Patriot Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Patriot Act - Essay Example Hence, to weed out terrorism / breeding grounds of terrorism wherever it is found around the world so that such ugly situation may not engulf the United of States of America or other allies in the world. The mentioned act was approved by both the houses of peoples representatives i.e. Senate and the House of Representative on 26th October, 2001 (Whitehead & Aden, 2002). The previously mentioned act empowered law enforcement agencies / intelligence agencies to track out terrorist net work aims at to gather maximum information about their activities. This enables cited agencies to deal with the terrorist with iron hands. The concerned authorities of USA taking into account the increasing terrorist activities reviewed and amended the money-laundering act accordingly to stop flow of funds to such organization who promotes terrorism to accomplish their nefarious designs. So far, the action taken by the United States of America is to ban such organization as well as freezing of their funds in connivance with the countries that are in league with America against war on terror (Whitehead & Aden, 2002). The strict American Laws make it impossible for a suspected terrorist to enter in the US for sabotaging the national assets / endangering the life of common citizens. The new act enhanced the capability of law enforcement / intelligence agencies to fight terrorism in an effective manner (Whitehead & Aden, 2002). The patriot act in fact provides protection to American people against domestic and foreign terrorism. It describes the official version of domestic terrorism. According to which any person who have ill intention to harm human life falls under the ambit of above act. Hence, by virtue of this act, law enforcement and intelligence agencies may obtain search warrant from federal judge wherever terror related activities are found on the surface. This is an easy way to investigate the matter by streamlining and exchanging communication between agencies (Ball, 2004). H owever, the act in question specifically focuses on the surveillance of terrorism activities in order to prevent international terrorism. In case terrorist caught red handed, an exemplary punishment should be awarded to him to deter others. He / she should be tried in a competent court of law for punishment in accordance with law. The use of modern gadgets in promoting domestic / international terrorism cannot be ignored (Doyle, 2001). The policy makers while drafting policy must take into account the rights of citizens that have conferred to them by the constitution and the bills of rights. American policy makers must respect the Constitution to protect American rights. It protects the rights of every citizen irrespective of their cost, creed and profession, whether he / she are a part timer or full time policy makers who enjoy the benefits of given rights even in the war time (Ball, 2004). After the act of terrorism on the mentioned date of the year 2001, Mr. Bush sought unbridled power as president of USA to summon reserve forces to face the war like situation. As a result of this act, liberties of American people have been taken away to meet the eventualities and to fight terrorism. By enactment of this act, power of law enforcement agencies / intelligence agencies gave unchecked powers to investigate the suspected terrorist in a brutal manner, which amounts to flagrant violation of human rights (Doyle, 2001). The

Race o racism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Race o racism - Research Paper Example The marathon race will feature numerous other activities apart from running. These include an avenue to interact among the participants and share ideas. It will also be a family affair where the children will be educated on the importance of stopping racism. The proceeds from the marathon will help the affected racism victims around the world through the organizations planning. This agency has numerous branches all over America and all over the world. The main theme of the marathon is creating awareness on racism. Through the marathon, people will also appreciate the importance of alleviating racism since it has numerous impacts to a society. To highlight on the impacts, racism cause disintegration in a society. The disunity of the society affects numerous other activities of the society especially the developmental projects. Societies cannot develop well since the members do not appreciate each other’s role and position based on racism. It is in this respect that the society lags behind in terms of development. Through having joint public initiatives like this marathon, everyone in the society understand the importance of forgetting the racial differences and working together as one people. This marathon, therefore, is necessary to attend for individuals who seek to debunk the racism problem in the society. In many instances, an individual can be faced with a situation involving racial prejudice. This can be at the workplace, school or even at the church. When the individual is judged base on their race, they get psychological torture. They might feel that they have no place in the society and in some cases commit suicide. The case of racial segregation also develops hatred among different people of the society. The individuals start judging others on ethnic lines. From that perspective, the hatred is likely to develop into conflict. The conflict can further escalate to unprecedented levels. Affect this means that not only will the individuals involved but the whole community as a whole. Through the marathon, you will get to understand how to evade such situations. This would be an available activity for individuals who do not want to participate in the race. Racism also causes uncertainty among the members of a society. Everyone lives not sure of the other persons intention towards them they might feel that any action an individual does is directed to them. The state on uncertainty is not appropriate for the social health of the society (Jackson et al 15). The members do not interact freely and in a mutual interest way. It is in line with this that the race is purposed to bring together members from different races. Participants will get the chance to overcome their racial differences and compete in the marathon. The interaction among these members is a vital step to achieve a racism free country. Through the marathon, the participants will get the chance to prove their competency outside the realm of racism. For the participants who do not wish to participate in the race, various activities are also available to suit their needs on understanding racism. There would be centers where talks are held about racism. Similarly, there would be discussions on racism and its effects. The participants in these discussions are also expected to give some of the possible solutions to racism. The International Agency against Racism hopes that, through this marathon, everyone will have a

