Friday, November 29, 2019

Copeland Baskin Essays (463 words) - Spirituality, Human Behavior

Copeland Baskin Mrs. Floyd Fitness Class 15 October 2017 Effects of Walking Walking is the easiest and most meditative exercise there is well other than yoga. However, walking is beneficial for fewer risks of bodily issues. Walking can bring people together in the time of need and for fun such as walking down the road, hiking, or just touring places. Today I a m going to be writing about walking, cycling, and yoga and its benefits on a person cognitively and with their multiple sclerosis. First , Multiple Scleroses is the hardening of cell tissue and with this disease, there is often cogitative impairment. According to Brian Sandroff , " Cognitive impairment is a highly prevalent, disabling, and poorly managed consequence of multiple sclerosis (MS). Upwards of 50% of MS patients demonstrate cognitive impairment based on neuropsychological testing " (209). With this being a fact, something has to be done to stop it. For example, exercise will helps with cognition in individuals by allowing them to have control of planning, coordination, inhibition, mental flexibility, working memory, and alertness. Walking allows one to have a peaceful mind and coordination because to walk well you have to focus on heel to toe, shoulders aligned, and arms swinging slightly with his/her movement. Cycling is helpful at really pumping up the heart rate. Secondly, yoga is excellent in coordination and control. Having coordination and control is very beneficial for the mindset and sclerosis. Meditation and deep breathing is one of the great things about yoga. Also, positions such as cat and cow, seated twist, child's pose, downward facing dog, supported forward bend, sun saltation, supported triangle pose, and seated warrior, helps with the relaxation of the muscle s with people having sclerosis, along with the concentrated breathing. Lastly, with all of the exercises combined, there was studies and experiments tested on people with relapsing multiple sclerosis and impaired cognition. According to Brian Sandroff , "improvements were made with walking, cycling, and yoga in quiet surroundings." (216). With this being said I think everyone should get out and exercise to prevent risks of diseases. In conclusion, walking, yoga, cycling, and basically any type of controlled exercise can help benefit one from diseases. It is all about managing, focusing, control, and breathing that really helps one's cogitative state. While yoga is more beneficial for relaxing the muscles for multiple sclerosis. Works Cited Sandroff , Brian M., et al. "Acute Effects of Walking, Cycling, and Yoga Exercise on Cognition in Persons with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis without Impaired Cognitive Processing Speed." Journal of Clinical Experimental Neuropsychology , vol. 37, no. 2, 15 Feb. 2015, pp. 209-219. EBSCO host , doi:10.1080/13803395.2014.1001723.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Copybloggers Best Advice On How To Scale To 8 Figures With Brian Clark

Copybloggers Best Advice On How To Scale To 8 Figures With Brian Clark If you are a marketer, then you have probably heard of Rainmaker Digital’s Copyblogger and read some of its articles. Copyblogger is one of the most iconic marketing blogs in the world. It is kind of a big deal, and there’s a good reason for that. The team at Copyblogger works hard to publish specific content that the audience finds extremely useful and valuable. Today, we’re talking to Brian Clark, founder and CEO of Rainmaker Digital and creator of Copyblogger. Brian and Copyblogger are recognized by many as the most influential blogging resources. If you haven’t got the hint yet, Brian knows his stuff! So, learn all about audience, value, and generosity from him. Getting back to basics with digital and content marketing automation and personalization; it’s still the human being in the middle of it that matters the most Know your audience for automation and personalization to be a delivery engine that gets better content to people who care about it Learn how to use new tools before applying them in the fundamentals of a sound digital marketing strategy; the tool does not make the strategy Audience First Content: Build your audience by providing them value; then you will understand what products they want and need Publish content first that attracts an audience, and then build a product Copyblogger is considered the Bible of content marketing despite no advertising Rainmakers: Use email marketing principles and have a product to sell to develop authority and clients How much to give away for free with your content marketing be generous, tell them everything, and share as much as you can, if you are selling something Content Creation to Revenue Generation: Are you getting more business than if you weren’t doing content marketing? Productize content and charge audience for information by knowing the objective and removing all objections that prevent buying Know your audience to determine the right format (audio, video, written, etc.) Internet is the greatest market research environment; it’s no longer about not having enough information, but how to manage and utilize it all Biggest mistake made is trying to appeal to everyone and not turn anyone off Links: Copyblogger Rainmaker Digital Brian Clark on Twitter Permission Marketing by Seth Godin Write and send a review to receive a care package If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Brian Clark:: â€Å"Be super generous because it’s competitive out there, and you have to find a way to stand out.† â€Å"It really should be the right content at the right time for the right person.† â€Å"Audience First is really the idea that you build that group of people by providing them value.† â€Å"That’s what we’ve done every time. Start with the content that attracts the audience, and then develop the products.†

