Financial crisis Essay

The current financial crisis that has caused world economic slowdown is forcing government agencies and financial market to re-think on their practices in order to avoid any possible future occurrence of the same. The financial crisis affected regulators and financial market as well and this reason why regulatory agencies are calling for strict supervision of financial markets (Bernanke). Impacts on regulation One of the regulators in the financial market is the Federal Reserve responsible for developing procedures used to supervise the markets. The current financial turmoil has forced the Federal Reserve to re-look at its supervision and macro-prudential orientation to financial oversight (Bernanke). The financial crisis has also led to the development of new tools by regulators e. g. the Federal Reserve Term Auction facility that can be used to tackle the financial crisis. Federal Reserve and other financial markets supervisors e. g. Financial Stability Board, Presidents Working Group on financial market and Senior Supervisors Groups have realized the importance of collaboration as well as international corporation so as to learn from other experiences abroad to gauge the performance of US institutions (Bernanke). There have been concerted efforts to ensure prudential supervision and consumer protection so as to avert future crises. Regulators have also emphasized on increased vigilance to ensure that the set standard are met. Regulators e. g. the Federal Reserve have been forced to improve on their internal procedure e. g. on communication of information in order to establish priority areas that need supervision and analyze emerging trends in the financial markets. Continuous supervision has also become an important aspect of consumer compliance to ensure enhance monitoring of largest banks (Bernanke). Impacts on financial system Clearly one of the biggest ways in which the financial market has been affected by the crisis is on the aspect of supervision. The regulatory agencies like the Federal Reserve has been forced to re-evaluate how they supervise the financial markets. The effects of this is that the financial market is able to operate according to the set standard thus minimize the recurrence of a crisis like this in the future. The financial crisis was also affected the products introduced by financial institutions. The regulators require that companies evaluate the possible unintended consequences of the products that they introduce to the market. The way companies compensate its management and employees is another factor that is under scrutiny by the regulators. Compensation and bonuses awarded to employees should be in line with the long term objectives of the company. The corporate governance and risk management is the factor that companies are required to consider in order to ensure long term survival of these institutions. Improved regulation The key to avoiding future financial crisis is by enhancing regulation within the financial sector. This includes expanding the capacity of the existing regulatory and ensuring compliance of the set standard of operations (Bernanke). One of the way in which regulation can help improve the financial sector is in the area of new product introduction. Companies should be able to analyze the potential effects of new product they introduce into the market (Bernanke). Management of risk is the other aspect that companies should look into. Companies need to develop risk management techniques that ensure their long term survival. Apart from managing these risks, companies should have capabilities of identifying risk facing them. Regulation on capital and liquidity is one of the key elements in financial sector. Companies are required to be adequately capitalized in order to fund their operations well. It is no secret that the current crisis was precipitated by lack of liquidity in the market. Conclusion It is clear from the current financial crisis that to ensure sound financial market, improved regulation and prudent financial operations on the part of companies is important. Companies are required to maintain adequate liquidity, capital and institute risk identification and management tools. On the other hand regulators should increase on supervision to ensure adherence to set standards (Bernanke). Works cited Bernanke, Ben S. Federal Reserve. 9th May 2009. 26th May 2009 .

Fish- Beneath the Surface (An article for ‘Future of Fish’ magazine)