Wholistic Visual Cues When Reading

Wholistic Visual Cues When Reading To what extent do we use wholistic visual cues when reading? Researchers have proposed that individuals use the outline shape of a word, meaning wholistic visual cues, in visual word recognition in reading. Various methods have been used to investigate reading in individuals with differing reading abilities. The reading abilities of young children and individuals with dyslexia have been studied to determine how this deviates from normally reading adults. The majority of research found the use of wholistic visual cues is most beneficial to individuals with dyslexia (Perea Panadero, 2013) and those in the early stages of learning to read (Ehri, 1995). However, disparity between the research conclusions exist, proposing that wholistic visual cues are used in conjunction with other recognition processes. The holistically biased hybrid model (Allen, Wallace Weber, 1995) and the process model (Besner Johnston, 1989) both provide theories for word recognition. The holistically biased hybrid model uses either an addressed or an assembled pathway to process words, with the addressed pathway being dominant in normal reading (Allen et al., 1995). This model accounts for both word frequency and provides an explanation for reading behaviours when presented with a mixed case paradigm, supporting the use of wholistic visual cues in reading (Allen et al., 1995). Alternatively, the process model recognises words using either a familiarity assessment, letter analysis or multi-letter identification (Besner Johnston, 1989) and rejects the use of wholistic visual cues. The interactive activation model uses similar analytical methods as the process model (McClelland and Rumelhart, 1981), whereby numerous variables of the word are processed for recognition. The different uses of visual cues was dete rmined by Paap, Newsome and Noel (1984) who concluded that wholistic visual cues are used in the initial stages of word recognition and this is then followed by abstract letter identification. Evidence for both of these models have been found and provide evidence for and against the use of wholistic visual cues using a variety of research methods. A method used to research the importance of word shape in reading is that of the cloze test, whereby participants must anticipate the upcoming word. Haber, Haber and Furlin (1983) tested adult reading using cues including word length, envelope shape or providing the following word. They found that participants used the shape envelope to recognise the target word. The cue provided word length information which decreased the number of alternative applicable words. However, the wholistic visual cues did not provide semantic cues, suggesting that other methods of word recognition are required in conjunction with wholistic visual cues. Mirman and Magnuson (2008) discovered that words which are semantically similar increase reaction times in visual word recognition. These pieces of research support the interactive activation model because it requires the processing of several aspects of the word in parallel, including semantics (McClelland Rumelhart, 1983). Fisher and Murray (1987) replic ated Haber et al.’s (1983) research using children as their participants. No age difference was discovered in the use of wholistic visual cues between the ages of 10 to 13 years old. However, Johnston, Anderson and Duncan (1991) determined that at 8 years old salient external features improved reading accuracy which was not seen at the age of ten. This research therefore suggests that wholistic visual cues may be used more in reading behaviours when improving reading ability. Naming tasks have been particularly important in researching developing reading abilities. Webb, Beech, Mayall and Andrews (2006) studied the effects of concealing either the inner or outer sections of words for children. The outer sections of a word elicited more accurate reading ability, whereas inner visual information of words had no influence on the individual’s reading behaviours even when accounting for frequency effects. Increased performance when presented with the outer sections of words as opposed to the inner sections was also evidenced by Beech and Mayall (2005). This concluded that individuals process word shape envelopes in visual word recognition, suggesting that wholistic visual cues may play a role in the initial stages of the interactive activation model (Webb et al., 2006). It is also possible to explain the findings using Gestalt theory, proposing that individuals form connections between the outer sections of words in order to make up for the missing word sections (Beech Mayall, 2005). The Gestalt theory provides evidence for the use of wholistic visual cues and it is evident when researching the effects of presenting other sections of words. This was then analysed further by presenting only the upper section of words to normally reading adults. Perea, Comesana and Soares (2012) determined an improved reaction time when upper sections of words were presented. However, this did not apply to pseudo-words, implying that the word must be known in order to have the desired effect. The decreased reaction time indicates that upper sections of words have more salient cues than lower sections of words, meaning they are more representative of the target word. These pieces of research therefore emphasise the importance of wholistic visual cues in visual word recognition, however research by Pelli, Farell and Moore (2003) contrasted these conclusions. The researchers determined that individuals focus on minor cues in words and collate these for an overall representation of the word, contrasting the evidence of using wholistic visual cues when reading. Further information other than word shape envelopes must therefore be known in orde r to accurately process the given word. An alternative way in which the use of wholistic visual cues has been researched is that of using a mixed case paradigm, presenting an array of uppercase and lowercase letters to participants (Coltheart Freeman, 1974). Presenting words in a mixed case format increased reaction times as well as reducing the recognition of the word, providing evidence for the importance of wholistic visual cues and contradicting the interactive activation model (Coltheart Freeman, 1974). However, the mixed case paradigm had no influence on the identification of individual letters in this case, supporting the interactive activation model and opposing the use of wholistic visual cues. Besner and Johnston (1989) also found pseudo-words in