Gross Domestic Product GDP

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country is commonly defined as the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year. The fact that it is measured regularly and quite consistently in practically all countries of the world allows a direct comparison of the standard of living in individual countries. The frequent measuring also makes it possible to quickly recognize changing trends. For example, it is used to determine whether an economy is growing faster or slower than in the previously measured period and to compare it with other economies in the world. When GDP is calculated in relation to the population of a country, one speaks of the average GDP per capita. This is often used as an indicator of a country’s standard of living. However, as a measure of the standard of living in a country, GDP has its limitations and shortcomings. ? It does not differentiate between economic output that actually benefits the population and economic bads in a country, such as, for example, expenses for warfare, pollution-producing industries, etc. It does not include unreported activities such as illegal trading or black-market labour. ? It does not reflect non-market activities such as unpaid housework, childcare, and care for the elderly at home, community services or similar activities. The distribution of wealth within a country can be very uneven. When there is a high concentration of enormous wealth in a very small group, and the vast majority of a population is very poor, the average income may be relatively high, although the standard of living of the majority population is low. GDP can only measure the material standard of living, without taking into account the quality of life as perceived by each individual, which cannot be standardized across a population or countries. ? Economic output can increase due to technological advances requiring less employment, thereby decreasing the employment ratio. ? The age distribution within a country may be such that a relatively small group of working-age people have to support a large group of old people, resulting in a lower employment rate and consequently a lower standard of living.

The Holocaust – Why was this happening to me?

