A simple index number :: Economics

A simple index number Index numbers is a number that expresses the relative change in price, quantity, or value from one period to another (1). Price index number = cost of basket in current period x 100 cost of basket in base period An index number provides a quantitative description of change over time - how much increase? How much decrease? Market researchers are also using index numbers are also using index numbers to compare a research result with an overall norm, to measure how the investment, specially in advertising industry, are working. How changes in these figures are related to the current economy as advertising is promoted as an engine that drives the economy rather than a supplement? 2. A composite index 2.1 Laspeyres Price Index The most commonly used weighted price index is the Laspeyres Price Index named after its inventor. It is a weighted aggregate price index that uses the quantities in the base period/ year as weights (Harper, 1991,p215). In essence, Laspeyres price index for the year measured shows the extent of price changes since base year on the assumption that the expenditure pattern was the same in the year measured as in base year. Thus, only price is allowed to change and the index for the current period reflects this price. 2.2 Paasche Price Index Another weighted price index is the Paasche Price Index, which uses the current quantity weights and adjusts the base each time a new period is considered. It is a weighted aggregate price index that uses the quantities in the current year as the weights (Harper, 1991,p215). Paasche price index shows the changes assuming the expenditure pattern was the same in base year as in the year measured. 2.3 Advantages and Limitations Both the Laspeyres index and the Paasche index have advantages and limitations, as indicated following: 2.3.1 Advantages Laspeyres index  · Easy to calculate.  · The Laspeyres index is the more convenient to use on a continuing basis, because the weights of base year remain fixed.  · It can be easier and cheaper to produce since the only quantities required are for the base period.  · Laspeyres where the same base weights can be used for a number of periods making it less demanding of data. As the weights don't change period to period (fixed basket) it can be considered to show exclusively price (or quantity) change (1). Paasche index -------------  · Uses quantities from the current period, thus reflects current buying habits 2.3.2 Limitations Laspeyres index  · It cannot be used if quantities are unobtainable.  · Laspeyres, as time moves on the fixed basket becomes less relevant. Paasche index  · There can be a mass of statistical data requirement, as Paasche