a mixed case format to be detrimental to reading ability. This therefore demonstrates the need for the word shape envelope and rejects the interactive activation model due to the reduced reading ability. Allen et al. (1995) used a lexical decision task to compare the r eading of lower and mixed cases when given a time constraint on processing. The experiments concluded an increased reaction time for pseudo-words in a mixed case format, indicating the importance of wholistic visual cues in word recognition. Participants struggled to accept or reject pseudo-words presented for 400ms, representing the processing limitations during short exposure periods. This research is in line with Allen et al.’s (1995) holistically biased hybrid model but contrasts the analytical models, including the process model. The research carried out by Allen et al. (1995) indicates that for the successful completion of lexical decision tasks wholistic visual cues are necessary, meaning that reading methods may adapt to the task’s requirements. This provides an explanation for the great degree of variation seen in the research into the use of wholistic visual cues and shows the high level of validity of this method due to the replicability of the findings. Further research has led to the suggestion that wholistic visual cues may only be used in circumstances where normal reading behaviour is inhibited. This was recently demonstrated by Perea and Panadero (2013) using a lexical decision task to analyse reading behaviours for adults, children and children with developmental dyslexia. There was no effect on the reaction times for word recognition when pseudo-words were presented as having the same shape as real words for adults and children. However, those with developmental dyslexia were found to be affected by the word shape of pseudo-words (Perea Panadero, 2013), reflecting how wholistic visual cues are used to a different extent. This indicates the use of more analytical processing methods in normal reading. Lavidor (2011) also found word shape envelopes to be beneficial to individuals with dyslexia. These pieces of research suggest that children and those with dyslexia fixate on particularly salient cues in order to reliably process words (Ehri Wilce, 1985). This again dismisses the word shape hypothesis and provides further evidence for the importance of the interactive activation model (McClelland Rumelhart, 1981) during normal reading due to the use of feature analysis. These studies highlight the requirement for top-down processing in normal reading behaviours compared to dyslexia, as the interactive activation model (McClelland Rumelhart, 1981) requires the processing of multiple factors in word recognition. Cognitive processing, including top-down processing, is a vital part of visual word recognition. Research carried out by Yates (2013) provides further evidence with clustering effects that word shape alone has limited influence on normal reading behaviour. If a set of words only differ by a phoneme then word recognition requires a higher level of activation and is processed more slowly (Yates, 2013). This infers that the use of a word’s shape envelope is influenced by cognitive processing ability. Cognitive processing can again be seen by analysing parafoveal vision. When monitoring eye movements McConkie and Zola (1979) discovered normally reading adults do not detect any changes to manipulations of word shape in parafoveal vision. Contrasting evidence by Haber, Haber, Furlin, Paap, Newsome and Noel (1984) determined that when proofreading, participants remained unaware of changes to words unless the word shape envelope was manipulated. An alternative explanation for the lack of evidence for the word shape hypothesis may be that the use of wholistic cues becoming automated (Webb et al., 2006). Research has proven the importance of the word shape envelope for young readers and dyslexics, however it has not been consistently reported in adults. If word shape is processed in a more automated manner the individual’s cognitive load would be significantly reduced (Webb et al., 2006). This reduction would allow other, more efficient, reading behaviours to occur. These pieces of research led to the conclusion that wholistic visual cues are important in visual word recognition, however as an individual matures their reading behaviours may be modified. Previous research has found that individual’s reading methods change as their reading ability improves. Children initially use wholistic visual cues and then potentially develop more effective reading methods (Perea Panadero, 2013). Research by Seymour and Eldre (1986) determined that in order to read children have to be specifically taught to read each of these words, meaning they are unable to determine the phonological information of a word and as such rely on wholistic visual cues (Webb et al., 2006). This was also supported was Ehri (1995) who described stages in children’s visual word recognition. When children learn to read they engage in sight word reading or logographic reading, meaning that the word is read through memory retrieval. As children’s reading ability develops they learn the relationship of phonemes and graphemes and are thus able to apply this to more complex words in the consolidated alphabetic stage (Ehri, 1995). Research using children i s therefore of great advantage when focusing on adult reading. The conclusion has been reached that as children develop their reading ability they refine their use of wholistic visual cues. Thus as visual word recognition becomes more refined individuals use other recognition strategies in parallel with wholistic visual cues. Research into the use of wholistic visual cues has shown that adults do not necessarily use wholistic visual cues. However, evidence has shown that children and individuals with developmental dyslexia use these cues to a great extent. This difference may occur due to the processing of wholistic visual cues becoming more automated as reading develops. Alternatively, the varying use of wholistic cues may be explained by the demands of the task, as shown by lexical decision tasks (Allen et al., 1995). For this reason wholistic visual cues provide a more accurate account of visual word recognition when taken in conjunction with analytical models, such as the interactive activation model and the process model. References Allen, P. A., Wallace, B., Weber, T. A. (1995). Influence of case type, word frequency, and exposure duration on visual word recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 21(4), 914-934. Beech, J. R., Mayall, K. A. (2005). The word shape hypothesis re-examined: Evidence for an external feature advantage in visual word recognition. Journal of Research in Reading, 28(3), 302-319. Besner Johnston (1989) Beech M Coltheart Freeman (1974) Allen Ehri, L. C. (1995). Phases of development in learning to read words by sight. Journal of Research in Reading, 18(2), 116-125. Ehri Wilce (1985) Lavidor Fisher Murray (1987) Webb Haber, L. R., Haber, R. N., Furlin, K. R. (1983). Word length and word shape as sources of information in reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 18(2), 165-189. Haber, Haber, Furlin, Paap, Newsome Noel (1984) Beech Mayall Johnston, Anderson Duncan (1991) Beech M Lavidor, M. (2011). Whole-word shape effect in dyslexia. Journal of Research in Reading, 34(4), 443-454. McClelland and Rumelhart (1981) McConkie, G. W., Zola, D. (1979). Is visual information integrated across successive fixations in reading? Perception and Psychophysics, 25(3), 221-224. Mirman Magnuson (2008) yates Seymoure Eldre (1986) Webb Paap, K. R., Newsome, S. L., Noel, R. W. (1984). Word shape’s in poor shape for the race to the lexicon. