is given at any clip the vaccinum is preferred to get down at infant ages. The 2nd injection is one month following the first injection and the three injections is six month following the first injection. The first Hepatitis B was approved by Food and Drug Administration in 1981. so discontinued in 1990 and no longer used in the U. S. The 1s presently use has been available since 1986. If infected by chronic HBV and immunisation is non an option. intervention programs are available. first by taking antiviral medicine to contend the virus and decelerate down the procedure of damaging the liver. If the liver is damaged beyond fix and graft could be an option. The United States offers several types of resources to assist instruction and handle patient with Hepatitis B. Valuable information can be located at Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B Foundation. and the state/city wellness territory centre. Organization support group can help person in understand option/treatments. instruction and or merely listen through the cyberspace and in individual such as. Hepatitis B Foundation. Hepatitis Foundation International. HBV and Liver Disease Support Group. and National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable. and many more throughout each community and province. Peoples with Hepatitis B should ever confer with with their primary attention physician to assist them integrate a intervention program. and possible topographic points to travel for support. At any given clip any one individual can be exposed to Hepatitis B but as any disease there are manner to assist forestall exposure to it. It is of import for people to hold their inoculation particularly out of state. where as HBV is most common in Asiatic and Pacific Island states every bit good as Africa. the Middle East. Caribbean. Eastern Europe. and South and Central America. Environmental factors that contribute to possible exposure is by sharing acerate leafs while making drugs. work forces who have sex with work forces. people having chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy. givers of blood. variety meats and seeds. people who have sex with septic individual and multiple spouses. Even the 1s who are at that place to assist such as physicians and nurses can be exposed at work by the blood merchandises and acerate leafs. Crowded urban abode. lower societal stratum and low educational attainment are major socioeconomic factors reported higher chronic Hepatitis B virus bearers. Peoples with lower income are unable to afford possible intervention programs or medicine. societal stigma and fright of favoritism. HBV is something everyone should be educated on and the hazard of exposure. every bit good as the instruction of sex and what possible disease can happen when people have sex with multiple spouses. seting themselves and other at hazard. Controling a disease is understanding it. acquiring the information out. to assist educate people particularly 1s who can’t afford it. Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) ’s. HHS’ Healthy People 2010 plan. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) ’ have helped trip vigorous attempts to shut the spread in immunisation. such as supplying intervention to kids who don’t have insurance and afford it. school doing it a required to hold the Hepatitis series prior to get downing. and acquiring the instruction out at that place of why it is of import. Immunizations. for both kids and grownups. have been identified as one of six cardinal countries in which Americans experience serious disparities in wellness results compared to their bulk opposite numbers. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will convey wellness insurance coverage to more than 30 million people while advancing disease bar. The Act will better patient entree to viral-hepatitis-related bar. attention. and intervention services. Hepatitis B virus is 100 times more contagious so HIV/AIDS. it is passed by blood-to-blood contact. and spreads to a babe during bringing from the female parent. HBV can be mild with no symptoms or can be terrible doing malignant neoplastic disease. liver damaged or necessitating a liver graft. Immunizations play a cardinal function in the bar of infection with the HBV virus. The immunisations are available for babies to adulthood. and extremely recommended to get down the series at babyhood. If infected there are possible options such as antiviral that can assist forestall harm to the liver while protracting life. A individual can be infected with HBV in about any setting no affair the ethnicity. or topographic point. but HBV is higher among the poorer. overcrowded urban countries. other states and is more common in the Asian and the Pacific Islander communities. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ends are to extinguish diseases. handle them and supply options for all people even with a preexistent status. The Act is besides taking for a Healthy America in 2020. giving the state with proper tools to be educated. treated and options to break their wellness. HBV is non merely impacting the U. S but it’s a worldwide job. HBV can be lifelessly and its doesn’t choose merely one peculiar type of individual. it infects anyone that crosses its way. Educating. take proper stairss. holding the immunisation series completed and maintain from holding multiple sexual spouses are great ways to protect yourself and the 1s you loves from Hepatitis B. Mentions: ( 2012 ) . Statistics. Heptatitis B Foundation Cause for a Cure. Retrieved from: World Wide Web. hepborg. /hepb/stastics. htm( 2012 ) . Hepatitis B. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: World Wide Web. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. gov/hepatitis/b/World Wide Web. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. gov/hepatitis/Statistics/2010Surveillance/index. htmBlakely. C. . Crampton. P. . Howden-Chapman. P A ; Salmond. C. ( 2000 ) . Socioeconomic inequality in wellness: how large is the job and what can be done? Pacific Health Dialog. Vol. 7. No. 1. Retrieved from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. pacifichealthdialog. org. fj/Volume % 207/No1 % 20Maori % 20Health % 20in % 20New % 20Zealand/Reprint % 20Papers/Socioeconomic % 20inequalities % 20in % 20health % 20hotungsten % 20big % 20is % 20the % 20problem % 20and % 20what % 20can % 20be % 20done. pdf ( 1994-2010 ) . Battling the Silent Epidemic of Viral Hepatitis. United States Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: World Wide Web. Department of Health and Human Services. gov/ash/initiatives/hepatitis/actionplan_viralhepatitis2011. pdf ( 2012 ) . Statistics. Surveillance A ; Reports. Southern Nevada Health District. Retrieved From:hypertext transfer protocol: //www. southernnevadahealthdistrict. org/stats-reports/disease-stats-2012qtr3. php