Identity of the Artist: Bob Dylan’s Chronicles Essay

Early on in his rambling memoir, Chronicles (2004), Bob Dylan expresses a surprising affiliation. I’d read that stuff. Voltaire, Rousseau, John Locke, Montesquieu, MartinLuther—visionaries, revolutionaries†¦it was like I knew those guys, like they’d been living in my backyard. (p. 30) This â€Å"backyard† of the songwriter, identified through much of his career with subversion and rebellion, is a striking revelation, though the â€Å"intellectual† content of his most famous early albums may, in retrospect, be viewed as a preparation for it. In various other ways Dylan is surprising. It seems likely that he took on the writing of the book out of a drive to clarify his life-motive, to â€Å"set the record straight† with regard to both his artistic heritage and his character as a man. The stereotype of the â€Å"misunderstood artist† applies in his case, in a manner to highlight not his inner reality as a mystagogue, or political luminary, but as a man, relatively, of convention—family-oriented, taking pleasure in consumption, in friendship, in home ownership, in success as a parent and provider. With marriage and fatherhood, in fact, Dylan seems decidedly to take the measure of his own would-be character. Political/cultural spokesmanship is not for him. In fact he repeatedly deplores the sort of activist political role others try to cast him in. In the â€Å"New Morning† chapter, he writes: The events of the day, all the cultural mumbo jumbo were imprisoning my soul—nauseating me—civil rights and political leaders being gunned down†¦ —the whole shebang. I was determined to put myself beyond the reach of it all. I was a family man now, didn’t want to be in that group portrait. (p. 109) Bob Dylan’s Chronicles 4 Fame and political miscasting evolve eventually into a martyrdom. Seeming proud of his acquaintances among the conventionally and competently famous (actor Tony Curtis, singer Frank Sinatra Jr. , country music star Johnny Cash), he wants no part of either his starry-eyed fans, or his politically revved-up and misguided disciples. His home is no refuge. Pursuers follow him to the country. Intolerably besieged, he moves from Woodstock in rural New York, to New York City, to the West Coast, to East Hampton on Long Island, where at last he seems find partial refuge. Visited there by Bono of the radical group U2, he shares not so much any politically â€Å"correct† views, or high-powered visions of change, as his recollections of small-town Minnesota: memories of ordinariness: the giant kitsch statue of a Viking in the town of Alexandria, the Mesabi Iron Range where he grew up (pp. 174-175). One of the more impressive aspects of Chronicles is Dylan’s candid self-assessments, especially in the â€Å"Oh Mercy† chapter. My performance days in heavy traffic had been grinding to a halt for a while, had almost come to full stop. I had single-handedly shot myself in the foot too many times. †¦You have to deliver the goods, not waste your time and everybody else’s. †¦There was a missing person inside of myself and I needed to find him. (p. 147) Here the artist appears as an honest workman. His fame established, he recognizes that his live performances have grown shoddy. He takes himself to task, rejects self-indulgence and excuses. â€Å"I felt done for, a burned-out wreck† (p. 147). Such comments are not the evasions of a complacent drone, or a degenerate renegade resting on ill-gotten laurels. This is the voice of chagrined manhood, of the tough personal stance. The singer goes on from here to chronicle his personal struggle toward a new performance style, eventuating in a whole change of approach. Dylan’s capacity to work through crises appears to stem from formative childhood situations later recapitulated in his musical influences. In the fifth chapter of Chronicles , â€Å"River of Ice,† Bob Dylan’s Chronicles 5 he reminisces about the period in his career just prior to his relocating in New York City. At this time he is living in Minneapolis, in the same state as his family, awash in Minnesotan resonances and recollections. That he is so powerfully drawn to the music of Woody Guthrie is clearly attributable to the blue-collar surroundings of his early home life, the homely truths purveyed as standard growing-up fare by his parents. His father, he tells us, was â€Å"pragmatic and always had a word of cryptic advice. † His mother concerns herself with his not being harmed by â€Å"a lot of monkey business out there in the world† (p. 226). Within two pages of these recollections, he makes explicit his antipathy for â€Å"the mondo teeno scene† and his preference for â€Å"the traditional stuff with a capital T† (p. 228). And the singer who embodies for him the conjunction of working class roots and â€Å"the traditional stuff† is, unquestionably, Guthrie. The whole uniqueness of Dylan’s musical art seems to take its early inspiration from this towering figure, whose work â€Å"tore everything in his path to pieces† and â€Å"had the infinite sweep of humanity† in it (p. 244). It is not too much to say that Guthrie is even a father figure to the young musician, who aspires to be his â€Å"greatest disciple† and feels, though he has never met the older man, that the two of them are â€Å"related† (p. 246). An exact connection between Dylan’s folk-music-and-blue-collar heritage on the one hand, and his rather middle-class approach to life in the wake of his economic success as a â€Å"star† on the other may not exist except in the singer’s own psyche. Notwithstanding, the aspiration to a â€Å"better life†Ã¢â‚¬â€understood as an increased ability to purchase and consume—is as much an American â€Å"tradition with a capital T† as folk music, or union membership. Dylan makes it clear that, once he has a family (and probably before), there is never any question of divided loyalties, or the assumption of a role seriously at odds with the political status quo. For him, the American scene of his youth â€Å"was wide open†¦not only was it not run by God, but it wasn’t run by the Bob Dylan’s Chronicles 6 devil either† (p. 293). And, on the evidence of his career and allegiances, this negative certainty has proven endorsement enough for him. Bob Dylan’s Chronicles 1 Running Head: BOB DYLAN’S CHRONICLES Identity of the Artist: Bob Dylan’s Chronicles Name School Professor Course Bob Dylan’s Chronicles 2 Abstract In his autobiographical memoir, Chronicles, Bob Dylan reveals a character that is conventional and politically unradical, despite popular misreadings and the attempts of his activist contemporaries to recruit him as spokesman for radical causes. His life and work show strong allegiances to traditional American family life and American folk music, especially that of Woody Guthrie.