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 10(3), 413-428. Pelli, D. G., Farell, B., Moore, D. C. (2003). The remarkable inefficiency of word recognition. Nature, 423, 752-756. Perea, M., Comesana, M., Soares, A. P. (2012). Does the advantage of the upper part of words occur at the lexical level? Memory and Cognition, 40, 1257-1265. Perea, M., Panadero, V. (2013). Does viotin activate violin more than viocin? On the use of visual cues during visual-word recognition. Experimental Psychology, 61(1), 23-29. Webb, T. M., Beech, J. R., Mayall, K. M., Andrews, A. S. (2006). It’s what’s on the outside that matters: An advantage for external features in children’s word recognition. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 94, 163-181. Yates, M. (2013). How the clustering of phonological neighbours affects visual word recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 39(5), 1649-1656.

Privacy of Digitized Personal Information Essay -- Private Privacy Inf

Privacy of Digitized Personal Information Privacy of personal information is a fundamental right of any person. No one wants his/her private details to be known to other people, especially ones who they are not familiar with. However, human society is based on cooperation between people. Society simply cannot function without this vital interaction between two human beings. No one is that capable or skillful enough to fulfill his/her daily requirements alone. The very fabric of society exists because a person has to depend on other people to get things done. Whenever one person talks to another, he/she unknowingly reveals a certain amount of personal information such as physical features, personality, character, etc. It is impossible to hide this information as revealing of this information to other people is unavoidable. In order to fulfill has/her daily wants and needs, a person has to trust quite a number of individuals with some unique information. The process is reciprocal, i.e., the individuals have to also reveal certain information to build an atmosphere of trust. However, human avarice knows no bounds. People always face incidences where their private information is revealed to unscrupulous individuals, who take undue advantage of this information for their own ends. In most cases, this results in loss of credibility or harm to the victims. This is called as identity theft. Therefore, the pros and cons of releasing one's personal information have to be carefully weighed and examined before any hasty so-called remedial actions can be taken. Technology has revolutionized the realm of commerce and industry that we know today. The Internet is the central axis around which all these financial and marketing activ... ...use and propagation of this information to respect the privacy of the individual. Only time will tell if an innovative solution is found to balance the two. Personally, I would prefer the utilitarian approach, as lack of privacy is not going to drastically affect anybody. As a matter of fact, it could mean saving thousands of lives. I wouldn't bother too much if anybody could access my personal information, unless it is used to malign or denigrate me in any way. The Utilitarian approach is not perfect, as it can still be misused. But, it still appears as the best choice. Sources Cited: http://www.nasscom.org/download/Data_Privacy.pdf http://ethics.acusd.edu/theories/Rights/index.html http://ethics.acusd.edu/theories/Utilitarianism/index.html http://ethics.acusd.edu/theories/Aristotle/index.html http://www.stanford.edu/~hammond/SienaLect.pdf

Attachment Report: Kenya Seed Company Limited Essay

As per the requirement of the Bachelor in commerce and economics course structure, I was obliged to undertake an industrial attachment at an organization of my choice for a period of eight weeks. This exercise was meant to enable me glamatise with work environment, exercise skills and knowledge acquired in university and gain more competence in my area of specialization. The application process begun as early as third year 2nd semester and I must say it was not an easy task because I can’t count the number of application I made through both letters and e-mail True to say, opportunities as it has been penned down knocks ones at every mans door or a woman’s door if I am allowed to appreciate gender parity. If not so they come ones in a blue moon and as somebody with superior minds has advised, in order for one to acquire this rare ‘commodity’ he/she has to keep jumping and if any comes across in the process of jumping grasp it and capitalize on it. I would link these wise words to be me being accorded an opportunity to work and exercise the skills and knowledge that I have acquired through the years I have been undertaking my under-graduate degree programme at the Institution of Global excellence in Training, innovation and development(JKUAT). As explicitly indicated in the cover page this rare opportunity was accorded to me by the Trans-National Bank Management. I began my industrial attachment on 13th of June 2011 to 26th of August 2011.This translates to around ten weeks. The first day basically involved an orientation programme where I was taken through the various departments in the bank and introduced to the staff members. The departments that I was taken through were customer care, clearing department, cash department, marketing department and credit department where I worked under the supervision of the branch manager Jacinta Ndolo and school based supervisor Dr. Margret Oloko. I must say that it was an exciting opportunity working in an organization which forms part of the pillars of the economy. In one way or another I knew I would extend my services in economic building while there. These may probably be evidenced in the duties that I will perform. 