Natural cod stocks going down. There has been much press coverage of the decline in natural cod stocks due to over fishing in the North Sea. I like my cod and chips and so was quite concerned about this. It may be too late to get the numbers back up to 1970's levels but less documented by the press, is the rapid growth of mariculture, the cultivation of marine organisms for food, which retailers say could ‘revolutionise the fishing industry' (2). I visited the Manx Mariculture fish hatchery to investigate the principles behind fish farming and soon discovered that it was not without its problems. As my guide, Rick Fullerton, explained, a bacterial problem in the live feed meant that the hatchery faced a crisis in the year 2006 when only a few hundred cod were produced instead of the target 1 million. This is a common problem in mariculture and there is the potential for exciting new developments in the production of live feed which could eliminate this problem in the future. Use of live feed as an answerMuscular System: Muscle Metabolism In order to kill bacteria, live feed may be disinfected or treated with UV rays (6). A recent study (Cutts, Sherwood and Treasurer) showed that bacterial numbers were lower in tanks of live feed treated with Pyceze, often used as a disinfectant of water and a preservative in cosmetic products, and the survival of larvae was 6.1% higher (6). Other future developments in the production of live feed may include using rotifers which match the nutritional requirements of the larvae. This could be achieved by finding new methods of enrichment. Research in collaboration with Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has been carried out into developing enrichment methods using vitamin C, bacteria and fungi (7). Rotifers: These multicellular animals are 200-300à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m in length and are kept at a density of around 1500 per ml (3). They supply the nutritional requirements of fish larvae by retaining nutrients which are then passed on to the larvae (5), ensuring rapid growth. As I go round, a putrid smell laces the air. Dark and bitter, it hangs heavily in the small room. The humidity makes it difficult to breath. Four tanks prevail to one side, overbearing. This is the live feed room of the Manx Mariculture fish hatchery. I peer closer to make out the reptilian green contents of the tanks. Here, rotifers, used as live feed, are grown in aerated tanks on a diet of yeast and algae at 25à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C (3), optimum conditions for growth. The cod and turbot larvae farmed at the site are reared on these for up to 20 days during which time it is not possible to produce food pellets small enough for their consumption. To small to be seen with the naked eye, rotifers are an excellent replacement of the fish's natural diet, zooplankton (copepods) and they are enriched to supply the nutritional requirements of the larvae. Nutrition in the diet is essential in ensuring optimum growth. Brine shrimps: With my knowledge of cod limited to its appearance in a plastic take-out box, the sight of the fish at 20 days, with their dark silken bodies deftly navigating the water, surprises me. At this age, they are around 7-8 mm in length and are fed for a further 20 days on brine shrimp, or Artemia, 500-700 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m in length (3). By using a specially formulated diet for the Artemia, their nutritional content is increased to maximise the growth of the larvae. This also reduces pigmentation problems in the turbot, a species of fish I had not previously heard of. My first impression of them is that they bear a certain resemblance to the shape of a stingray. They line the bottom of the holding tanks, their slender bodies overlapping, producing a carpet of shimmering grey. A tight ship: Nevertheless, live feed production is extremely expensive. To improve efficiency at Manx Mariculture, rotifer production is carried out as a continuous process. Future developments are needed in the production and reliability of rotifer and Artemia whilst reducing the cost of the feeds. Recent studies (Lubzens E, Zmora O, Barr Y, 2001) have shown that the rotifers, B. plicatilis and B. rotundiformis, are two species of rotifer most suited to mariculture. Fish and chips – a change of diet As cod are cannibalistic, grading is carried out at 2 to 4 months using filters of increasing width to separate out different sizes into different tanks. This increases the survival rate of smaller, weaker cod which may not have survived in the wild. As it is not economically viable to produce live feed in large amounts as the fish mature, they are weaned off this and onto a diet of hard fishmeal pellets. This is achieved by gradually increasing the ratio of hard pellets to live food, fed once a day using automated feeders suspended above the tanks. Made from smaller species of fish and crustaceans unfit for human consumption, standard fishmeal has a content of 65-67% protein and 12% fat (8). There may be some dispute over the validity of this data as it is from an internet site and the source is not clear, therefore it cannot be guaranteed that the information is entirely accurate. Fishmeal contains proteins, lipids, minerals and vitamins but very little carbohydrate. Its close composition to that of the fish's natural diet makes it an excellent alternative (8). Fishmeal increases feed efficiency and growth due to a greater nutrient uptake and absorption. It also provides a high amount of energy per unit weight (8). Lipids in the diet provide phospholipids and fatty acids required for optimum growth and development. They are also important in the structure and function of cell membranes. They can be easily digested and have a high energy content which is important as the diet contains little carbohydrate. This is most likely because there is limited availability of carbohydrates in marine environments (9). If the diet does not provide enough energy, protein needed for growth will be broken down instead which increases the costs of fish farming. Protein is needed in the diet as it provides the 10 essential amino acids which the fish cannot synthesis. Fishmeal also contains minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium and vitamins including the B-complex (8). There are, however, ethical concerns over the use of fishmeal as some argue that for every tonne of farmed fish produced, 5 tonnes of fishmeal are used in the process. On the other hand, fishmeal can be seen to reduce pollution to the environment as there is increased nutrient uptake by the fish (8). Green issues Further environmental concerns which surround fish farming include the pollution caused by waste being discharged into the sea. However, made up of fish waste and undigested food, this is natural and it does not cause major problems or damage to marine environments (3). This likely to be accurate and precise information as Nick Fullerton is a professional with a degree in biology and has had many years experience in mariculture. The energy cost of running the hatchery which includes pumping water 24 hours day and the continuous monitoring probes must also be taken into account when considering the environmental implications of fish farming. A breath of fresh air Continuing my tour, I am shown the large round tanks where the fish are held. A strange looking square device sits on the surface of the water. Consisting of a flimsy plastic frame, it looks unimportant, however, it has the potential to raise the survival of the fish by 90% (3). This is a surface skimmer which cleans the surface of the water by blowing air over it to remove the oily film which would otherwise build up. When the surface is clear, young fish are able to gulp air in order to inflate the swim bladder, an organ in bony fish used for buoyancy. As the fish rely on the water in order to breathe and grow, the water quality can have a huge impact on the success of fish farming (10). The seawater in the hatchery is filtered through filters only 1 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½m thick in order to remove most harmful bacteria and parasites and the continuous flow maintains the water quality (3). Bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Oceanospirillum, Marinobactera and Paracoccus are common in marine environments (11). Much more impressive are the electronic probes which measure oxygen, carbon dioxide and ammonia levels and pH. However, water is not recirculated otherwise very strict controls would have to be enforced on water quality (3). Oxygen, required for aerobic respiration, is kept at a concentration of 8 mg per litre, or almost 100% saturation (At 20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, normal pressure and in freshwater, 9.1 mg/L = 100% saturation (12)). Fish require a high concentration of oxygen because they are very active and have a high metabolism. The oxygen concentration is increased when stress levels are elevated such as during transport. This causes the heart rate to increase and so the fish to take in more oxygen. Carbon dioxide levels are kept below 5 parts per million (ppm) and ammonia which is excreted by the fish is kept below 0.02 ppm. PH is ideally kept between 6.5 and 9.0 (10). More advanced probes are being developed but these advancements are limited by cost. Temperature is kept around 7-8à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C for cod and slightly warmer for turbot. These temperatures are maintained by 3 water inlets to each tank of cold, heated and ambient water. Hot water is not used due to the high cost, especially as the water is not recirculated. Food for thought The ethics of keeping the fish at high stocking densities needs to be considered, however, it can also be seen that their survival is much higher than in the wild. At 50 days, this is 20-30% compared with less than 1% in the wild (3). Turbot even appear to thrive at high densities (13) as this is natural to them in a marine environment on the ocean floor. This is likely to be valid information as it comes from an educational source although, published in 1992, it is not up-to-date. Another concern is that if farmed fish escape and breed with wild stock, the genetic strain may be weakened as farmed cod have lost much of their natural awareness (3). Help or hindrance? Mariculture is growing worldwide at a rate of 5% annually (14) but is it actually accomplishing its aim of increasing fish stock? The use of fishmeal in fish farming means that it relieves pressure on one species only to transfer it to others. It can be argued that the numbers of other species of fish removed from the ocean in order to feed farmed fish mean that the problem is not solved. Furthermore, depleted stocks of other species may disrupt complex food webs in marine ecosystems as ‘population dynamics, competition for food and patterns of predation' are changed (15).