Free Essays on Gregg V. Georgia

Syllabus Petitioner was charged with committing armed robbery and murder on the basis of evidence that he had killed and robbed two men. At the trial stage of Georgia's bifurcated procedure, the jury found petitioner guilty of two counts of armed robbery and two counts of murder. At the penalty stage, the judge instructed the jury that it could recommend either a death sentence or a life prison sentence on each count; that it was free to consider mitigating or aggravating circumstances, if any, as presented by the parties; and that it would not be authorized to consider imposing the death sentence unless it first found beyond a reasonable doubt (1) that the murder was committed while the offender was engaged in the commission of other capital felonies, viz., the armed robberies of the victims; (2) that he committed the murder for the purpose of receiving the victims' money and automobile; or (3) that the murder was "outrageously and wantonly vile, horrible and inhuman" in that it "involved the depravity of [the] mind of the defendant." The jury found the first and second of these aggravating circumstances, and returned a sentence of death. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the convictions. After reviewing the trial transcript and record and comparing the evidence and sentence in similar cases, the court upheld the death sentences for the murders, concluding that they had not resulted from prejudice or any other arbitrary factor, and were not excessive or disproportionate to the penalty applied in similar cases, but vacated the armed robbery sentences on the ground, inter alia, that the death penalty had rarely been imposed in Georgia for that offense. Petitioner challenges imposition of the death sentence under the Georgia statute as "cruel and unusual" punishment under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. That statute, as amended following Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (where this Court held to be violative of those Am... Free Essays on Gregg V. Georgia Free Essays on Gregg V. Georgia Syllabus Petitioner was charged with committing armed robbery and murder on the basis of evidence that he had killed and robbed two men. At the trial stage of Georgia's bifurcated procedure, the jury found petitioner guilty of two counts of armed robbery and two counts of murder. At the penalty stage, the judge instructed the jury that it could recommend either a death sentence or a life prison sentence on each count; that it was free to consider mitigating or aggravating circumstances, if any, as presented by the parties; and that it would not be authorized to consider imposing the death sentence unless it first found beyond a reasonable doubt (1) that the murder was committed while the offender was engaged in the commission of other capital felonies, viz., the armed robberies of the victims; (2) that he committed the murder for the purpose of receiving the victims' money and automobile; or (3) that the murder was "outrageously and wantonly vile, horrible and inhuman" in that it "involved the depravity of [the] mind of the defendant." The jury found the first and second of these aggravating circumstances, and returned a sentence of death. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the convictions. After reviewing the trial transcript and record and comparing the evidence and sentence in similar cases, the court upheld the death sentences for the murders, concluding that they had not resulted from prejudice or any other arbitrary factor, and were not excessive or disproportionate to the penalty applied in similar cases, but vacated the armed robbery sentences on the ground, inter alia, that the death penalty had rarely been imposed in Georgia for that offense. Petitioner challenges imposition of the death sentence under the Georgia statute as "cruel and unusual" punishment under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. That statute, as amended following Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (where this Court held to be violative of those Am...

Aeromedics essays

Aeromedics essays Death from above. The is how the modern generation has the Helicopter depicted to it by Hollywood. But reality hold a different truth. Most Ground Pounders remember things a little different. To them it was Dusty that is remembered from their war and they counted on. It was not a bird of prey, but a dove of mercy that brought life to the wounded. This air medical helicopter was the one that every wounded man listed and prayed for. And from this hope was The History behind Airmedical Evacuation began as many other things did, as an experimental derived from a war time military. During World War II the militarys of the world took enormous casualties and suffered a high mortality rate because there was no way to expeditiously evacuate the wounded. In 1951, at the start of the Korean police action, Igor Sikorskis new invention, the Helicopter, changed all that. Even tough crude it did allow for fast extrication of the worst of the wounded and allowed Doctors to begin treatment faster. And yet something As world events changed the United States found itself involved in another conflict. This time it was in a small country in South East Asia called Vietnam. It was here in 1962 that the first of the Dustoffs were seen. At first there were no medical personnel on these flights but reason soon prevailed and medics soon went into the air. For several years these medics were the first line of care for those troops. Then in 1967 a revised training program was begun and the This new breed of combat medic was trained to an advanced level of medical care unheard of outside of a field hospital. With better equipment, more knowledge, and faster transport time, care of wounded personnel significantly improved and deaths from combat related injuries decreased. As with any other good idea word spread like wild fire. The civili...

Meaning and Origin of the Surname Peterson

Meaning and Origin of the Surname Peterson Peterson is a Scandinavian patronymic surname meaning son of Peter. The given name Peter is derived from the Greek πΠ­Ãâ€žÃ ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€šÃ‚  (petros), meaning rock or stone, and has been a popular name choice throughout history for the Christian apostle Peter, chosen by Christ to be the rock on which the church was to be found.  It is estimated that there are over 700 different spellings of the Peterson surname and suspicions that the name came from the Danish name Petersen. Quick Facts The Peterson spelling may also be an Americanized form of similar non-English surnames such as Petersen or Pettersson. Five additional alternate surname spellings include Peters, Petersson, Peterssen, Peterzen and even Pedersen.The surname is most commonly found in European countries such as Denmark, Germany, Holland,  and Brussels in the northwestern region.In Denmark, it has been calculated that nearly 3.4% of the population has the surname Peterson.Peterson is the  63rd most popular surname  in the United States.Some of the most popular male first name with the surname Peterson include John, Robert, and William. Anna, Emma, and Mary are some of the most common female names.The origin of the surname includes  English, Scottish, and  German. Famous People Oscar Peterson: Canadian jazz pianist and composer  who won eight Grammy AwardsAmanda Peterson: Former American actress who was in the romantic comedy movie Cant Buy Me Love (1987)Drew Peterson: Former policeman convicted of murdering his wifeAdrian Peterson: NFL running back for the Minnesota VikingsDebbi Peterson: American drummer and musician in the all-female band, The Bangles Genealogy Resources 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their Meanings   Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?Peterson Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Peterson surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Peterson query.FamilySearch - Peterson GenealogySearch and browse historical records and family trees for the Peterson surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website.Peterson Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Peterson surname.DistantCousin.com - Peterson Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Peterson. To find the meaning of a given name, review the resource First Name Meanings. If, for some reason, you cant find your last name listed below,  suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings and Origins. References: Surname Meanings and Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German-Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 31