I could hardly breathe or move in the cramped animal wagon. The stench of filth and disease surrounded me and I longed for fresh air. My name is David Cohen and I cannot believe how my life was torn apart in such a short space of time, nor do I understand why it happened even after all these years later. I will never forget that warm April afternoon when I rushed home from helping in my Father's jeweler's store. I was surprised that the front door was open, but nevertheless ran in shouting for my Mother. I heard thuds and screeching as if the heavy furniture from upstairs was being moved. What's the matter, Mother? † I yelled. Two burly soldiers dragged her out of the living room. â€Å"GO! † she screamed, through heavy sobbing. I just stood there, in the doorway, speechless with shock. I hesitated, but I turned and started to run in the direction of the door, but a third lofty soldier appeared as if from nowhere dived after me and just lifted me up as if I weighed nothing. We were rigorously marched down to the depressingly grey train station, which was in total and utter chaos. There was a massively indistinct mixture of hundreds of people sobbing, crying and arguing. â€Å"Where are we going? â€Å"What's happening? † â€Å"I've lost my Mummy! † a child snivelled. â€Å"Where is she? † but nobody answered. The thickset soldiers shoved us brutally into a waiting cattle truck. There must have been fifty or more people already in this ‘carriage'. Daniel Leigh 11Saul Holocaust Coursework On the way to this man-made hell, I could smell the fear from all the people around me. In addition, there was the stench of remains of old bodies which had most likely died on the most treacherous journey from one place to another (I didn't want to think about it then, but I figured that out after the war). As well as this, there was the reek of infection as the train was juddering past the sunny countryside. When we got out of the ‘train', my eyes throbbed as I had to strain, a product of the very little amount of light in the ‘carriage'. It seemed to be a pleasant day. We were shoved into several ‘sorting fields' where the men were separated from the women, the thin from the broad, and the weak from the strong. Also, there was a sorting field where people were made to say if they had an occupation. I said that I was a jeweler (I only had the experience from my Father's shop, but I did not tell them). After the painful separation, the SS men ordered the teen-aged to the middle-aged and strong men and women into what they called ‘drill' and instructed us into ‘rank'. Everybody was then divided into groups of two or three and told to proceed to a wooden hut. We were marched there. It must have been over a mile long. In the wooden hut there were the same machines that my Father used in his shop. I was deployed with a boy named Eric Drench, who was my age, which was then fifteen. The first night I was there was a terrible howling wind. I did not sleep at all, as I sensed that the future is not a particularly bright one. I asked Eric where he was from and where his family came about. He started to tell me his story: â€Å"Well my family lived in Poland, but the Nazi SS men came to take us away. My mother hid my brother, sister and me into our wine cellar and locked us up for a few days and told us not to worry. On the third day that we were in there, we heard thuds and screeching as if the heavy furniture from upstairs was being moved we stay put but Daniel Leigh 11Saul Holocaust Coursework we had the impulse to shout out: â€Å"What's the matter, mother? † but we couldn't. My eighteen year old rother David tried to open the hatch for the door of the wine cellar but it wouldn't come open so somebody must have been standing on it. David tried again after about half an hour. He managed to open it. I said to be careful and open it slowly. He opened it very slowly and cautiously and he saw our parents being taken away as if they had committed a crime. David fell backwards in shock, he fainted. As my sister tried to comfort him, I looked outside the hatch, and to my utter astonishment, three burly soldiers were dragging my mother and shoving my father out of the door. I then had the most uncontrollable rge just to try and rescue my parents but I knew in my heart I couldn't. Then, we waited and waited for the houses and the street to go quiet. After a while, we came out of the wine-cellar and I don't know how I knew but I had knew that I would never see my parents again. We managed to collect as much food and water as possible and we went. We traveled the country for a couple of months, but inevitably we knew that we could not go on living like this so we found refuge in a church. They knew that we were Jews, but they didn't hesitate to help. They employed, fed and clothed us for about a onth and then sent us on our way. This way, we had money, food, water and we did not look so Jewish- which I thought was a bad thing to give in to, but we had no choice. Eventually, in the freezing winter of last year, 1940, my sister Eva had died due to pneumonia, but my brother and I were still alive. We had stopped at an empty farm- only to discover that when we rested we found it incredibly hard to go on. Having sat down to rest, I suddenly realized how hungry we were. We carried on after a couple hours or so and then we were captured by four lofty Nazi soldiers and were sent here. By the Eric time had finished telling me about his experience, it was morning. I felt it first. I felt the cold air float over me, around me, and through me, like a spirit filling the room with nothing but the knowledge of its presence. We were dragged out of the cabin and were expected to sprint to another field. Daniel Leigh 11Saul Holocaust Coursework At the time when we had to queue to receive our lunch, it was completely out of control. When Eric finally got to the front of the ‘line' there were two soldiers, one holding a whip. Eric said â€Å"Please may I have food, Sir? â€Å". They did not give him any food. The soldier holding the whip shouted for everyone to go back, but no-one did. He repeated it again, but this time he said: â€Å"GO BACK OR ELSE THE BOY ACQUIRES 30 LASHES!!! † Still, everyone kept pushing forward. As a result of this, the SS men canceled lunch and Eric got the 30 lashes. After this, he found it hard to breathe, let alone move or even work These sort of events continued for two more terrible years. After this period of time, Eric and I had formed a secret legion of the Jews which had survived through the loss of their families, the loss of some of the Jews which had tried to escape, but either died on the way (mines) or they were shot by the SS men. In this legion, we could practice our Jewish laws including praying and lighting the holy Shabbat candles (if we could scavenge them). One Friday night, we could not get hold of any candles so we prayed and sang through the night. The next day, Eric, whom I had become very friendly with gathered a few men together and we discussed our immediate future, and how that if we do not receive any help from people who have knowledge about the SS men, how they operate and what were their weaknesses. The next day, Shabbat, there was a battalion of Russian soldiers brought in to the concentration camp for ‘war crimes', some of them were Jewish others were not but supported the Jewish way of life. One week after they arrived, the squadron leader approached our small but cosy gathering and started to mix with us. We hesitated at first but we adapted. After a while, they trained us as soldiers and we eventually escaped from the ultimate hell (for us) and Eric and myself lived on to fight in the American army and to the end of the war. Of the events of which I witnessed and live through, a nightmare invaded reality.