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Strategic Systems Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Systems Management - Assignment Example Mercedes Benz has a very long history of cars manufacturing, being a part of Daimler-Benz company and later belonging to Daimler-Chrysler. Perhaps, Mercedes-Benz is the most well-known automotive brand worldwide. Its rich history and known top-level quality have earned a reputation of luxury cars manufacturer for the company. Mercedes Benz automobiles being prized for prestige and quality often become the choice of the rich and famous. Throughout the history, the goal of Mercedes Benz was providing its customers with more than just cars. Owning a Mercedes Benz was a symbol of belonging to community valuing quality above all. The focus of Mercedes-Benz vehicles is set on high quality and state of the art engineering. Of course it makes them expensive; thus they are made in lower volumes compared to cheaper cars. The company has carefully cultivated an image of superior engineering, quality, and service. Mercedes-Benz is clear leader in the luxury and upper range segment of the market. Recent efforts of the company to move towards lower segments were rather successful: its Smart brand has become a market leader in microcar segment in several European countries. Hence the famous luxury cars manufacturer now tries to make its products popular among low-priced cars to achieve global dominance. The mission statement of Daimler-Chrysler, which Mercedes Benz is currently a part of, indicates efforts towards fulfilling customers' desire for mobile independence (Daimler-Chrysler 2005). Mercedes-Benz is proud of his long 120 years history of car manufacturing, putting its experience and commitment to use in making quality cars. Nevertheless, quality is not the only pillar the company stands upon. The corporate strategy of Mercedes Benz is based on four cornerstones: global presence, strong brands, broad product range, and technology leadership. Invention and innovation put to good use at Mercedes Benz allows a company to set up a high quality standard. Broad product range reflects the company's direction towards dominance rather than being a niche player in luxury cars segment. Its strong brand is often seen as its greatest competitive advantage providing Mercedes Benz cars with a spirit of precision and comfort. Finally, steps taken in the establishment of global presence allow Mercedes Benz to enter new national markets. The great Daimler-Chrysler merger made in 1998 can be seen as an example of establishing global presence of Daimler-Benz. Although the deal was supposed to be a merger of equals, Daimler-Benz quickly took the wheel of the new formed company. "When the dust settled, Daimler was firmly in control of Chrysler, and the shock waves were reverberating on both sides of the Atlantic. An American icon would lose its independence, and a German giant would grow in power and influence." (Stertz and Vlasic, 2000) Another example of expansion is purchasing of Mitsubishi departments serving two purposes: 1) getting closer to a perspective Asian market and 2) using the expertise of Asian car manufacturers in producing small cars. Nevertheless, the sky is not clear for Mercedes Benz. Its recent trends of moving into lower market segments has not gone unnoticed for its luxury cars. "In recent years the brand's reputation once sterling reliability record has been called into question when it was recently ranked rather low in consumer surveys." (Wikipedia 2006) Thus Mercedes-Benz is now

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Statistics MT Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Statistics MT - Speech or Presentation Example Hence, the 95% confidence interval for the population mean using the Students t-test is given by, In such cases, the placement of the central tendencies are Mean 5. the positively skewed cumulative distribution curves are characterized by a concentration of mass on the left-hand side of the curve. Such a curve is drawn in the side diagram. Quite clearly, since the median considers the mid-point of the curve and the mean of the curve is actually the weighted mean, considering the frequencies with which each observed value appears, the mean has a greater value than the median in this case. Thus, the rational agent will accept the mean salary of major league baseball players, rather than the median salary. 6. The decision to eliminate an applicant could be taken only after studying the percentage mean of their test marks and the variations of the marks obtained in each test from the population mean value, which is measured by the standard deviation of the observations from the mean. The higher the population mean and lower the standard deviation are, the better is the situation considered. In fact, a high standard deviation implies a lower consistency in activities and thus the situation which displays the highest value, is considered as the worst one. In this particular case, it is found that the test results of Applicant 3 has the highest standard deviation and thus he is the one ho should be eliminated. = (800/2000) x 100 = 40%. From the normal table it is known that at 95% confidence interval using to-tailed tests, the value of the standard normal variate is 1.96. Hence, the formula to calculate the 95 percent confidence interval about the true population percentage

Monday, November 18, 2019

How are the issues presented in Barn Burning still relevant in the Research Paper