Business Ethics - Essay Example Virtue theory encompasses the individual behavior of an individual in the wider realm of character to benefit self and others. It is similar to utilitarianism that supports the happiness of person irrespective of societal conventions unless it affects their acceptable moral concepts. However, in terms of addressing values, deontological ethics differs from other theories because it is concerned with one’s obligation or duty to do good (Trevino & Nelson, 2011). In other words, while virtue theory espouses a consequence as a result of contravening tolerable values, it imposes penalties on the person. This is different from deontological ethics or utilitarianism that largely focuses on the maximization of utility. According to Mill who started utilitarianism, reducing suffering through happiness is the role and responsibility of a person unlike the deontological perspective of attaining a good feeling as a duty. Similarly, in explaining moral concepts and values, all the theories concur especially in organizations on the need for workers to practice proper ethical conduct irrespective of the immediate gain. It, thus, becomes part of an organizational culture where morality emanates from each individual. Another interesting aspect of the theories involves the possible ramifications in cases of slow implementation especially in organizational contexts. In my personal experience, for example, I think virtue theory explains ethics better than utilitarianism does to morality. This is because while the former revolves around character traits and habits of an individual, utilitarianism is an innate feeling that lacks respect for either good or bad. Contrastingly, while moral concepts in society are defined by people and culture, deontological ethics fails to demonstrate how free will contributes to a universal conduct found in most companies. It also fails to acknowledge the basic tenets of managing ethical challenges especially when they

Organisation Structure, Employee Motivation And Effectivness Dissertation

Organisation Structure, Employee Motivation And Effectivness - Dissertation Example It will then discuss the applicability of various motivational theories towards the improvement of employee motivation and effectiveness in the day to day running of organisations. Literature Review This paper seeks to give an analysis of the interrelationship among organisational structure on employee motivation and organisational effectiveness. The question that the research paper seeks to answer is whether organisational structure has a significant impact on employee motivation and organisational effectiveness. In an attempt to answer this question, an integrative review of literature will be conducted. Aswathappa, (2005) asserts that many researchers have concentrated in research work on areas of improving productivity based on separate aspects such as organisational structure, motivation of workers and organisational effectiveness disregarding the fact that the interrelationship between the three plays an integral part in production. It is for this reason that the study in quest ion studies the relationship between the three aspects. To begin with, the researcher will give general overviews of the four theories. The researcher will then describe the research methodology and give an overview of the reviewed literature. Historical overview Virgin Group is a collection of companies constituting one of the largest organizations in the globe. Since its establishment, Virgin Group has posed diversity in its business operations in the entire industry. The smart structure of the Virgin Group owes its origin to the core founder, Richard Branson, who created a decentralized organizational structure that allows its employees to act based on their own reasoning. This helps reduce bureaucracy where workers are subjected to adherence to bureaucratic procedures. In... This article stresses that Virgin Group is a collection of companies constituting one of the largest organizations in the globe. Since its establishment, Virgin Group has posed diversity in its business operations in the entire industry. The smart structure of the Virgin Group owes its origin to the core founder, Richard Branson, who created a decentralized organizational structure that allows its employees to act based on their own reasoning. This paper makes a conclusion that environmental changes can sometimes have adverse effect in large organisations as a result large organizations that have complex structures such as Virgin Group need to adapt swiftly to these changes. In this case such an organisation requires an organic structure that will allow flexibility in an ever dynamic environment. If each of these companies were to operate independently then, each providing a unique good or service, Virgin Group would been said to have product departmentalization where each division operates based on the product or service it offers. However, Virgin Group structure offers a unique scenario because a company affiliated to it does not have to necessarily specialize in one department. The executive is required to look at fairness in judgement of different situations since different situations require different interventions. In addition to this, the theory serves minor purposes in the public domain. Virgin Group understands th e importance of job security and stability in ensuring motivation of it employees.