2014 FOMC Meetings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

2014 FOMC Meetings - Essay Example After discussion and questions from the Bank presidents, the report is then ratified. The next stage is board’s staff representation where the board’s director gives a forecast; it is discussed and the bank presidents raise questions where necessary. Bank presidents then provide an overview of the economic conditions in their areas followed by the governors giving their national outlook. Agenda number two is about the monetary policy and domestic policy directives. Board Director of Monetary Affairs Division outlines different scenarios of the monetary policy, participants’ discuss them and then the chairperson summarizes and proposes any wordings to be made in the policy statements. Next, the participants have their lunch as they present the latest developments in Congress on the banking legislations of importance to the Federal Reserve. At exactly 2.15 p.m., an announcement is made regarding any change in the discount and federal funds rates. The announcement is made as a promotion to openness in banking. When FOMC meeting ends, the Chair of Fe deral Reserve gives a press statement to give out the decisions made. The January press statement shows some improvement in economic activities as well as improved labor markets. Unemployment rates have reduced, and there is an increasing household spending trend. Business investments have also improved which is believed to have stimulated the improved economic activities. The existing fiscal policy is seen to be pulling down economic activities, but it is losing its strength with time. With reduced unemployment rates, the committee sees a risk of inflation though it will be maintained at the committee’s objective of 2%. In the statement, the committee confirms that the target rate for the funds will remain to be 0 to 1/4 percent if the unemployment rate will stay 6-1/2 percent. However, the inflation rate is expected to be above the committee’s objective

Teaching Literacy in Reception Classes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Teaching Literacy in Reception Classes - Essay Example This essay stresses that the students who are coming from different nations around the world meet a challenge of dealing with the difficulty of living and getting used to a the living that is accustomed for the foreign land that they ought to fit into. In this paper, a comprehensive set of lessons shall be discussed that would be directly applicable to any subject in general. The applicability of the said lessons is attested by the fact that in dealing with multicultural classes, there is a certain need of having a variety of approaches as to how the subjects are presented. This paper directly refers to multiculturalism as an agent of interest among students in a certain class. As per mentioned herein, it could be noted that the lessons that are suggested for implementation in this paper are mainly focused in enhancing the respect that students have towards each other’s culture. There have also been other suggestions addressed to the instructors as to how they are supposed to deliver the lessons for better results for the class. Through the usage and application of the suggested aids and attitudes towards the subject or lesson implementation, it could be noted that the technological innovations would be much helpful in creating an environment that would be susceptible for everyone to understand the main reasons of the lesson implication. In an overall view, it could be observed that the entire paper gives a high regard for creating a peaceful environment for learning within a class that is composed of multicultural students.

Alternative Assessment Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alternative Assessment Analysis - Essay Example Various forms of formal alternative assessments are the portfolios, projects, and journals. These kind of assessments have specific guidelines and formally specified performance indicators that are used to measure students learning. The major situation in which these kinds of assessments are appropriate is actually, when the learning attribute measured is specific and can be practically revealed. A good example is the assessment of a student’s ability to plan, manage, and implement a program related to their field of study. In such a case a project or a portfolio can be very appropriate to assess the student’s skills. The most conspicuous form of an informal alternative assessment is observation. This kind of assessment is informal since it has no specific indicators that can show the level of performance of a student. It is also one kind of an assessment undertaken informally and sometimes the student might fail to realize that he is being assessed. This kind of assessment is very appropriate when it comes to assessing competency of some aspects of learning that the student might try to hide. A good example is the assessment of pronunciation and communication ability of a student. There was a time our teacher used observation form of assessment in assessing our ability to communicate back in elementary school. Most of us were not aware that it was an assessment until the teacher told us so after we had completed the task that was assigned to us. The assignment was simple since each of the students was to use five minutes to explain to the teacher his most exciting moments of the class. Later, after the teacher informed us that it was an assessment he showed us the rubric that he was using to mark the assessment. He later told each of us his score in the assessment, where he had gone wrong, and what he needs to improve. He also told us various types of instructions that he has decided to introduce in order to counter the