Student Leaders Assembly free essay sample

Sunday, August 15 2010, marked the first day of the Student Leader’s Assembly of both the High School and College departments of the different Don Bosco schools who participated in the said event. They were composed of the student council and the different officers of the clubs and organizations of both levels in the different schools. It was a truly wonderful experience for them since it fostered team building and getting to know each other again after a long time. The event was held at Don Bosco Tarlac, since they were selected as the host of the said event. By the time the participants arrived at Don Bosco Tarlac, they were asked to register their names and put their bags in their assigned rooms. After the facilitators mentioned the rules, they already felt at home in the school since it brings an â€Å"aura† per se, of their school, since it the place was also a Don Bosco school. We will write a custom essay sample on Student Leaders Assembly or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There was a time when the participants were given time to freshen up before they were ordered to go to the gym for the program to take place. The participants were asked to seat at a certain group according to the number designated on their ID’s. The program started with the raising of the Bosconian Insignias in the different Don Bosco schools while having someone who seemed to be a Bosconian â€Å"bunso† sing the song â€Å"Di Ka Nag-iisa†. It was a very breathtaking experience, because the people were astounded at what a Bosconian â€Å"bunso† could do, at such a young age. The raising of the insignias was followed by the singing of the National Anthem and the opening prayer entitled â€Å"The Prayer†, led by the two selected participants representing Don Bosco Technical College, Mandaluyong. The opening ceremonies of the different insignias ended with a basking applause from the participants. The actual program started with the game called â€Å"Blind Barthemeus†, where a leader would be in charge of asking the other participants some questions while the rest are blindfolded. After getting to know each other as a group, the next game called the â€Å"Game of Life†, was initiated shortly. The instructions were given, and a â€Å"map† of some sort was distributed to each group. They were assigned to make a 3-feet tall tower made of the materials they are going to gather at the different places that were designated in the map, from barbecue sticks and chewing gum to popsicle sticks and lumps of clay. Everything was going well, but after a short while, the rain fell down, slowly but surely. The participants didn’t stop, and so did the rain. But when the rain poured down heavily, most of them fled to the nearest building to take cover from the rain. This goes to show that Bosconians won’t be easily discouraged to abandon their duties just because of some minor distractions or disruptions. The rain still poured down heavily and the PA announced that all Bosconians should dry themselves and wash up, since most, if not all the participants, got wet during the game. The game was suspended, but they were asked to hold on to their materials for later use. It was nighttime when the participants finished perking up and eating dinner. They were requested to go to the Big Chapel for the continuation of the program, since the gym was flooded. The program resumed, and at that time, Mr. JC Delos Reyes was the speaker. He talked about the roles of a leader and what leaders should really do and symbolize. After the talk, the different Don Bosco schools presented their dance numbers and presentations. Everyone performed well. One of the performers even performed an impromptu script, because of the delayed performance of the whole group. Nevertheless, it was a â€Å"lo and behold† sight to see, since everyone gave it their best shot in the presentations. After the dance presentations, the students were asked to go outside the chapel for the fireworks display. After a while, numerous flashing and colorful displays of fireworks amazed the participants during that night. Finally, the students were asked to go to their designated rooms and sleep. It was morning when one of the songs of Don Bosco was played to wake the participants up, although some already did way before the PA played the song. Some took a bath, while others washed up to feel fresh. Breakfast was soon served, and the mass was then celebrated afterwards. The music ministry was led by the students of Don Bosco Technical College. After the mass, the principal, Fr. Jay, gave the closing remarks and then dismissed all the students. Of course, the merienda was served before they all left the school. Everyone left knowing that they learned something not only from their school but also from someone from a different setting. It is true that the best teacher that anyone could have is experience, but it really depends on the person. If the person is eager to learn, then he would strive to become successful by learning from his mistakes in the past, therefore making use of his experiences. If the person is unwilling, then his experiences would mean nothing since he did not apply what he had encountered in the past. That goes the same with the participants back then. They not only learned the true meaning of being a leader and what it takes to be one, they also learned the value of experiences through communication and camaraderie.