Gambling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Gambling - Essay Example Regardless of the consciousness, the practice involves some form of potential gain to the involved parties. Gambling defines a game or a bet with uncertain result that aims at deriving a benefit. It involves parties that make a bet over an unpredictable outcome, at a sacrifice, and the person who is favored by the game’s outcome benefits from the sacrifices at the expense of the other parties (Johnson, 2011). The first element of gambling is therefore existence of a game whose results are not known at the time of the parties’ entry into the gamble. The game either may involve the parties or may be independent in such a way that the parties are just but observers. An example of a game that involves the parties is a dice throwing game by the parties with a defined outcome as a win. The parties may also engage in a sport in which the winner of the sports becomes the winner of the gamble. Alternatively, it may involve a game that is being played by different parties. An example is a competitive football match or tournament such the United States premier league or a game in the premier league. In either of the cases, the result of the game that determines the winner and the looser in the gamble is uncertain at the time the parties enters into the gamble and is determinate later (Johnson, 2011). Another essential element that defines a gamble is the associated reward that it involves. This is because its basis involves a bet in which a party relinquishes rights over a property. The property is then put under custody with its possession determined by the outcome of the subject game. If the results favor a party’s position in the gamble then he or she becomes the owner of the property that was put on the particular gamble. Any other party who is not favored by the results of the game therefore loses their property in the game. This is the general rule of gambling that depends on lack to benefit a party based on taken chances (Johnson,