2.0 Objectives of the attachment The main objectives of the attachment were as follows * Impact and allow the learner/ student glamatise with the work environment through partaking accorded roles and duties in the organization. This forms a good basis for their future placement in the work industry. * It acts as a measure where student or an individual can relate what has learnt and what is on the ground therefore becoming a gauge for his/her future success in the chosen field specialization * Beside what is learnt in the university, the student gets an opportunity to acquire more skills and knowledge * Gives an opportunity for an individual or the student practically exercise the theoretical part learnt in school or at the university. * Attachment is like a pace setter for an individuals or the student future work. That is the student knows where to position him-self or her-self in the market. * It also forms a good basis for the organization employee out-sourcing processes because from the interns they are able identify potential future employees for the organization. * Instill courage and sense of responsibility in the students even as they purpose to seek job opportunities in future 3.0 Mainframe of the report: 3.1 General description of the organization and the departments where attached. 3.1.2 Brief History of the organization and its role Trans-national Bank always abbreviated as TNB is a private company which came into existence in 1985 as a SACCO. In the late 80s it was fully chattered as a private bank that would provide both personal banking services and cooperate banking services in the republic of Kenya. It has excellent products for small account holders and offers congestion –free banking, innovative and responsive products and services, affordable bank charges and speed in decision making are its strong point over competition. 3.1.3 Physical Address of the Organization. Trans-National Bank (Kirinyaga Road Branch. P.o Box 69963-00400 TOM MBOYA NAIROBI, KENYA: TEL224235/6, 252188-90 Email:managerkirinyagard@tnbl.co.ke 3.1.4 Vision and Mission of the Bank The organization is driven by a number of factors which include their vision and mission. These driving forces are as out-lined below: VISION: To be the  regional financial service provider of choice MISSION: Provision of convenient financial services and solutions to customers through high standards of service while increasing stake holders’ value. 3.1.5 The Core Values of the Organization Professionalism Integrity Efficiency Innovation Team work Good cooperate governance and social responsibility. 3.1.6 The role of the organization The main and core role of the organization is simply provision of banking services in the republic plus engaging corporate social responsibilities 3.1.7 Expectation of the Organization. The bank plans to win a large personal banking clientele over the coming years and continue to expand and spread its wings across all the corners of the country. The bank also expects that its net profit is going to continually rise year in year out. Beside this it also expects that its marketing team will continually seek to come up with tailor made products for its customers 3.1.8 Structure and Management of the organization Like any other organization it has a structure of management composed of the Directors, chief Executive officer(C.E.O), Audit committee, Credit committee, strategy committee, risk committee, Assets and liability management committee, Human resource committee, secretaries, Registered Office, Auditors, Advocates, managers, operations officers and staff members. The above can be summarized by the table below: The Board of directors Chief Executive Officer Audit committee Credit committee Strategy committee Risk committee Assets & Liability committee Human resource committee Secretaries Registered office Auditors Advocates Operations Officers IT committee Tellers &cashiers other staff members 3.1.9 The Organizations Branches The head office is in Nairobi (Trans-National Plaza) city hall way. The company boasts of several branches across the country ranging from Nairobi Branch(city hall way) JKIA branch Kirinyaga Road Branch EPZ(Export Processing Zone) Mombasa Branch Mombasa International Airport Branch Eldoret Branch Nandi Hills Branch Kericho Branch Nakuru Branch Kabarak Branch Olenguruone Branch Kabarnet Branch, Sheik Karume branch among others 3.2.0 The Services and Products being offered at the Bank The Bank offers a variety of services and products ranging from Current accounts Savers Accounts Transaction Account, Mshahara Account (Salaried individuals) Mrembo Acount (Ladies Account) Msomi Account (Students Account) Angels Account ( Children’s Acount) Investment Account, Hazina Account (Self Employed Individuals) Mint Account, Fixed Deposits SWIFT Remmitances Standing Instructions, Air Time Top Up SMS Banking e.t.c. 4.0 Departments at the organization. The main departments found at the station where I was attached and I happened to traverse across were as follows. * The customer care Service * The marketing department * The clearing department * The cash Department * The credit department 5.0 General activities Undertaken in the Organization Filing of account opening forms for clients Filing of RTGS( Real Time Gross Settlement Forms) and their confirmation Memos Filing of TTS( Telegraphic Transfers Forms) Filing of clearing documents, cheque book request forms, expenses receipts e.t.c Issuing of cheque books and recording them Photocopying and printing Turning on and off the systems, setting them up and general updating of the software’s. Documents and parcels delivery between the branch and main Head Quarters at the Central Business District (C.B.D) Stock taking (That includes posting of all received stock i.e stationery in the system) Assisting clients fill the BRITACK (British American) I.P.O (Initial Public Offer) forms. 6.0 Specific activities undertaken during the attachment The core activities were undertaken at departmental level during the period of attachment and they are as stipulated below. 