Cute Boyfriend Quotes

Cute Boyfriend Quotes Do you love it when your friends gush, Hes so cute! whenever you talk about your boyfriend? Do you like everyone to think that you are dating the cutest guy in the world? Cute boys are sexy eye-candy at every party or pub. If you have a cute boyfriend, you make your friends envious. These cute boyfriend quotes will make you fall in love with your boyfriend all over again. Share them with your friends, and learn what your friends think about your boyfriend. Sarah McLachlan My love, you know you are my best friend. You know that Id do anything for you, and my love, let nothing come between us. My love for you is strong and true. Louisa May Alcott ​Love is a great beautifier. Jennifer Aniston I feel sexy in my jeans and wearing my boyfriends T-shirt. Kim Kardashian Ive always been the type to fall in love fast and, with every boyfriend, I plan out my wedding in my head. Rita Rudner My boyfriend and I broke up. He wanted to get married and I didnt want him to. Steve Maraboli When in a relationship, a real man doesnt make his woman jealous of others, he makes others jealous of his woman. Cecily von Ziegesar, You Know You Love Me Give a girl a boyfriend and she becomes a total expert on relationships. Michelle M. Pillow When people get into their 30s plus boyfriend sounds weird...if you really think about it. Instead, I think we should universally start using the term manfriend or snookie bookie cuddles pie. Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee?Let me count the ways.I love thee to the depth and breadth andheight my soul can reach. Emily Bronte Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. P. Colby If love is a language of the heart, my heart speaks volumes. Robert Sexton Sometimes your nearness takes my breath away; and all the things I want to say can find no voice. Then, in silence, I can only hope my eyes will speak my heart. Ashley Tisdale In high school, it was all about popularity, being with the boyfriend and all the girls thinking hes cute. John Lennon Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear. Dr. Seuss You know youre in love when you cant fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. Jodi Picoult You dont love someone because theyre perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that theyre not. Alexandra Penney in Self The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands. Barbara Johnson Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Stephenie Meyer, New Moon I honestly have no idea how to live without you. Calvin Klein I think theres something incredibly sexy about a woman wearing her boyfriends T-shirt and underwear. Ginnifer Goodwin Nudity is for my boyfriend or my doctor. April Winchell I am severely distracted these days. Its hard to sit in front of the computer, uploading bad music for hours, when you have a wonderful boyfriend who treats you like a Goddess.

How Are the Experts Using LinkedIn - Guest Post by Helen Denney-Stone

How Are the Experts Using LinkedIn - Guest Post by Helen Denney-Stone I was honored to discover an article on LinkedIn Publisher that gave me extensive mention and props for my presentation at the LinkedIn Success Summit. I requested that the author, Helen Denney, allow me to publish a revised version of the article on my blog, and she graciously agreed! Enjoy the updated article below! ⊕⊕⊕⊕⊕ When Liam Austin chose the speakers for his LinkedIn Success Summit, he invited Brenda Bernstein and 34 other top speakers to share their winning strategies and tips on how to use the LinkedIn platform. Together, these invited experts condensed decades of experience and success into a wealth of video sessions. If you haven’t yet been able to generate a positive Return on Investment (ROI) using the LinkedIn platform, you most definitely will after hearing these stories and strategies. The following are my takeaways from 3 of the experts, all who have one major thread in common: they are all women experts on LinkedIn! They give advice on how to stand out on LinkedIn, and even how to build a basic LinkedIn profile, in case you’re just starting out! Brenda Bernstein #1 Amazon best-selling author of How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile. Brenda is a highly qualified and award winning writer. Founder of the Essay Expert, LinkedIn expert and Speaker. Brenda believes that you can profit from your personality when writing your LinkedIn profile. The key points below are her strategies on how to do this in an authentic and memorable way. Don’t be afraid to share your values, vision, beliefs and personality prominently in your profile. Do this effectively and you will stand out from your competitors. Get a branded head shot that has some oomph! Try choosing 3 words that describe your personality, and share them with your photographer. Then choose your head shot based on which one best captures those 3 words. Don’t lose sight of keywords as you share your personality! Prioritize keywords in your headline if you want to be found in searches. Write your Summary to show your personality and the personality of your business. Figure out what makes you and/or your business stand out- and if you want to be personable, write in the 1st person (I/me).Brenda suggests that to get material for your LinkedIn Profile, you can write down 3 peak moments in your life/business. Next pull out any common threads. You will learn a lot about what you have to offer and what makes you tick. You can also ask people you know what they see as your strengths. Write down what they say and weave it into your profile. If they like it then others probably will too! Finally, determine what you want people to take away from reading your profile. What action do you want them to take next? Read your profile Summary now that you’ve included more of yourself in it. If you were a member of your target audience, would you take the action you want your readers to take? Publish on LinkedIn and show your personality and credibility in your articles. Make sure to respond when people comment on your posts. Be active in LinkedIn Groups and don’t be afraid to show your humour, intelligence and personality. When someone sends you a friend invitation, respond and give them something free first- something you feel will be of value to them. Brendas Quotes: â€Å"Almost no one likes writing about themselves. But almost everyone likes seeing themselves expressed authentically on paper.