On-Line Learning: An Innovation to Education Essay

In learning inside the classroom, there are many factors that are being taken into consideration so that the students will learn better. One of these considerations is the environment. It must be conducive for learning so that the students can concentrate and appreciate the lessons better. If they properly absorb what is being taught then they can apply these knowledge in their everyday life. However, if the environment is not conducive for learning, the tendency of students is to focus their mind on something else and not the lesson thus, their ability to grasp things correctly is affected. Learning is dependent on several factors such as motivation, perception and engagement of the learner. These factors in turn, are affected by the experiences of the learner, his learning style and the environment wherein learning is taking place (Hutchinson n. pag. ). Traditionally, learning takes place in the classroom with the teacher in front of the class. The classrooms are designed in such a way that the students will receive the least distraction from the discussion. The classroom setting is what most believes as the most conducive place for learning since the students are not distracted but outside sources. However, this belief has dramatically changed. Research and further studies indicate that classroom learning also has its negative consequences. These negative effects can be attributed to the way the teacher motivates the students to learn. The kind of motivation that the teacher employs is crucial in the absorption of the student of the lessons. However, learning does not only depend on the teacher as there are other factors which may affect the attention of the students to learning such as physical distractions and discomfort, physiological factors, safety and sense of belongingness. If these factors are not addressed to, most likely, the student will have difficulty absorbing the lessons (Hutchinson n. pag. ). A positive environment will make it easy for the student to learn and appreciate the lessons. If the teachers make the students feel that they are a part of something and their presence is important then they will be more encouraged to participate in the discussion. In addition, if the students feel safe then they can focus more on what the teacher is discussing. Another factor which can contribute to better learning is a positive environment wherein the students are encouraged to study and the people mentoring them provide the support that they need. With the developments that have been introduced, the learning environment now is not only limited to the school. The learning environment can be located anywhere, anyplace and at anytime. In every activity, there is always something that the individual learns. In addition, teachers now have transformed the traditional classroom approach to a multidisciplinary and problem based approach, incorporating technology in learning. The multidisciplinary approach allows students to have access to the lessons and through the internet. The new approach made classroom dynamics and rapidity in the change of curriculum obsolete. The tenets of learning now are more focused on problem solving, analyzing relationships and performing activities inside and outside of the classroom (Anstrand and Kirkbride n. pag. ). The multidisciplinary approach has prompted educational institutions to create virtual classrooms or a private online classroom that allows the teachers to interact with their students and assist them in their learning. It can be accessed at any time of the day and any day of the week. Just like an ordinary classroom setting, there are also many activities that take place in a virtual classroom. Among the features that a virtual classroom contains are class activities and class organizations. Class activities include individual and group learning activities, discussions or forums with students and teachers, home works, quizzes, modules and scavenger hunts. Class organizations on the other hand include timetables and the class calendar, overviews, information or announcements and the grade book of the students (the Learning place n. pag). A virtual classroom is a great aid for classroom learning because it tends to supplement what is being learned in the school. It also gives an avenue for the student to have continuous access to the lessons. They need not wait for the class hours before they can ask their teachers questions regarding the lessons. Another innovation to the traditional classroom setting is distance education. According to Schlosser and Simonson (3-4), distance education is a method of education wherein the learner is physically does not need to go to the classroom. He learns on his own using the modules that the teacher provides online. The student will be assessed and taught through the aid of the internet. The student and the teacher do not physically interact with each other. This process has not only made learning convenient but it also allows the students to apply what they are learning in real life settings. This also makes learning flexible because the students are not focused at a specific time for study. They can comply with the requirements of their subject at a time when they feel inspired to learn. They are not forced to do things and learning can yield to better results if the students get to enjoy what they are assigned to finish. This process also allows students who are located in distant places to gain access to the lessons of the teacher or professor without going to school. It saves time and energy both for the teacher and the students. However, this type of learning should not be employed to all students. Virtual classrooms and distance learning are ideally for those who are already in the higher levels of learning and not those who are still starting or are in their kinder school. These children need to be conditioned first and disciplined to perform school tasks. On-line learning is suited for students who possess the necessary study skills and self discipline, have access to internet and comfortable with computers (Kearsley n. pag. ). The effectivity of online learning will depend on the appreciation of the student of the system, the way the teacher prepares the lessons online as well as the learning environment of the student. Just like in the classroom setting, online learning is useless if the student is not able to appreciate it and apply his lessons in real world setting. The reason why these innovations to learning were created is to give the students more avenues to relate their lessons with their experiences. The student must remember that in any type of learning, participation is indispensable. Learning is a two-way process, not one way. There should be interaction between the parties in order to consider it effective. Learning can happen anywhere and at anytime, there need not be a specific place where the student should learn. What is important is the student can apply his experiences, things he has read and learned from educators and more mature individuals to improve the way he deals with life and the things around him. References Anstrand, D. and Kirkbride, E. (2002). â€Å"The Education Environment Program†. Design Share. Retrieved 31 August 2008 from Hutchinson, L. (n. d. ) â€Å"ABC of Learning and teaching Educational Environment†. BMJ. Retrieved 31 August 2008 from http://www. bmj. com/cgi/content/full/326/7393/810 Kearsley, G. (n. d. ). â€Å"Is online Learning for Everybody? † Retrieved 31 August 2008 from Schlosser, L. and Simonson, M. (2006). Distance Education. Charlotte, North Carolina: IAP â€Å"Virtual Classroom†. (n. d. ). The Learning Place. Retrieved 31 August 2008 from