Discussion question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Discussion question - Essay Example There are various core values that are embraced by these standards: philosophy, education, holistic ethics, nursing, research, holistic self care, communication, environment and cultural competence (Mauk and Schmidt 263). They promote the development of practical standards, philosophies, and values which strengthen holistic nursing. Holistic nursing practices enhance healing of the whole person. It recognizes the body-mind-spirit connection of persons. Nurses treat the body by therapeutic massage. They relieve the mind by humor, imagery and meditation. They comfort the soul through prayer and support vital interpersonal interaction through healing presence (Mauk and Schmidt 264). Holism is the interrelationship among several aspects, biological, social and spiritual. It honors the individual’s subjective experience about health, health beliefs and values. It requires nurses to integrate self care, self responsibility, spirituality, and refection in their lives (Mauk and Schmidt 266). Nurses become aware of the interconnectedness with self, others, nature and God. This calls for courage and convictions that helps in addressing various issues. Nursing standards show spiritual care through various issues such as teaching, reaching out and showing compassion to others. Care of the spirit is a remarkable responsibility that gives distinct privilege to its practice. Nurses should work across cognitive, experiential and effective domains. Spiritual care is critical for providing quality patient care. Providing spiritual care is cost effective although it calls for dedication from the

Managing creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing creativity - Essay Example th children’s wishes and desires of the product that is being discussed and close to their heart so that associations are built with the brand every now and then whenever there is some form of linkage with the brand in one way or the other. Another effect that can be had from these music/sounds to the children is that they build a solid and heart warming relationship with them and hence the rapport is rock solid when it comes to the potential users of the brand which in this case are the children and so on and so forth. Psychologically speaking, children connect with what is there on the electronic and/or print media for them in the form of a message that says a lot about their preferred brand and lists down the details as to how it could benefit the toddler or a teenager for that matter. Children can have a totally different impression on their young minds when they see some specific advertisement on television or in the print media which attracts the attention of the opposite gender and thus brings to notice their interest as to why the brand or the product is being advertised to the opposite sex alone. Children therefore need to be told the plus points of their television viewing with regards to the different brands so that they do not extract a meaning which is not actually conveyed by the company for them in the first place. For the company to see their brand thriving big time in the market with competitors having little or negligible business, it needs to build upon a base that it can erect i ts structure upon so that when the wind blows, it does not hamper the smooth business of this brand at all. With that it has to understand the soft natured psyche of the young ones where the impressionable minds of these children can absorb just about any kind of biasness aimed towards the opposite sex or for a particular community for that matter, as is the case. One needs to understand that the types of reactions these children have after watching these ads are quite

Companys annual report and accounts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Companys annual report and accounts - Assignment Example The strong cultural values make their identity as well as it is the integral part of their success (J Sainbury Plc, 2013, p.1). David Tyler is the chairman of the company. In real fair price, they are offering the best food for health. Profit making is not only the main of the company. They respect the environment. Their aim is to be the greenest grocer of UK. As well as they are funding for different charitable causes. From being a retail shop it is now diversifying its business by going online, opening own brand bank, they also doing property related business. All of these help them to acquire the whole market. In every aspect of need and demand Sainsbury can stand with their product as well as services. As a super market it is the first sponsor of the London 2012 Paralympics Games. The company has a market share of 16.5% in the UK super market (Mirza, 2012, pp.34-87). When an investor wants to invest in any company he needs to analyse the financial information of that company. The huge amount of numbers in the financial statement may confuse the investors. So financial ratio is a simpler and more organised way by which the investor can easily make his judgement about the financial position of the company. So we can say that Ratio analysis is a tool which is mainly used for different quantitative analysis of one company’s financial statement (Friedlob and  Schleifer, 2003, pp.45-67). The company’s liquidity, solvency, efficiency and capital structure of the company can be understood by using ratio analysis. Some of the ratio discussed below. Comparing with the expenses and relevant costs of the company, what is the ability of the business to generate earnings is measured by this type of ratios. Profit margin and return on assets are the two basic profitability ratios to measure the earnings capability of the companies (J Sainsbury plc, 2012, pp.2-5). The above table shows the yearly amount of profit and revenue. We can see that it is continuously