† â€Å"Top mistake on LinkedIn: Thinking all you need is a KILLER LinkedIn profile.† ⊕⊕⊕⊕⊕ Donna Serdula Donna, the Founder of Vision Board Media, is a LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Expert speaker and author. Donna explained your profile is NOT your resume. Your resume is your professional past; it is what you have already done. Your LinkedIn profile is your online reputation- who you are and why connections should pay attention to you. It is your digital representation of your future. Make your profile compelling, exciting and authentic. It is, after all, people’s first impression of you. It should make people want to know more. Donna’s 3 Keys to Maximising your LinkedIn Profile: Before you start on your profile, answer this question: What is the goal of my LinkedIn profile? Only after you know your goal can you can write strategically, keeping that goal in the forefront of your mind. Always talk about what your target audience wants to hear. Speak to them directly, as if they are across the table from you! Headline Think what people would be typing into the search bar on LinkedIn to find you. Optimise your profile for these keywords so you show up in search results. How can you stand out when someone is scrolling through the search results? The first part they will see is your name, your profile picture, and your headline (which by default is your current job title and your company). So make sure your profile image is professionally done, and that your headline is optimised with keywords, is compelling and showcases a benefit statement. Summary Your Summary, which is 2000 characters maximum, should demonstrate who you are, that you understand your readers’ problems, and that you can help them.Your summary should be in 1st person narrative and written conversationally. Highlight some successes, demonstrating how you can help your audience.Be succinct and answer what your customers/clients want to know. If possible, include a link and offer for them to take the next step. Include a clear call to action at the end, as well as your phone number and email so people can contact you easily. Keywords Research your keywords. Then make sure that these keywords are in your heading, summary, experiences and interests. Place the keywords anywhere that is reasonable. Your profile must read naturally and authentically. Never, never stuff your profile with keywords; but take the time to place them everywhere that is plausible. Donna’s Quotes: â€Å"Recognize your target audience and don’t say what you want to say, rather think what your target audience wants to hear.† â€Å"Step back, think about your goal, think about your audience.† ⊕⊕⊕⊕⊕ Karen Yankovich Founder of Linked Up Success, Karen is a LinkedIn expert and speaker. When someone puts your name in a Google search and sees your LinkedIn profile right at the top, this is statistically what they will look at first. This is a brilliant opportunity through your profile to instantly communicate who you are, your personal brand. Use your profile to get them to feel comfortable doing business with you. Karen shares her 5 tips that you need to pay attention to when completing your profile. Be certain to complete these 5 areas and use them effectively. Headline Your headline should be strong and customer/client centric. In other words, just stating that you are CEO is not enough! Your headline is searchable by Google and shows up prominently in Google Search. Be bold, own what you do, and be confident when painting that picture for others to see! Summary Firstly, actually fill this out! Break your summary into easily consumable sections with bullet points. Write it in the 1st person, use all 2000 characters you are allowed, and include keywords. Experience This section builds on who you are and what you have accomplished to be where you are today. Think about all your past experience, not just your previous jobs. Position yourself as influential and the expert you are. Call to Action Remember to put in a call to action not in a salesy way, but something like, â€Å"Reach out if you want a complimentary training†; â€Å"Listen to my podcast†; or â€Å"Download my free report† Make your profile stand out by taking advantage of all the ways LinkedIn provides to customize your profile. Boost your business with 3 further strategies from Karen: Build up your recommendation and be active; actually ask for recommendations. Show up! Be active in groups, post regularly, share, and comment on influencers. Sort your connections by recency, then send a personal note to the most recent. When they respond, take the opportunity to offer help. Karen’s Quotes: â€Å"Start with a strong personal brand to grow your business on LinkedIn.† â€Å"#1 Mistake on LinkedIn: Don’t be pushy, be mindful.† ⊕⊕⊕⊕⊕ Did you pick up the major common thread? It’s your profile! Your LinkedIn Profile is like a 5-minute fast dating session where you get to say who you are, what you do and how you can help. It is your audience’s first impression- make it great, make it authentic, and make it you! The LinkedIn Success Summit was full of many wonderful interviews and the above is a summary of just 3 of the 35 presenters. You’ll find even more great tips by clicking here. Would you like to read more from Helen about LinkedIn experts and influencers (and save yourself the time of listening to all the presentations at the Summit)? Then please click here to read Part 1 of Helen’s Summit Summaries! Helen Denney-Stone is CEO and co-founder of Nudge Marketing, a firm that provides affordable, results-based marketing training for small businesses. She is a published author and artist and loves all things, mindful and marketing†¦ oh! and high heels, boxer dogs and the smell of freshly cut grass. Read the original version of this article here.