Assignment 1 Career Research Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assignment 1 Career Research Report - Essay Example The report will hereby contain detailed information about a particular field, wherein I can focus to develop my career in accordance with my acquired knowledge and skills. Section 1 Occupational Research The research is based on the opportunities of a graduate student acquiring the knowledge of business and administration. This research has been conducted with the assistance of primary along with secondary sources. For carrying on the research study relating to the profession of an assistant team leader, first of all the employment news and the websites of the companies providing job opportunities have been followed. It can be viewed that the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom remained much stable at 7.70% from July 2013 till August 2013. This statistical data represents the number of people looking for a job in the UK (Trading Economics, 2013). The current data of the employment rate will provide an opportunity for applying to various companies, wherein desired jobs can be obta ined. During the conduct of the research concerning employment scope for the graduates, it can be apparently viewed that the Careers and Employability Centre has been providing various counselling sessions about the process of direct job hunting (McBride, 2013). In this regard, Carolyn McBride, one of the famous career advisors of the UK is involved in arranging various workshops and presentations in order to identify the employability opportunities as per acquired skills along with knowledge. The workshops provided the individuals with an opportunity to develop their respective skills along with knowledge in a more interactive way. Moreover, various career prospective related programs especially for the graduate students have been made available such as retail managers, public relations and sales managers among others. These programs advise the participants, seeking for jobs to follow the websites relating to job search (McBride, 2013). Section 2 Main Findings From the study of the aforesaid research, it can be affirmed that there are ample chances for the graduate students to work within a company as an assistant team leader. The study of business administration offers an all round study along with delivers ample opportunities of building brighter career (London School of Business & Finance, 2013). In the UK, there are many people who seek for jobs after the completion of their studies. Also, there has been a growing trend of the recruitment of the graduates possessing ample knowledge in the field of business and administration.

The Essence of Human Nature and the Fight between Good and Evil Essay

The Essence of Human Nature and the Fight between Good and Evil - Essay Example Nietzsche is doubtful of both language and "truth" because they are liable to adopt a fixed perspective toward things. Words, unlike thoughts, are fixed. Our thoughts can flow and change just as things in the universe flow and change, but a word, once uttered, cannot be changed because language has this tendency toward fixity, it expresses the world in terms of facts and things, which has led philosophers to think of the world as fixed rather than fluid. A world of rigid facts can be spoken about definitively, which is the source of our conception of truth and other absolutes, such as God and morality. Nietzsche sees the facts and things of traditional philosophy as far from rigid, and subject to all sorts of shifts and changes. He is particularly brilliant in analyzing morality, showing how our concept of "good," for instance, has had opposite meanings at different times. The underlying force driving all change is will, according to Nietzsche. In specific, all drives boil down to a will to power, a drive for freedom and domination over other things. The concept of "good" has had different meanings over time because facts and things depend for their meaning on ever-shifting and struggling wills, there is no such thing as one correct or absolute viewpoint. Every viewpoint is the expression of some will or other rather than try to talk about the "truth," we should try to remain as flexible as possible, looking at matters from as many different perspectives as possible. Nietzsche's ideal "philosophy of the future" is one that is free enough to shift perspectives and overturn the "tru ths" and other dogmas of rigid thinking. Such philosophy would see moral concepts such as "good" and "evil" as merely surfaces that have no inherent meaning; such philosophy would thus move "beyond good and evil." Nietzsche's ideal philosophers would also turn their will to power inward, struggling constantly against themselves to overcome their own prejudices and assumptions. Nietzsche's unorthodox views on truth can help to explain his unusual style. Though we can follow trains of thought and make connections along the way, there is no single, linear argument that runs through the book because Nietzsche does not see the truth as a simple, two-dimensional picture; he cannot represent it accurately with a simple linear sketch. Nietzsche sees the world as complex and three-dimensional: more like a hologram than a two-dimensional picture. And just as a hologram is a three-dimensional image made up of infinitesimal two- dimensional fragments, each approximating the whole, Nietzsche presents his worldview in a series of two-dimensional aphorisms, each approximating a more complex worldview (Overall Analysis and Themes, 2005).Between Nietzsche's first book, The Birth of Tragedy (1872), and one of his last, Beyond Good and Evil (1886), his thinking - that is, his orientation, his very presence - changes significantly. In the latter book, he criticizes the tradit ional philosophical emphasis on truth as well as its unreflective embrace of 'opposite values', such as appearance and reality. This same metaphysical truth and appearance-reality dualism, however, are essential aspects of his