How are the issues presented in Barn Burning still relevant in the recent history of the United States - Research Paper Example There was a time when the African Americans had not been granted the human rights equivalent to their white counterparts. This segregation prevailed in every department and even in public places including hospitals, parks, railway stations and in public transport, where the Blacks were bound to vacant the seats in the buses for the whites as a token of their so called superiority. The Blacks were not allowed to even sit in buses and other public places alongside the white people, and even had to vacant their seats at buses provided any white person entered in a bus with no seat to sit in. (Parks, 1992) However, time turned drastic change, and the movements of the Black community to win equal rights for them turned out successful, and the segregation of the races at schools, public places and even public offices observed complete and unconditional eradication. The African American students used to seek education at segregated schools separate from the whites. Somehow, the ethnic and r acial discrimination witnessed the gradual eradication from the very face of the US society, where the individuals belonging to every races and ethnic group observed social justice and equality in the country. Consequently, the door of opportunities looked wide open for all and sundry in the country, and the Black could study, play, work, travel and dine along with the white people in the aftermath of the human rights movement launched by Martin Luther, Malcolm X, Rosa Park and several other Black leaders. However, according to Faulkner, the white maintained serious reservations about the attitude and behavior of the African Americans due to the very reality that they appeared to be far more aggressive, antagonist and revengeful during their conflict with the whites, and leave no stone unturned to take revenge of their humiliation particularly at the hands of the members of white Anglo Saxon Population (WASP). The same happened in the story under analysis where Abner Snopes, the mem ber of Black community, always underwent humiliation at the hands of his master(s) because of his extremely sluggish and laggard nature. Instead of complying with the orders of his master, and paying due heed to his professional responsibilities of looking after the barn, crops and cattle, Abner appears to be spending most of his time in taking rest as well as getting involved in chit chat with family members and friends. Thus, he transfers the duties assigned to him to his daughters, which are not in a position to perform the same in a proper manner. It not only infuriates the masters, but also paves the way towards Abner’s insult and humiliation. Somehow, instead to mending his ways, Abner turns reactionary and conspiringly set the barns under his supervision to fire before leaving the place he has been working. Answer 2: Since Faulkner has observed several incidents regarding the Black people’s turning out reactionary, the writer is of the view that such an irrespon sible attitude of the African Americans not only frightens the white community, but also they are reluctant to hire the services of the Blacks for any purpose. Actually the white community had displayed their hatred for the Blacks in all social institutions provided they considered them as their slaves and the progeny of their old slaves, which should be treated keeping in mind their old past. It is therefore

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Strategic Decision Making Case Study: Zara