6.1 The customer care service Department Attending to general inquires from clients/customers. Availing account balances and statements of accounts to clients Assisting new clients open new accounts. Closing of in-active accounts. Activating of de-activated accounts upon clients request. Updating clients accounts. The Marketing Department. Marketing the organizations products and services within the branch area and Nairobi environs in general Visiting both present and potential clients at their business premises to find out their progress, challenges facing them, seeking their opinion on the level of satisfaction and possible improvements on our products and services. Preparing call reports after every marketing outing. Phone calls to unreached clients during call visits for updates or follow up exercise. Attending marketing meetings with the marketing managers. Providing a readily available, service-focused, knowledgeable and experienced point of contact for new customers. Cross-selling the bank’s products effectively. Identifying customer needs effectively and open new accounts accordingly. Managing the customer portfolio which comprises of high net worth local investors; Updating and continually maintaining KYC (Know Your customer) on all clients held in our portfolio, including up to date information on clients’ financial background. Identifying market for the organization 6.2 The clearing Department Receiving and verification of cheques Recording of unpaid cheques Issuing and recording of bankers cheques Running the cheques through Checkpoint Truncation System (CTS).This involves capturing the images of all cheques through a scanner, undertaking amount entry, verification and generating their commission. Posting of cheques in OMNI (Omni is network that allow posting of cheques online so that respective recipients can access them wherever they are. Undertaking TR (transfer) this is done for inward cheques and is simply transferring the money from drawers account to the payee account and the same applied to KRA(Kenya Revenue Authority) tax remittance by clients. Recording of received cheque books, issued ones and balancing the books on daily basis. Sorting cheques in order of bank codes and amounts in preparation for cross checking with the Outward Clearing Report (OWCLG). 6.3 The Cash Department * Organizing Cashier’s cubicle, stamps in readiness of the day. * Acquiring controlled balanced cash at the start of the day. * Scrutinizing cash withdrawal cheques and slips for correctness before accepting them. * Scrutinizing cash/cheque deposit pay in slips for correctness of technical details before receiving. * Forex transactions i.e. buying and selling of foreign echange * Verifying customer’s signature. * Paying cash within the limit and referring cheques for limit authorization. * Posting of cash deposits, withdrawals and Cheques for local clearing. * Issuing of Banker’s cheques. * Sorting of soiled notes. * Assisting in cash confirmation ready for sealing and lodgment. * Making references to the operations manual to ensure compliance. * Reconciliation of accounts as assigned by the branch Manager * Any other back office work assigned by the branch manager. 6.4 The credit Department The credit department basically deals with provisions of loans and asset financing to the clients. The core activities involved; Receiving loan application forms/documents from applicants. Analyzing, scrutinizing and assessing their loan documents which include their securities. Undertaking account statistics which included analyzing applicant’s transaction turnover, commissions, interest and ledger fees. Making call visits to applicants business premises to ascertain the following facts as part of loan lending process; The location of the business and their offices The type of business one is operating i.e. company, partnership, sole- proprietorship e.t.c The description of goods and services being offered by the business e.g. Hard-ware, stationery, Hotel, e.t.c. The major suppliers and customers of the loan applicant Whether they do any importation or exportation The mode of payment to suppliers i.e. through cash, cheques,TTs(Telegraphic Transfers) or RTGS(Real Time Gross settlement). Their new investment plan i.e. new products, fixed asset acquisition , , how long they have been in business, the expectation from the investment and if they have had any changes since their establishment. The key management number of employees and their qualification. After all this exercise I was expected make an appraisal report for the applicant in conjunction with other members in the credit department. This would then be passed to manager for approval before being forwarded Head office. 7.0 A profile of skills and competencies gained I must acknowledge that during this period numerous skills and impartment was gained and they are as outlined below: Further improved my communication skills as being most important skill through interacting with clients through marketing exercise, customer service department and general communication to clients in the departments that I worked Handling of bulk cash including verification, sorting, sealing e.t.c Never new much about loan procedures but got an opportunity to know them as has been stipulated under the activities under-taken in the credit department. Writing of bankers cheques was a key skill gained. Never in my life had I written one. More to it I learnt that bankers’ cheques permit no alteration of any magnitude because if it goes with alteration chances are high that it will bounce. Preparation of call reports and appraisals for loan applicants and new customers was also a key thing that I learned. How to identify original and fake cash by observing certain fe atures through a special cash scanner. 8.0 Activities which I applied my skills for the benefit of the organization. Being through a learning and education system, I came to agree that it is an essential and critical instrument in an individual life and as many institutions would phrase their mottos and vision, true to say education is key, light or avenue to many things in an individual’s life. Therefore to me the skills I have acquired in institutions of learning enabled me serve the organization in the following ways My communication skills enabled me to owe a number of new clients to the organization during the marketing spree and while at customer service. The computer skills that I gained earlier in my life also enabled me solve a few computer errors and software hitches at the organization. The courage I have accrued by embracing leadership positions enabled me interact with clients of all personalities. Through entrepreneurial knowledge gained in university I was able to make significant and immense contribution during marketing and other staff meetings for branch evaluation and addr essing pressing issues. 9.0 Strategy for utilization of the contacts established during attachment Serving at the branch as an intern enabled me to expand my public relation territory by a significant percentage. I have brushed shoulders with people of divergent personalities and caliber both during office work and during marketing sessions and call visits. This exposed me to the market and thus I believe was able to position myself well in the job market. Therefore the contacts, I believe will give me an edge both now and in future as I seek personal and societal establishment. The ideologies also gained through contacts will be used in constructive manner through the daily processes that I will be undertaking or engaging myself in. 10. 