A Campus wide Composting Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

A Campus wide Composting Proposal - Essay Example Therefore composting is a natural process used to recycle organic materials that have already decomposed. This process leads to an end product known as compost which is also referred to as rich soil or manure from an agricultural perspective. All living things end up decomposing upon death. This decomposing process or decay is vital as it ensures that all our organic wastes return their nutrients back to the soil and this ensures that life cycle continues. For the decomposition to occur anaerobic digestion should take place to accelerate the process. This is seen to overtake composting and it has been used in many countries where they have been down cycling waste organic matter. In composting there must be careful selection of the materials to be composted. The reason is because there are some materials which have shown high performance in composition than others. The materials can also be selected with consideration of the locality where one wants to set the compost. This process ha s been said to be very beneficial to the environment (Sanchez-Monedero, Roig, Paredes and Bernal, 301). There are some scientific and technological approaches which can be used to make the decomposition fast. This is however not encouraged because the whole process aims at using only what is natural and not man-made. In setting compost there is need to make the best preparations for the same so that the process does not work half way. There are different methods of decomposition but are broadly divided into three namely backyard composing, warm decomposing and grass cycling. The three are very different however they all use natural materials. Backyard decomposing involves the use of food scraps, grass clippings which are normally referred to as greens and also use of straws and fallen leaves referred to as browns which are mostly found in the backyard. This method involves the balance of the greens and the browns. To promote this process, some elements of nature need to be present. They include: air, moisture and temperature (Sabine, Konschinsky, Stefanie, Frank and Tebbe, 930). Worm compositing also known as vermin-composting is commonly used by individuals with a tiny backyard and where food scraps are in abundance. This process is mainly used by individuals living in apartments. Based on their natural habitats decaying leaving leaves, compost piles and piles of manure, the worms are domesticated to live in shallow bins in the compound and this diverts all food wastes from being dumped to the landfills and water treatment facilities. Grass cycling involves leaving of grass clippings that one does not intend to use. The grass clippings just left to decompose on the lawn. The basic rule in grass cycling is that the grass should not be cut to more than one third the blade of the grass at any given time. Proper mowing should be maintained and one should always ensure that the mower blades are sharp and that the grass is dry. Watering the lawns early in the morni ng and applying fertilizer is essential. The main aim of compositing is to supply additives to the soil through supplying of humus and nutrients. It provides the best environmental conditions which will make the plants to healthy and also to grow fast (Marek, Michael, Kathleen, and Zaremba, 810). (ii) Problem definition There are a number of food waste management and are based on the various ways of reducing food waste. The first and important method to avoid food waste is first by making a list of what you intent to prepare. This involves designing a menu that helps to plan the meal one intents to prepare for a given timeframe for instance a week. This is best achieved by cross checking what you intend to purchase â€Å"

Analysis of Debates Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Debates - Research Paper Example Society never ceases to look down upon any person taking these plunges or walking those extra miles. These people are always watched from bay with half-squinted eyes. Nevertheless, far beyond confronting the frowning brows of the people gazing around, it is very important to listen to the call of one’s heart (Streitmatter 1-23). Since time immemorial, it has been an established fact that the union of opposite sexes is very important for the progression of any particular race. However, human mind has unfathomable depth and dark channels and abbeys where light of any logic or comprehension is very difficult to reach. A man might feel a physical affinity with a man, and a woman can also have the same kind of affection for another woman against the general convention prevalent in the society. If we examine the scriptures, literature and folklore thoroughly, it can be identified that mankind’s affinity towards the same sex has evolved steadily but in a very latent way. With the progress of civilization and so much of awareness of the importance of civil rights and human psychology, the time has come when people have chosen to discuss the issue at an open and broad forum where the marriages between the same-sex can