Strategic Decision Making Case Study: Zara Introduction ZARA is the brand of the Spanish retail group, INDITEX SA. Its one of the well known performers in a retail market in recent years its stores can now be found in the most important shopping districts of more than 400 cities in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. With year-on-year sales increasing at around 25% over the last 5 years, it has become one of the worlds fastest growing retailers (Lopez, 2009). Task 2 Strategic decision A strategic decision is what is thought to be a long-term investment and which is helpful in changing the direction of business undergoing in any organization. Such a decision can be a lot risky as the market changes very rapidly but if it turns out to be successful it give a competitive advantage over its competitors. The decision will be made by the top level management in a company and the shareholders will be consulted for that (Harris,ÂÂ  1998). Example For taking an example of a strategic decision we can take a look at their working with a design driven strategy, they produce about 11000 styles per year which means that they produce about 1000 new styles every month which is managed by a team consist of experts in design and development fields of over 200 people. This means that every member of the team on average is producing around 60 styles a year. As a result of that in zara stores a customer can always find a customer can always find new and latest products. This comes out to be a successful strategic decision in order to gain the competitive edge and higher profits in the market (Machuca, 2005). Tactical decision The second type of decision is called tactical decision making. Such a decision may be made by a group of managers but the shareholders are not involved in it as it is a medium term decision and have a lesser effect then a strategic decision. The result of such a decision can be seen within a period of less than a year or so and it has no contribution in changing the direction of the business. (McKinne) Example An example of such a decision is Zaras unique approach to advertising and marketing. It an additional factor within their business model which adds a lot to their success. They spend 0.3% of total revenues on advertising and marketing. This percentage is very less as compared to the competitors in their markets as on average companies like GAP and HM spend about 3-4 % of their total revenue for the similar expense this shows that Zara is successfully maintain a cost advantage to their competitors in marketing activities. For completing with its peers successfully Zara uses different useful locations, store layouts and the life cycle of its products as an effective marketing tool. they open their stores in primes markets to get the maximum visibility. And as mentioned earlier their product are in stores for a very small period of time which provokes the customer to visit time and again and make a rapid decision about purchasing as they might not get that product again when they visit the store even next day. Zara also spend heavily to the layout of their stores each store is remolded after every five years to keep up with the current trends (Gallaugher, 2008) Operational decisions Operational decisions are those which are made on regular basis the effects of such decisions are often minimal and usually do not last for more than a week of so these decisions are mostly done by staff and do not require much of an attention by the top level management (Harris, 1998). Example The example of such a decisions at Zara is its Centralized Logistics and Distribution they have maintain a control and have optimized their supply chain very effectively at many different levels. Within a week there are two orders or prescribes specific days and hours with usually prepared overnight shipments in La Coruna. (Felipe et al., 2010) There are specific times for trucks to leave and shipments to arrive at stores, the garments are pre-hung, already labeled and priced even those which are set by air.ÂÂ   As a result of this clearly defined rhythm, not on the supply chain works smoothly but also the customers know the time and days to visit the stores to get the fresh arrivals and new designs. It is very interesting to know that where in industry a standard time of 6 months has to get the product from sketch to store Zara does this in a remarkable short time of just 2 weeks (Vitzthum, 2001) Task 3:Â  Information needed for decision making Following is the explanation of the type of information required for strategic and tactical decision making. Human intelligence such as information from store managers and market research and information technology such as PDA devices are being used in order to form a hybrid model for flow of information from where houses to stores. Manager present at Zara stores use hand handheld device to send the standardized information about the feedback by customers and ordering needs directly to in house designers. This not only support and helps in making strategic decisions along with the rapidly changing trends and customers demand but also make the company be aware about the merchandise which is less desirable. The competitors of Zara completely rely on information technology which the unique approach being used by Zara makes them manage their inventories well helps them create a link between demand and supply and also helps in controls the problems occurring due to obsolete merchandise. For supporting the operational decisions Information from the distribution centers and from the production facilities, gives a better view to the manager of a certain store about the availability of garments at the stores this also helps in adjusting their orders and passing on information needed by the customer. (123HelpMe.com, 2010) Task 4:Â  Competitors intelligence The competitive intelligence is a process of monitoring the activities of rivals in market. It helps to know about competitors plans and review the own strategies for taking successful decisions (Arik, 2010). Main competitors of Zara are HM and Gap. HM OPENS its distribution centers in the region it has its stores in order to cut down the lead time and transportation cost. It also heavily investing in advertisement which helps them cater large market size and capture attention of a lot of customers worldwide. Another risk which is reported to the Inditex group it works by reinvesting all its profits in opening new stores HM is Sweden based retailer that spent heavily in advertising and is a close competitor of Zara. HM opens its distribution center in the country of its operations so as to cut down on lead time and transportation cost. (Pankaj and Jose, 2006) The process which id adopted by Zara of obtaining the market information is very different from its competitors. Many of them majorly rely on small elite design teams that plan all the needs of the business. Their stores have a very little autonomy in deciding which products they should out in display or which to go for sale because the quantities and planned and shipped according to the forecasts. Where the speed of Zara in product development is far better than anyone in the market (123HelpMe.com, 2010). When it comes to Strategic Partnerships and Cost of Production Most of Zaras competitors have 100% outsourcing to cheap Asian countries. Zara does not use Asian outsourcing unlike its competitors such as Gap, Benetton, and HM and 80% of Zaras materials are manufactured in Europe with 50% made in Zara controlled facilities in the Galicia region of Spain . The cost of production in Spain is 17-20% more expensive than Asia this gives a cost advantage to it competitors in regard to labor and expands their market worldwide (123HelpMe.com, 2010). The information and communication technologies being used by the competitors of Zara are quite different the cost spent by Zara in this regard is less than 0.5% of its total revenue and the it employees account for about 0.5% of Zaras total workforce. And if we take a look at its competitors they spend on average 2% of their total revenue on it expenditures and have 2.5% of their total workforce devoted to it. Which certainly makes their working far better in these areas? This is the global age and these gimmicks are demand of the time so Zara should pay some more attention to it both financially and strategically (123HelpMe.com, 2010). Task 5:Â  Importance of Business-To-Business for Zara Business to business commerce is a form of E-commerce involving business to business transactions, servicing customers, working with other businesses and the exchanging of products or services. B2B opens up a global market at little cost, reduces the costs of sales and promotions and can increase demand. This term specifically defines the electronic collaboration among different enterprisers. The B2B is a lot more important for Zara to promote its business activities at a bigger level and to cater a bigger market. It makes sure the world about the about the presence of variety of products available in its stores. Zara is even new to e-commerce as it launched it website in 2009 (Alisa, 2009). As compared to its competitors Zara is offering cheaper rates and a good quality product that is why many dealers would want to make a purchase to save their expenditure on high prices designers clothes of same quality. This will also give the benefit of saving time and money because after taking the order the product may be delivered to the door step of the customer. And other e-commerce retailers who are involved with fashion will be looking carefully to what Zaras online store can bring to online shoppers. The pace of which your ordinary high street stores are moving online and developing e-commerce solutions is set to lead to a more intensified competition for online sales, and more focused e-commerce marketing strategies. (DeltaQuest, 2010) Canada and China: Cybercrime and Cryptocurrency Canada and China: Cybercrime and Cryptocurrency Bitcoin, Cyber-crime, Cryptocurrency, Canada, China. Cyber-crime is a byproduct of the information age and is growing very fast worldwide (FBI, 2017). As technology has advanced so have the criminals methods to exploit the internet. Cyber-crime can be described as the use of a computer, a network or other electronic device to facilitate a crime, Interpol makes a distinction between two types of cyber-crime (INTERPOL, 2017): Advanced cyber-crime attacks on computer software or hardware; Cyber-enabled crime financial crimes, crimes against children and terrorism are more prevalent since the introduction of the internet. These types of crime in the past would have been likely to be conducted by small groups or even individuals, but new trends according to Interpol show organized criminal gangs worldwide have embraced technology to further their profits be it from illegal gambling, sale of fake goods, theft, fraud etc. Since 2009 the criminals now have a new virtual currency also labelled as a cryptocurrency called Bitcoin which is used by many to conduct transactions on what has become known as the dark web. The dark web can only be accessed through encryption software and this area of the internet is largely un-policed and users can remain anonymous. The anonymity