Governance and policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Governance and policy - Essay Example r administration in the UK adopted what can be called â€Å"supply side† economics, the cornerstone of which was reducing the tax rates for corporates with a view to encouraging them to produce more. The contention of this author is that the credit crunch of 2008 represents stresses that have been building up ever since the 1980’s and these are the result of the brand of economics and policies followed in the US and UK from that time onwards. As I point out in subsequent sections, the changes in the banking sector because of macro and micro factors led to the financial system being unstable. The fact that there were several crises, notably the Northern Rock, the Savings and Loans scandal along with the periodic instability that led to the Asian financial crisis of 1997 did not make it easy for the regulators as well. The credit crunch can be blamed on a combination of factors that include bad regulation, excessive speculation and a tendency towards risk taking that went beyond the acceptable levels. This tendencies were building up throughout the period starting in the 1980’s and reached their apogee in 2007 when the bubble burst with the fall in the housing market and consequent contraction of the economy. What exacerbated the situation was the spike in Oil prices in 2008 which meant that people had lesser money to spare for repaying their mortgages as the oil price increase pinched the wallets of the consumers (Rubin, 2009). Atkinson and Elliott point out: The modern era has been characterized by slower growth in average real incomes, higher levels of debt to maintain living standards, greater job insecurity and financial crises that have become more frequent and more far reaching. The only class that has benefited unambiguously from this new world order is that of the gods of greed (Elliot and Atkinson, 2008). To explain this point further, what has essentially happened is that there was excessive speculation that came from availability of easy credit and

An Analytical Study of the Earthquakes as a Natural Disaster Research Paper

An Analytical Study of the Earthquakes as a Natural Disaster - Research Paper Example â€Å"An earthquake is a series of vibrations or seismic (shock) waves which originate from the focus – the point at which the plates release their tension or compression suddenly†. Earthquakes involve the phenomenon where the earth surface shakes at certain points in time. It involves some kind of vibration that is emitted from deep within the earth's crust. Earthquakes result from some shocks that are remitted from within the earth's surface which is felt on the land and in the sea. Earthquakes often cause the damage of building and destruction of properties. The epicenter of an earthquake is the part of the surface of the earth which is the focus of the earthquake. Usually, the epicenter is the point on the earth where the highest impact of the earthquake occurs. Aside from the epicenter, the earthquake is felt in other lands around the epicenter. However, relative to the epicenter, the other areas affected by the earthquake is much lesser than that of the epicenter. Earthquakes are emitted by a series of shocks. There are some large shocks whilst there are other smaller shocks. These shocks shake the earth surface and are known as tremors. The tremors that occur before the earthquake are known as foreshocks whilst those that occur after the major earthquake are known as aftershocks. In terms of occurrence, there dynamics of earthquakes vary with the layer within which an earthquake emanates. Primary waves are body shocks in the earth's interior. The occur deep within the earth and close to the earth's core.

Operations & Logistics Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Operations & Logistics Management - Essay Example Despite the fact that ISO standards are developed with the government support, certification on ISO 9000 is a completely voluntary matter. Pressure, constraining enterprise to carry out a certification, occur by users, but not legislative organs. Almost the most important fact, which is concerned this standard, is the fact that many companies, especially in Europe, require registration on ISO 9000 from their suppliers of goods and services. To cut the long story short we should say if there is no registration on ISO 9000 there is no concluded contract. In the USA, for example, NASA and Ministry of Defense now require certification on ISO 9000 from its suppliers. Let us consider the example of corporation DuPont, which is an example of enterprise, which corresponds to ISO. The activity of corporation is connected with world sales to the production of chemical industry. DuPont is one of the biggest chemical companies in the world. It was established in 1802 as manufacture for the production of powder. Nowadays DuPont produces a wide range of chemical products and conducts great innovational researches in this area. The company is an inventor of variety unique polymeric and other materials, such as neoprene, nylon, teflon, kevlar and other. The company was also developer and basic producer of the freon, utilized in the production of refrigerator devices. According to version of Fortune 500, the company occupies 66th place among the largest corporations of the USA. At present time DuPont is a multinational corporation that has 18 majo r businesses, operations in 70 countries and more than 60,000 employees. The gain of company in 2005 composed $26,6 billion. After the DuPont's certification in accordance with the requirements of the standards ISO 9000 it has began the stage of its implementation. Standards' implementation have not been so easy, since in comparison with the previous version (1994) serious changes underwent these standards, they now requires the reconsideration of approaches of management of quality and mastery of the new requirements, which are based on TQM philosophy and principles of the quality rewards models. Together with the unconditional progressiveness of the standards ISO 9000, especially new version, there is a potential danger of standards formal implementation. In the process of ISO standards implementation in DuPont there have appeared a range of complex problems, caused by the need of the systematic guarantee of realization of positions and requirements of these renovated standards, training of specialists and experts, and also by the lack of preparation of many certification organs for the work regarding c orrespondence of the systems of quality to new requirements.The main task, which have stood before the management of company was to avoid formal implementation into of ISO 9000 standards, since formal approach to this matter can bring only loss of time and expenses, and disappointment in standards themselves. Actually, under specific conditions ISO 9000 standards can not only prove to be