be advocated and discussed without any kind of suppression. Thesis Statement This essay intends to analyze the thought that gay marriages should be accepted as a commonplace affair of the society. At the same time, the essay throws light on the myriad pros and cons associated with the legitimate ways of attaining the unification of two people belonging to the same sex. Gay Marriages and Its Sanctity Same-sex marriages are often coined in the local terminology as ‘gay marriages’. Etymologically, it is a legitimate union between two persons of the same biological sex. The supporters or the promoters of the gay marriages tend to refer to the same-sex marriages as marriage equality or equal marriage. Turning the pages of the history related to the legitimation of the same-sex marriages, we can observe that it is only very recent, i.e. during the first decade of the twenty-first century, that same-sex marriages were recognized, enacted and protected from the various legal cells across the world. The other noteworthy fact regarding the sanctification of the same-sex marriages took place in the very recent times, i.e. in the year 2013 itself. During the current calendar year, eleven countries across the globe and a few sub-national jurisdictions have allowed the legitimate union between couples of the same sex (Pratt). The complex question which is raised in the most recent times in different societies across the globe is that why there is a complete absence of legal sanctity and universal right pertaining to the gay marriages uniformly across the globe. The Western world is still a step ahead in this regard, and if focus is shifted towards the East and the oriental societies, the condition is pathetic, to say the least. In the current scenario, there are places where even the thought of marrying a person of the same gender can mercilessly take away one’s life. Clergy and church are also not behind any regulatory and theological bodies related to the condemnation of marriage of equality (Mulholland). For example, if a thorough light is shed on the article by Chrysovalantis P. Kefalas, it can be arguably asserted that marriage of equal

Aida Model Essay Example for Free

Aida Model Essay Every day were bombarded with headlines like these that are designed to grab our attention. In a world full of advertising and information – delivered in all sorts of media from print to websites, billboards to radio, and TV to text messages – every message has to work extremely hard to get noticed. And its not just advertising messages that have to work hard; every report you write, presentation you deliver, or email you send is competing for your audiences attention. As the world of advertising becomes more and more competitive, advertising becomes more and more sophisticated. Yet the basic principles behind advertising copy remain – that it must attract attention and persuade someone to take action. And this idea remains true simply because human nature doesnt really change. Sure, we become increasingly discerning, but to persuade people to do something, you still need to grab their attention, interest them in how your product or service can help them, and then persuade them to take the action you want them to take, such as buying your product or visiting your website. The acronym AIDA is a handy tool for ensuring that your copy, or other writing, grabs attention. The acronym stands for: Attention (or Attract) Interest Desire Action. These are the four steps you need to take your audience through if you want them to buy your product or visit your website, or indeed to take on board the messages in your report. A slightly more sophisticated version of this is AIDCA/AIDEA, which includes an additional step of Conviction/Evidence between Desire and Action. People are so cynical about advertising messages that coherent evidence may be needed if anyone is going to act! How to Use the Tool: Use the AIDA approach when you write a piece of text that has the ultimate objective of getting others to take action. The elements of the acronym are as follows: 1. Attention/Attract In our media-filled world, you need to be quick and direct to grab peoples attention. Use powerful words, or a picture that will catch the readers eye and make them stop and read what you have to say next. With most office workers suffering from e-mail overload, action-seeking e-mails need subject lines that will encourage recipients to open them and read the contents. For example, to encourage people to attend a company training session on giving feedback, the email headline, How effective is YOUR feedback? is more likely to grab attention than the purely factual one of, This weeks seminar on feedback. 2. Interest This is one of the most challenging stages: Youve got the attention of a chunk of your target audience, but can you engage with them enough so that theyll want to spend their precious time understanding your message in more detail? Gaining the readers interest is a deeper process than grabbing their attention. They will give you a little more time to do it, but you must stay focused on their needs. This means helping them to pick out the messages that are relevant to them quickly. So use bullets and subheadings, and break up the text to make your points stand out. For more information on understanding your target audiences interests and expectations, and the context of your message, read our article on the Rhetorical Triangle. 