Assignment 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Assignment 4 - Essay Example The general taking in conclusion of our drawing activity is that separated from looking into their own particular pictures of pioneers and initiative, learners comprehend that their certain authority speculations have a singular and social segment that others could possibly impart. Taking into account the hypothetical underpinnings of implied initiative hypotheses sketched out, a key conclusion of showing verifiable authority speculations is that understudies see there might be no general substantial truth to what successful or "great" administration is, and that it depends all the more on singular, social, and social developments than on the attributes and practices of the pioneer thusly. Understanding this idea includes to begin with, getting a feeling of ones certain administration hypotheses; second, seeing how and why we discern pioneers in a particular. Amidst the aftermath of the Great Recession and current political gridlock in Washington, the need for seeing how to lead in times of emergency is more excellent than any other time. Heading under Pressure offers accommodating schema and a far reaching audit of research that develops our understanding of compelling emergency administration techniques and strategies. Emergency administration is recognized from the general area of authority. Their meaning of emergency initiative is excessively prohibitive in its concentrate on "the firm" frustrating its requisition to government pioneers who are distressful in need of bits of knowledge. Qualitatively, they recognize an "emergency" from a routine "issue" as a focal contention for why emergency authority is special. Probably, pioneers take care of routine issues, yet emergency pioneers intention emergencies (Hayes & Perry, 2010). The aspect of leading under pressure is evidenced by the cutting loose the dirty dozen case study 3 whereby, Marisa Munson who is

Capstone on United Bankshares, Inc Research Paper

Capstone on United Bankshares, Inc - Research Paper Example The vision is to provide loans and other financial support instruments to organizations and businesses that are very productive from their banking subsidiaries. Stakeholders are those who affect and are affected by the operations of a business (Freeman, 2009: p3). The main stakeholders of Bankshares Inc are their staff members who are knowledgeable business professional with in-depth knowledge of the markets and financial trends. The second group of stakeholders are the subsidiary banks that provide the financing when the bank gets good and accurate forecasts. A third group of primary stakeholders are the businesses that acquire loans from UBSI. Porters Five Forces describes a given industry or competitive terrain for an organization (Henry, 2010). In doing this, there are five distinct forces that define the competitive position and scope of the industry. They include: 2. Threat of Suppliers: This is a major threat because the suppliers of loans and other banking services of USBI could build in-house business advisory and investment banking units and not need USBIs services. 4. Ease of Entry: It is fairly easy for anyone to start a financial advisory and brokerage firm. However, it is not very easy to build the kind of goodwill USBI has with banks. This include owning subsidiaries and controlling affairs. 5. Competitive Rivalry: This include other providers of services similar to USBI. This include Bank of America Corporation, BB&T Corporation and BankUnited Inc. These are financial intermediaries that own bank subsidiaries and look for investment opportunities that have very high yield. This is high and provides a major cause of concern for UBSI 1. Subsidiary banks: There is the need for the banks in the USBI network to be prepared for the expansion. They would have to be adjusted and examined for expansion and growth of the operations and activities. The units need to be given much