0 Challenges of internship. Getting the attachment in the first place was a major hurdle that was difficult to jump across. Many application were made but almost 90% were almost unfruitful Expenses incurred in the whole process of attachment ranging from application to actual working period were very high. That included the travel cost, accommodation among others proved quite challenging Uncooperative clients. Some clients at work place would fail to follow stipulated bank procedures and one had to be patient enough in directing and reminding them what they are supposed to do. Dealing with dead-lines. At times dealing with date-lines proved wanting because of bulk of work, time given to accomplish it and the labor force available to accomplish Work overload. Sometimes work was so much more especially during end-months where organizations are paying salaries to their workers and tax remittance by the organizations 11.0 Suggested solutions to the above challenges The University should chip in by liaising with various organizations to assist students get attachment. Availing of any attachment information at their disposal e.g it came to my notice that some organization needs a prior of like three months before the actual date of attachment commencement. Provision of allowances: The organizations should consider providing some allowances to interns for their upkeep during the attachment period and also act as source of motivation. Civic education on clients on organizations rules and etiquette. The organizations should organize forums where clients can be taught operational etiquette, rules, terms and conditions of operations Provide reasonable date-lines. This should put into consideration the amount of work to be done and available time and also the number of workers Increase the staff members: This would counter the problem workload and beating date-line 12.0 Analysis, observation and critiques 12.1Analysis and observation It was conspicuously observed that there was a significant relationship between what is learned in the university or in the school and what is practiced or exercised in the industry. A few of the things I have learnt and were being used in the industry included the Amortization schedules concepts, reducing balances concepts, reconciliation concepts, market segmentation concepts, partnership, competitive pricing, required improvement on existing banks products and new ones, strategies on improving the companies corporate brand strategy state of sales team and possible improvements, staffing systems e.g adequacy of staff members and skills responsive to business growth, efforts to enhance performance of staff, efforts to create a conducive and professional environment that embeds bank values, efforts to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness in customer service delivery and alternative delivery channels. If one keenly cuts across this we can conclude that quite a number of these things we have learnt in the units that we have covered so far ranging from accounting, finance, marketing, Human Resource Management among other units. Therefore if approximately analyzed I can conclude that 80% of what did was related to what I learnt in the university. 12.2 Critiques Poor communication and feedback system. I would say that there were frequent break down in communication system at place of attachment due to poor network or unstable network in the system that was being used to relay clients information. This created a lot of inconviencies both to clients and workers who had to work overtime because of such failures Under-staffing: Serving clients adequately and finishing work on time was a problem because of less labor force at the firm Lack of motivation to the staff: if one compares the staff re-numeration with the amount work done, it was not really motivating. Workers also worked over-time as late as 9pm but with no extra time allowance which was a really de-motivating experience. Lack of privacy i.e absence of closed door office. The back door offices were open that is the window panes were trans-parent allowing clients see all the transaction under-taken there therefore posing a security threat to the organization which mainly deals with fina nces. 13.0 Recommendation Interns who have successfully completed their attachment and have proved their worth in their area of specialization should be absorbed back in the organization. This would aid the organization in cutting cost on training, orientation of new employees’ e.t.c Increase the staff. The staff numbers should be increased in the organization to facilitate improvement in service delivery hence profit realization. Aggressive marketing. The organization needs still to do a lot in terms of marketing itself and its products in the republic if it needs to proof its worth in the market. Motivation should be embraced. The employees there need a lot of motivation if the organization is to up its performance in the banking industry Quick service delivery to clients should be looked into consideration and this would be solved by staff increment and improvement in the communication net-work at the organization. 14.0 Summary and conclusions. I must acknowledge that going for an attachment was one the most interesting and captivating things in my life. One of the most valuable lessons learnt from the internship is that it is of the essence that one enjoys their job. It is unimaginable that a person should go through so many years of schooling just to end up sulking each and every day of their work – such people were met during the attachment; it is not a desirable state to be in. In most of the cases,the internship served to teach more of what not to do rather than what to do. It clearly brought out the importance of integrating one’s personality and interests with their occupation, although this may not be easy in the light of the highly competitive job market in today’s world. However, it should be noted that enjoying one’s job does not necessarily imply that one has the ideal job they have always envisioned since this may be based on hypothetical beliefs and expectations; rather, it implies finding that job that brings the best out of one’s personality; that occupation that will bring fulfilment and satisfaction and that will lead to a perfection of the human person. In addition to the above, it can be concluded that flexibility in terms of career choice is necessary. It is not guaranteed that one will necessarily end up working in the specific field of study that they have undertaken in their undergraduate program; after all, job dynamics are better learnt on the job itself than in class. It is therefore important that one is open to any viable opportunities that may present themselves, other than the ideal job that may have been envisaged, provided they bring the best out of one’s capabilities.