is an ideal scenario for the criminal to work in. This paper will discuss firstly the give a brief overview of cyber-crime and the origins of bitcoin in more detail. Secondly how this electronic currency technology is being used for legal and illegal purposes. And lastly how governments around the globe are trying to regulate this electronic currency, with a major focus on the Canadian government and Bill C-31. Criminality is nothing new it has been part of lives for centuries, crime as such has not changed over the years only the tools used to carry them out have developed. Criminals have learned to use technology to hide themselves in the shadows and use technology to further profit. The biggest technological advancement in the last thirty years has been the internet. The internet has revolutionized our lives in so many ways from ease of communications, e-commerce to the large wealth of knowledge on line. Cyber-crime comes in many forms but it is primarily aimed at computers, computer infrastructure and other connected devices. With the large spread of the internet and smartphones, now nearly 3.2 billion people on the planet have access to the internet (ITU, 2015). It increases the pool of people that criminals have access to. When this is compared to decades ago when computers were only used by government agencies, research and financial institutes, crime in this area was limited to those who had the expertise and access to these devices (Clough, 2015). Now a small group can conduct crimes on a global scale without the restrictions of physical location to perform the crime. Bitcoin is an electronic virtual currency that allows users to conduct transactions between themselves (peer to peer) over an electronic network without the need for a third party namely a financial institution (Nakamoto 2008). Bitcoin was released in January 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto which there is little known about as this was an alias used by the inventor (Powers 2014). The Bitcoin software is open source and in order to use the currency a user must obtain a wallet, there are two common types of wallets. Firstly the software wallet and the secondly the mobile wallet (Bitcoin 2017). The software wallet is mostly stored on a users hard drive, with the mobile wallet being stored on mobile devices such as android phones, IOS phones and tablets, giving the user the flexibility of have a currency attached to a mobile device. These wallets contain both a public and private key, the public key is what a user will share with other Bitcoin users in order to have them send bitcoins over the internet, whereas the private key is used by the owner of the bitcoins to make payments from the wallet (Miller 2015). The back bone of this cryptocurrency is the public ledger called the blockchain, this ledger records who owns what bitcoins and records transactions that take place. No one controls or owns the blockchain its all in the public domain. Transactions on the blockchain cant be reversed, the blockchain is only written too and are confirmed by the peer to peer network. Nakamoto has placed a limit of just under 21 million bitcoins, once that limit is reached, no more bitcoins can be made. Bitcoin is viewed as being the electronic equivalent of cash, as no financial institutes are involved no personal information is required when creating a personal wallet or purchasing Bitcoins. This anonymity has drawn scrutiny from some sectors to Bitcoin because some criminals have adopted the currency instead of conducting business in more traditional financial ways (Miller 2015). Just like any currency, Bitcoin can be used to purchase many of the everyday things in life the same way that we use traditional cash or credit cards. You can transfer Bitcoin to relatives, donate to charity, and this was what Bitcoin was created for to be a replacement for current systems. The first Bitcoin ATM was opened in Vancouver, Canada in 2013. In its first week of operation, the ATM performed over 10,000 independent transactions with a third of users being first time Bitcoin buyers (Wagner 2013). Across the world, entire city areas are accepting this cryptocurrency Bitcoin as payment for a range of goods and services. In the Germany City of Berlin, the borough of Kreuzberg, has the highest number of businesses accepting Bitcoin on the planet. This is expanding across the globe because every day more and more businesses are authorizing Bitcoin as a means of payment (Small 2015). Kirkpatrick (2017) refers to an interview with David Decary-Hetu, an adjunct professor of criminology at the University of Montreal, There are many helpful and legal reasons for having bitcoin, Decary-Hetu says, noting that large established companies such as Dell Computer, Expedia, Microsoft, and PayPal, each accept bitcoin, and are clearly not dealing in illegal goods. Small (2015) stated the total market value of the Bitcoin currency is currently estimated at slightly below $7.6 billion. The main argument for the regulation of virtual currencies and Bitcoin is that because of the anonymity offered to the buyer of such currencies, criminals have advantage over law makers and law enforcement. This anonymity helps obscure the identities of those purchasing drugs, money laundering, illegal paraphernalia and terrorist financing with the use of Bitcoin. Kirkpatrick (2017) again in his interview with Decary-Hetu says There is no way to tie your identity to your online bitcoin wallet address, if you do it properly, noting that when users try to convert cryptocurrencies to traditional money they may lose that anonymity. Thats where sloppy people are going to get arrested. China In China, the government banned Bitcoin in December 2013. The Peoples Bank of China does not give Bitcoin any legal status, refuses to recognize it as a currency, and has misgivings about Bitcoin as a central authority does not regulate it (Ponsford 2015). This was not always the case as in May 2013, the Chinese government unofficially gave its blessing to the currency when the government sponsored a documentary that was shown on state television to inform the public about Bitcoin (Small 2015). Because of the interest that came from the documentary, a surge of Chinese clients downloaded Bitcoin software, more than any other country for the last seven months of 2013. Before the ban, China accounted for the most Bitcoin exchanges and as a result Bitcoins value plummeted nearly twenty percent in a single day after the announcement (Small 2015). Canada In Canada, the government in 2014 stated that Bitcoin was not legal tender. The government however did state that it was a payment system (George-Cosh 2014) and as such should be taxed as a commodity when Bitcoin is exchanged for Canadian currency. Canada was the first jurisdiction in the world to pass concrete legislative measures to deal with Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Bill C-31 was passed into law in June 2014, which made reporting requirements on the use of virtual currencies like Bitcoin. These measures are similar in nature to regulations on other financial transactions in the country. Bill C-31 made it law that Bitcoin be regulated as a money services business, requiring users to register with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC). These Bitcoin regulations would apply to both domestic and international Bitcoin operators (Ponsford 2015). The summary of Bill C-31 stated (in part): Division 19 of Part 6 amends the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to, among other things, enhance the client identification, record keeping and registration requirements for financial institutions and intermediaries, refer to online casinos, and extend the application of the Act to persons and entities that deal in virtual currencies and foreign money services businesses [emphasis added]. Legislation that specifically altered the definition of money services business stated: (4) If subsection 256(2) comes into force, then on the latter of January 1, 2015 and the day on which that subsection comes into force, money services business means an entity (a)(iv) dealing in virtual currencies, as defined by regulation Other legislative provisions incorporated virtual currency language, including foreign businesses directing services at a Canadian person or entity. This legislation has had effects on Bitcoin use in Canada, because firstly it regulates virtual currency as a money service business; secondly imposes registration with FINTRAC to combat money laundering and terrorist financing; thirdly extends to both users inside and outside of the jurisdiction, or services within Canada; fourthly prevents banks from dealing with unregistered users (Ponsford 2015). References bitcoin.org (2017). Available: https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet. Last accessed 18/03/2017. Calumn Jeffrey and Tobias Feakin. (2015). Ungerground web. ASPI Special Report. March 2015. Daniel Miller. (2015). Bitcoin explained: the digital currency making millionaires. Available: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-02/bitcoins-the-digital-currency-explained/5119034. Last accessed 19/03/2017. David George-Cosh. (2014). Canada Says Bitcoin Isnt Legal Tender. Available: http://blogs.wsj.com/canadarealtime/2014/01/16/canada-says-bitcoin-isnt-legal-tender/. Last accessed 12/03/2017. Dr. Mike McGuire (University of Surrey) and Samantha Dowling (Home Office Science). (2013). Cyber-dependent crimes. Cyber crime: A review of the evidence. p4-p5. FBI. (unknown). What we Investigate. Available: https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/cyber. Last accessed 16/02/2017. Jeffery Powers. (2014). January 3, 2009: Bitcoin Introduced, 1983: Computer Machine of the Year. Available: http://dayintechhistory.com/dith/january-3-2009-bitcoin-introduced-1983-computer-machine-year/. Last accessed 19/03/2017. Jonathan Clough (2015). Principles of Cybercrime. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p6. Keith Kirkpatrick. (2017). Financing the Dark Web . Communications of the ACM. 60 (3), p21-p22. International cyber security protection alliance. (2012). Detailed Findings. Impact of cyber crime on businesses in Canada. ICSPA (4),p3, p16. INTERPOL. (2017). Cybercrime. Available: https://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Cybercrime/Cybercrime. Last accessed 18/02/2017. International Telecommunication Union. (2015). ICT revolution and remaining gaps. ICT Facts and Figures 2015, p1. Kurt Wagner. (2013). Worlds First Bitcoin ATM Opens In Vancouver, Canada. Available: http://mashable.com/2013/10/30/bitcoin-atm-2/#HUU2o4zadsq7. Last accessed 18/03/2017. Matthew P. Ponsford . (2015). A Comparative Analysis of Bitcoin and Other Decentralised Virtual Currencies: Legal Regulation in the Peoples Republic of China, Canada, and the United States . Hong Kong Journal of Legal Studies Volume 9 (2015) . p51-p70. Satoshi Nakamoto. (2008). Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. Stephen Small. (2015). BITCOIN: THE NAPSTER OF CURRENCY. HOUSTON JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW. 37 (2), p585-p640.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Arab Conquest of the Central Asia Essay -- History, Muslim Populat