3. Desire The Interest and Desire parts of AIDA go hand-in-hand: As youre building the readers interest, you also need to help them understand how what youre offering can help them in a real way. The main way of doing this is by appealing to their personal needs and wants. So, rather than simply saying Our lunchtime seminar will teach you feedback skills, explain to the audience whats in it for them: Get what you need from other people, and save time and frustration, by learning how to give them good feedback. Feature and Benefits (FAB) A good way of building the readers desire for your offering is to link features and benefits. Hopefully, the significant features of your offering have been designed to give a specific benefit to members of your target market. When it comes to the marketing copy, its important that you dont forget those benefits at this stage. When you describe your offering, dont just give the facts and features, and expect the audience to work out the benefits for themselves: Tell them the benefits clearly to create that interest and desire. Example: This laptop case is made of aluminum, describes a feature, and leaves the audience thinking So what? Persuade the audience by adding the benefits.giving a stylish look, thats kinder to your back and shoulders. You may want to take this further by appealing to peoples deeper drives giving effortless portability and a sleek appearance and that will be the envy of your friends and co-workers. 4. Conviction As hardened consumers, we tend to be skeptical about marketing claims. Its no longer enough simply to say that a book is a bestseller, for example, but readers will take notice if you state (accurately, of course!), that the book has been in the New York Times Bestseller List for 10 weeks, for example. So try to use hard data where its available. When you havent got the hard data, yet the product offering is sufficiently important, consider generating some data, for example, by commissioning a survey. 5. Action Finally, be very clear about what action you want your readers to take; for example, Visit www.mindtools.com now for more information rather than just leaving people to work out what to do for themselves. See more at: file:///C:/Users/GOPAL%20RATHORE/Downloads/AIDA%20%20Attention-Interest-Desire-Action%20-%20Communication%20Skills%20Training%20From%20MindTools.com.htm#sthash.nCxC0EZx.dpuf

Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - Investigating Hamlets Sanity :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Shakespeare's Hamlet: Investigating Hamlet's Insanity Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, and hardest to perform. The reason it is so hard to perform is because of the main character Hamlet. Hamlet is an easily liked character that must revenge his father's death. He is forced to act insane in order to find out the truth of his father's death. Hamlet does an excellent job of acting insane, so good, in fact, that it is questioned if he was acting insane or if he actually was. Hamlet's madness is an important part in the play. It is an important role that recurs throughout the play. The question to his insanity lies in the reasons for his insanity. He is constantly betrayed throughout the play by everyone he loves and holds dear except for one person who sticks by him throughout his ordeal, Horatio. Hamlet first shows his passion and how upset he is by his father's death when his mother and the king enter the room and question him on his grief for his father. His mother mentions that his grief seems common. Hamlet replies: â€Å"Seems, madam! nay it is; I know not 'seems.' 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected 'havior of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, That can denote me truly: these indeed seem, For they are actions that a man might play: But I have that within which passeth show; These but the trappings and the suits of woe.†(1.2) Here Hamlet shows his unstable mind. He is screaming at his mother telling her how his actions are honest and he is not pretending to grieve, but that he is truly saddened by his father's death. He has become offended by his mother's inference that Hamlet is not actually upset by his father's death.. She uses the term "Seems" which pushes Hamlet to this rage. Hamlet is so saddened by his father's death that he begins to think of suicide. "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt / Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!†(1.2.129-130). He is wishing that his flesh would melt away or â€Å"Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd / His canon 'gainst self- slaughter!†(131-132). He then reveals the first part to his madness: †But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: / So excellent a king; that was, to this, / Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother†(138-140).