Art Music of Caribbean Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art Music of Caribbean Latin America - Essay Example Folklore too was used as subject matter for the songs, by musicians like Juan Francisco Garcia, for instance. There were classical influences too, like that of Claude Debussy on Marchena’s music. Jose Dolores is famous for adding the bells and bass to band music in the army. Jazz was incorporated too, by Luis Alberti, and others. Rafael Ignacio is famous for popularizing dance music. Classical music was very influential in Cuba. Ernesto Lecuona, Amadeo Roldà ¡n and Julian Orbon are again three notable pioneers of this country. Musical forms like the Salsa, had their roots in the Son, which first began in the 1570s. The influx of African slaves as well as the Spanish colonization had lasting impact on the development of music. The Rumba, Danzon, Chachacha and other dance forms became very popular and influential also. In Puerto Rico, Felipe Gutià ©rrez Espinosa was one of the best-known 19th century composers of religious music and operas. Manuel Gregorio Tavarez became the nation’s first Romantic composer, while Juan Morel Campos is known for taking the danza form to its peak. Music in Latin America has progressed more or less similarly; although, comparatively, the Dominican Republic appears to have several more well-known exponents of music. Influence of the Spanish colonization and the immigration of African slaves were responsible for a lot of the music development. This vast and varied repertoire of music was influenced, to a great degree, by the Spanish colonization. The elementary instrument of the guitar itself was introduced by the Spanish, without which a lot of the later musical forms would not have been conceived. The coming of the African slaves too made a profound impact, as they brought their traditional music along with them. The high-pitched nasal quality of singing, for instance, was introduced in this way. The political state too had a role to play.

Reflection of the Vision Module Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection of the Vision Module - Essay Example However, I soon realized that creativity is a funny thing. What sounds wildly creative and imaginative to one person sounds like a mess of silliness to another. Our first mistake as a group was not sorting out our differences from the beginning as to the very nature of the project itself. One idea that was pitched was a creative use of technology that involved newspaper headlines that were projected on a screen. This was my idea. Others in the group wanted a more traditional presentation of ideas through a featured lecturer set-up. Another faction of the group wanted to create a fully realized dramatic presentation complete with singing, poetry and props. We spent much energy and time trying to accommodate everyone’s ideas. There was a lot of conflict at this stage of the project, but that is to be expected. I kept thinking after each meeting that we would soon find something to do that everyone would be happy with, but after a while, I gave up hope. One of the biggest problem s was the fact that several group members refused to do anything that was not part of their original idea. Anything dramatic or any sort of performance was out of the question for these group members. We could not resolve this rift in the group, so we did something that in the end would prove to be unwise. We moved on with a hybrid of ideas that excluded these members. Basically, through frustration, the majority of the group sent a â€Å"like it or lump it† message to the minority that objected to the performance. This caused considerable problems. One is the fact that the few members that were marginalized failed to keep commitments and did not contribute much work towards the final product. This is understandable, but it really harmed our final product. We decided to write a dramatic performance that included technology I was in charge of utilizing. Just before the performance, some members wanted to make last minute changes to the script. There was a falling out among mem bers. Two members of the group sabotaged the performance by drawing the curtain and hiding behind it. Needless to say, the message of our presentation was somewhat lost among the chaos. Reflecting on this group learning activity really has been a thought provoking exercise. It has been a great opportunity to try something new, reflect on the possible mistakes and note how they could be avoided in the future. Themes that came up continually when I was thinking about this experience include group dynamics, group decision making, leadership styles and styles of communication. Reading about how groups form and share ideas has really helped me to better understand how this group learning activity could have been improved. Actually, the learning activity was great, it was the final product that needed to be improved. The idea that groups go through phases such as storming, norming and performing is interesting. Understanding that there will be differences of opinions in a group is powerfu l information that I do not think all of the members of our group understood. Looking back on the experience, too many people took criticism and critique personally, causing the group to stall in the storming phase. We never really established the norms of how the group should work. As a result, the person or people with the stormiest personalities got their way while the soft-spoken members were pushed to the side. Better resolution of the first phase of team formation would have led to a better end