The Arab Conquest of the Central Asia was a significant event which impacted on the whole region at the beginning of the eighth century. Abu Ja’far Muhammad al-Tabari was one of the historians who described this conquest for the Muslim population later in ninth century by using different accounts (p. 16). His text is useful for the evaluation of Qutayba’s conquests of Central Asia and can be compared with the same century’s Persian historian al-Baladhuri (p. 11) and his description of the Arab Conquest. This excerpt can be regarded as relevant to the Silk Roads Survey due to the fact that it reflects in detail all aspects of past events, and emphasizes their historical importance. Firstly, the author refers to accounts from various sources (p.16) and describes in detail what happened during the seizure of Sogda. Secondly, when al-Tabari narrates about the events occurred in this region he uses direct quotations of the Arab conquerors and Sogdian defenders. For instance, when Sogdians asked Fergana kings for the support (p.17) al-Tabari demonstrates the full reflection of things happ...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Jose Rizal: the Portal of Hope from the Past

Considered as the national hero of our country, Dr. Jose Rizal played a significant role in our history. He was known as one of the most prominent writers of his time. Among his famous works were the novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. These notable stories gave way for his nationalistic thoughts which became the wick of the long revolts in the past. He believed on the power of pen in contrast to Bonifacio’s view. His death made us face a reality that undeniably tells us the deplorable image of our nation. But do you think he succeeded in opening the eyes of each Filipino? Of course, he did. His works, legendary writings and exemplary lifestyle formed who he was and became to be. Most people live similarly in that they progress through stages of life that ultimately make them who they are. Rizal inspired all the Filipinos to fight for their own freedom. But sadly, most of what he contributed was just left behind and taken for granted. Everyone searches for different pleasures in life, whether it is money, power, fame, knowledge, peace, understanding of self, or just the thrill of adventure whatever it takes. Somehow, we are already forgetting the roots of our valued land. For instance, the crimes are becoming widespread. Due to our fears, we neglect the importance of seeking for truth and justice. We let others decide for ourselves. We do not have anymore the will to struggle for righteousness. As long as we live, we opt to stay away from scenarios involving critical thinking and vital decision-making. So did Rizal’s existence made sense? Appreciation is where we all need to start. Now that we’re aware of how essential his works are, we must open our eyes and make changes. Let us show our deep love and concern for this hero of democracy. In fighting for what we think is right, we are opening the portals of hope from the past. We eagerly face the future with valor and optimism. And we indeed show this great person of yesterday that we still value what he valiantly fought for us.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Minit-Lube Case Study Essays