What the Tapster Saw and the Yellow Wallpaper

Ryan Bristle English 101-20 Ms. Harris 9 November 2012 Throughout â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and â€Å"What the Tapster Saw† there were many similarities. Some of the main ideas were setting, insanity, doctors, and the sudden and gradual changes. The ideas of the stories have many similarities, even though they in very different times and places. The ideas of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† are composed of inner thoughts of self- imposed insanity. What the Tapster Saw† was an inner evaluation of the surrounding world situations about country invasion and how humans can only function under certain circumstances due to our nature of modern civilization. The differences that stuck out the most were the setting and the conflict. The two settings were the two largest components of the stories. The author describes the house in which she is staying as an â€Å"English place† with â€Å"hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate smaller houses for the gardeners and others† (Gilman 1). Even though the house seems pleasant in description, it had been around since the civil war or reconstruction. This old house set the possible mood of the house to where there is a lingering spirit from the original owners of the house which cause, the room with the yellow wall paper to cause the wife to act so irrationally or appear to go crazy. With the isolated setting of the house and the room with the yellow wall paper, I believe that it caused Jane’s mental state to slowly decline. Her mental state was in a slow decline because of the isolation of herself constantly being in the yellow room. The setting for â€Å"What the Tapster Saw† is in a palm forest in Nigeria. In which the forest is full of trees, animals and a river â€Å"whose water was viscous and didn’t seem to move† (Okri 185). Nigeria sets itself apart from America because of the lack of modern knowledge or technology. The fact that there is an herbalist that is having the wine Tapster bring him items to talk about his dream of him dying shows the differences from America to life in Nigeria. The Tapster being alone in the forest all the time he is away from villages, people and the â€Å"modern world. The separation between the Tapster and everything else, the writer gave the tapster time to make inner evaluations of himself and watching foreign companies coming into his home, therefore rendering himself into looking at the world surrounding him and how it is changing. Although there are differences to the setting of the two stories there are also a few similarities about the setting. Th e psychological effects on the characters in both of the short stories, which lead to self-imposed insanity and inner evaluations of surrounding situations, have an effect on Jane and the tapster. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† the wife spends the entire day inside, which leaves her to be drawn to the almost toxic room. At one point she took the keys to the room and locked the door so she can take the wallpaper down and free the woman she believes she can see. In this situation the husband gets the keys to the room and saw what his wife had done and fainted in astonishment. With Jane’s growing self-imposed insanity she becomes restless, and with this she believes she can see the old woman, and she needs to be freed causing her say â€Å"I am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try† (Gilman 9). In â€Å"What the Tapster Saw† he is going insane because of his dream of dying while climbing, which he believes will happen. The tapster believes this may happen which leads him to going to an herbalist in seeking knowledge on what to do. While with the herbalist he receives no help due to the herbalist’s wives distracting him from helping the tapster. When the tapster left the herbalist with no advice or help, he falls deeper to pondering inner evaluation of the surrounding world. With the tapster’s growing insanity he evaluates the surrounding situations, and country invasion. With his newfound evaluations the story introduced new characters. These new characters were a multicolored snake, and two turtles and one of the turtles had Tobasco’s (the herbalist) face. These new characters help the tapster realize that country invasion for natural resources is happening, and that modern civilization is upon them whether they can comprehend what is happening or not. The needs for natural resources are desired throughout the world, and societal compliances of need and demand require humans to function under the pressure of needs and wants. With both of these main characters are having issues with their insanity they have doctors near them to help them. John from â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a physician, so he could help his wife with her problem of insanity. Jane confronts him with her problem and asks for him to help her, by telling him what is happening. He does not believe her about her problems and this drives Jane to spend more time in the room with the yellow wallpaper. Jane has been spending more time in this room and she notices more and more sinister objects such as rings and things in the wall, the bed nailed down, and gouges in the wall around the bed. She eventually goes completely insane believing she had freed the woman in the wallpaper, because she had mentioned seeing this woman walking along the edge of the woods. In the similarity to â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† the herbalist in â€Å"What the Tapster Saw† had the tapster at his home or where his place of work is. The tapster came with a problem believing that he was going to die while climbing palm trees due to a dream he had. The herbalist was distracted by his many wives and told the tapster to return the following day with turtles and kola nut and the herbalist would help him. The herbalist did not initially help the tapster due to distractions. Like modern society today there are many distractions that can prevent even a professional from completing their job. Even though there are many similarities between these two stories, there is a large difference. This difference is that in â€Å"What the Tapster Saw† there was a very sudden change in the story. While in â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† there is a very gradual change in the story where Jane goes slowly insane. The very sudden change with the tapster is that in roughly a two day span, he had the dream he would die then saw the herbalist, and the next day while out he died. With that being a very sudden change, Jane had a very gradual change where the effects of the room with yellow wallpaper had psychologically impaired her from functioning the way she should be. The two completely different stories have many interpretations, and connections can be made from either. The effects of self-imposed insanity and the inner evaluation of the surrounding world situations about country invasion and how humans can only function under certain circumstances due to our nature of modern civilization, show that the world is changing. The old and new merging together quickly, problems will be found and exploited. Works Cited Okri, Ben. â€Å"What the Tapster Saw† Stars of the New Curfew. NY: Viking P, 1989. 183-194. Print Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Suny. edu State Univ. of NY. nd. Web. 29 Oct. 2012