CSR strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CSR strategy - Essay Example It emphasizes the company’s idea of mutual promotion. This involves the implementation of a strategy that not only develops the community but also turns the community into potential stakeholders to the company as clients or partners. The opinion that this paper stresses on is that it is possible for a company to turn corporate turn their Corporate Social Responsibility activities into marketing opportunities. This dispels the notion that CSR is unnecessary expenditures for organizations. Instead, CSR becomes a core agenda in the company marketing plans. In fact, without this emphasis on marketing, CSR becomes inefficient and needless for organization. 2. Support for the CSR Strategy 2.1. Areas Of Need CSR strategy in the Four Seasons Resort identifies the areas of need in the society from the environmental analysis, media information and sustainability agenda. There are three major areas of need in the corporate social responsibility: Health care services Environmental safety Education and Development The Four Seasons Resort engages in the fight against various terminal illnesses including cancer and meningitis (Pohl and Tolhurst 48). About cancer fight for example, it works with the Terry Fox Initiative in the campaign and intervention against cancer and other diseases. In their engagement in environmental sustainability, the Four Season Hotel participates in the campaign and support of environmental safety programs. For example, Deloitte Research rated it among the most recognized participants in Hospitality and philanthropic activities. This was because of its focus for sustainability beyond 2015 (Urip 34). The Hotel supports the development in Education programs by sponsoring students and education initiatives in poverty-stricken areas (Pohl and Tolhurst 42). The driving force for this initiative is the fact that the learners have the potentials to become its future clients and workers. 2.2. Sustainability of CSR Strategy The strategic plans that the Four Seasons Resort are sustainable and applicable to the present and the future generation. It is based on realistic parameters and practical evidences from the past issues. This came after the debate by the International Compact of the United Nations, about the sustainability of the environment and the development of innovation and social value. The sustainability of the strategy and its implementation is planned every year with specific budgetary allocations. The strategy is further sustained by its observation of cultural and social ethics to avoid violation of the rights and freedoms of the society. The Four Season Hotel ensures that it does not make profits at the expense of its clientele but prioritizes in the satisfaction of its clients by the hospitality and professionalism of its services (Pohl and Tolhurst 51). The hotel balances its participation agendas by alternating among the three every year. For example, if in one year it supports environmental works, the following year it does either healthcare or education program. 2.3. Example of Research and CSR Work Area Through participation in partnership with the World Bank, the Four Season Resort does trainings and workshops on CSR activities. The training is aimed at developing the society and business at the same time. The training develops capital resources from the society for the Hotel, in the sense that it receives qualified workers from the same community. From the study

Christian attitudes to Infertility Essay Example for Free

Christian attitudes to Infertility Essay Infertility is the inability for a couple to conceive a child by the natural processes or after a year of trying. This can happen for a number of reasons. One of the reasons could be stress. As we live in a society with high expectations for people to be successful it puts people under enormous amounts of stress which could cause them to become infertile. Another problem a couple could face is that either the man or woman could have been born infertile or one of them has an STD (sexually transmitted disease) . Another could be dieting , as some women and men diet excessively to reach size zero it causes the womans periods to stop which will in turn cause hormone imbalances which may make a woman infertile. Women could become infertile for a number of other reasons such as smoking, alcohol, age or being overweight or underweight . Men can also become infertile for a number of reasons such as alcohol, drugs, age and radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer. This makes life hard for married couples because the wish for a child is too strong. Although some couples can accept god chose for them not to have a child , some others will go to any lengths for a child. There are a number of different treatments for infertile couples. The most common is In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).’In Vitro’ means ‘in glass’ in latin which is the way the egg is fertilised. It is a technique were an egg is taken from the womans womb and placed on a dish and sperm is taken from the man and used to fertilise the egg on the glass . Once the egg has been fertilised and has began to grow as a fetus it is implanted back into the womans womb where it grows for 9 months. The second is Surrogacy. Surrogacy is where another woman carries the baby for another couple who are unable to do so. An egg is taken from the infertile woman and a sperm from the partner and is fertilised then inserted into the surrogates womb where it grows and when the child is born it is given back to the couple. Another treatment is Artificial Insemination By Donor (AID) . This is a treatment where the sperm of a donor , who is usually unknown to the couple , is medically inserted into the neck of the womans womb where it fertilises the egg and grows into a child . The final treatment is egg donation . This is similar to AID ,only an egg from a donor who is usually unknown to the couple , is fertilised in a lab then medically inserted into the infertile womans womb to grow into the child . Georgia Allen AO2 Christian attitudes to infertility. Catholics have very strong views about infertility treatments which require research which are done on embryos which Catholics see and class as a human life. Catholics are completely against IVF as it leads to spare embryos being created and then are being used for experiments both scientific and medical. The embryos may even be thrown away , Catholics are against this because it is a life of a child and it has rights . Catholics are also against infertility treatments because children are supposed to be created through and act of love and infertility treatments interfere with what Gods plans for that couple and no body has the right to play God. Other Christians have opposite views about infertility treatments than catholics. They think infertility treatments are a good thing as it brings new life to the world and makes a couple happy. Some Christians might object to treatments where a donor is involved as some people class this as adultery because it involves somebody else in the marriage and that is wrong because it is in the ten commandments. They do agree with AIH as it involves no third party and is just between a husband and wife. Some Christians are against fertility treatments for unmarried couples or woman past the child bearing age and even homosexuals. As they think that it is not the way God planned it to be . Muslims agree to most treatments as long as they involve no third party and all natural methods of conception have failed . Muslims are completely against surrogacy and adoption . Muslims believe treatments such as AIH and IVF are ok because they use the sperm of the husband and no other person is involved. Islam is against AIH because it has been donated by another man and is seen as adultery .