Minit-Lube Case Study Essays Minit-Lube Case Study Paper Minit-Lube Case Study Paper Date: September 12, 2011 1. What constitutes the mission of Minit-Lube? To provide fast, reliable and superior service in a customer friendly environment while ensuring lowest possible prices. 2. How does the Minit-Lube operations strategy provide competitive advantage? A narrow products strategy could be defined as lubricating automobiles that allows the subsequent development of more focused and efficient operations. Because of limited task variety, high repetition, good training, and good manuals, quality should be relatively easy to maintain. The process strategy allows employees and capital investment to focus on doing this mission well, rather than trying to be a general purpose garage or gas station. Facilities are usually located near residential areas. The three bays are designed specifically for lubrication and vacuuming tasks to minimize wasted movement on the part of the employees and to contribute to the speedier service. Purchasing is facilitated by negotiation of large purchases and custom packaging. Focuses on hiring a few employees with limited skills and training them in a limited number of tasks during the performance of which they can be closely supervised. Should be relatively low, and they should expect a high turnover. Scheduling: Scheduling should be very direct, assisting both staffing and customer relation. Very little equipment to be maintained, little preventive maintenance required. With three bay and three systems, there is backup available in the case of failure. 3. Is it likely that Minit-Lube has increased productivity over its more traditional competitors? Why? How would we measure productivity in this industry? Yes, precise task assignments and good training are designed to move the car into and out of the bay in 10 minutes. The idea is to charge no more, and hopefully less, than gas stations, automotive repair chains, and auto dealers, while providing better service.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

WATCH How to create personal boundaries at work

WATCH How to create personal boundaries at work We spend A LOT of time at work. Â  And colleagues can quickly become friends. Â  But if you find yourself working with someone who has mistaken your friendliness for flirtation, then it’s time to re-establish your personal boundaries. Â  Today’s Bossy Skirt clip offers three actionable and drama-free ways to keep things professional (and comfortable) at work. Source: [Daily Fuel]

Monday, November 4, 2019

Income inequality in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Income inequality in America - Essay Example Income inequality has greatly influenced the nature of government in most parts of the world. Power has always been closed linked to the amount of wealth owned by an individual. It is only those who are rich and have the means regarding wealth, remain leading the country. Elections unfortunately in most countries are done favouring those said to â€Å"own such a nation† concerning wealth. It is also evident that inequality has great impact on the health of the population. Eberstadt and Sally argue that â€Å"health is the most sensitive indicators of the social costs of inequality (5).† Further, inequality causes people to see others differently. For instance, â€Å" inequality causes people to perceive their neighbours as more alien or less trustworthy (Eberstadt and Sally 2).† The notion by many that power goes hand in hand with the financial stability of an individual is totally against the principles of democracy and free human rights and freedoms. Like Rober t Reich would state, â€Å"leaders are born and not determined by social status (Reich 30).† the discrepancy amid the rich and the poor has been a great hindrance to mature politics in any given state. The United States over the 1920's centuries ago, after industrialization, several prominent individuals have worked hard to bring about the mature politics and free democracy at present. Political games of elections conduct regarding wealth factors, is a big blow to the promotion of democracy that has been the target for most countries.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Home Land Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Home Land Security - Research Paper Example In terms of the security issues at port, the maritime transport act was introduced to provide more security in the ports and to decrease the case of smuggling and entry of terrorist. In road transport, the overall surveillance of the transport system increased considerably with implementation of technology to improve the security system. The transportation Security in USA has become matter of prime concern since the September, 11 attacks in the country. The US government dedicated their best efforts in increasing the security system of the country in every mode of transportation. As an initiative to make the transport system more secure, the Transportation Security Administration started operating under the US Department of Homeland Security. The primary objective of the agency was to provide safety and security to the traveling public based in the country so that any an incident like 9/11 does not occur again. Special task was assigned to develop policies to protect the overall transportation system in the country with a special focus on airport security and in the prevention of hijacking of aircrafts. The federal government also adopted special policies to look after the security issues in highways, roads, railways and in ports. Over the years the security in the transportation system have modified in a large exte nt to protect the common public. In the process of securing the transportation system the US government faced massive challenge in as providing security to hundreds of airports along with the sea ports and transit service proved to a daunting task. Much of the responsibility for strengthening the aviation system was assigned to the TSA which came into existence just after the massive attack on world trade center. TSA was engaged with the screening process of the passengers and the property. In the newly reformed security system in aviation, explosive