Guns: Firearm and Gun

Gun related crimes kill thousands of people every day. We see it in the news and on the streets. When will it stop? What can we do to help? Already this year, the shootings in Chicago have broken records. Kids and bystanders are getting injured by guns. Guns are easily obtained and can Just as easily take someone's life. In order to get to the bottom of this issue, one need to take into consideration statistics, Obama's thoughts, the effects of enforcing guns in schools, new laws dealing with gun control, Homicides and accidental or suicidal deaths that is caused by a firearm.The statistics on gun related violence and homicides are showing a decrease through recent years. The data is based on gun related crimes and homicides that have occurred in the past years to the recent years. However, some communities in Chicago area and surrounding suburbs still see large amount of guns in their neighborhood illegal or legal. There are plenty more guns than shown in the media. According to Sta tmasters. com, Illinois firearms death equate to 9. 7% for every 100,000 deaths in America.This percentage is very low compared to District of Columbia who olds the number one ranking of gun related deaths by a whopping 31. 2 percent. Alaska has the second highest deaths by firearms at 20 percent. The lowest is Hawaii with 2. 8 percent and the second lowest is Massachusetts with 3. 1(Crime Statistics > Firearms Death Rate per 100,000 (most recent) by state. N. p. : StateMaster. com, 2002. Web. 10 Dec. 2012). While these numbers are from 2002 there hasn't been any changes in rankings much.What statistics show about gun violence is beneficial to everyone because it shows us what is really going on in the world? It allows people to e more aware of their surroundings and understand what is happening in their neighborhoods. When a leader expresses their opinions, I feel people would actually take this topic into consideration. The person we call our leader is President Obama. President O bama's thoughts on guns, is in order to prevent gun crimes, we should limit the people we give guns too.By doing background checks and/or psych evaluations, we will discover if they are mentally stable to possess a gun (Shen, Aviva. Obama: Gun Control ‘Should Be Common Sense'. N. p. : n. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012). Some people might think that this is conflicting with their constitutional right to bear arms; however they have not given thought to if the person's mental capacity is or isn't stable and if they are prone to violence or not. Ask yourself, would you rather have a stable person with a gun around you, or an unstable person with a gun?Did you know that there are schools that allow college students to bare arms on campus? Arizona College is trying to pass the law for guns to be allowed. They think knows that guns or provoking violence makes things so much worse. Arizona's three tate universities estimate that a bill that would allow guns on campus would cost million s of dollars in one-time and annual expenses. (Ryman, Anne. N. p. : n. p. , 2012. Web. 6 Dec. 2012) the legislation would result in an additional $13. 3million in one- time expenses and an additional $3. million in annual operating costs at Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University. There are people who oppose that proposal, and won't accept it. But on the other hand, there are people who support this decision and feel it would keep them free from danger. There are people in this country who think having guns will solve all their solutions. Well through what data that is collected, it hasn't. There are laws in different states that say you should ‘stand your ground' and shoot first if threatened, that law got a kid named Traywon Martin killed.Traynv'on Martin was born February 5, 1995 and died February 26, 2012, by a man who was 28 year old man named, George Zimmerman. Mr. Zimmerman felt he was doing that law Justice by shooting the 17 yea r old boy in his chest, but all the boy was doing was walking around a neighborhood where he isited his father and his fianc ©s home only holding a bag of skittles (Traywon Martin Case (George Zimmerman). N. p. : The New York Times, 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012). By this law a man is not serving the appropriate time for murdering a child.The law needs to help prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands by having people who own guns actually have legal permits and the guns shops that are selling them need to have background check on the owners. The law also needs to ban the selling of firearms on the internet. I feel greater about the selling the firearms online, because of recent events. On July 20, of 2012, a man named James Eagan Holmes, Killed 12 and injured 58 People in Aurora, Colorado at a premiere of The Dark Knight Rise (Almasy, Steve.

Alaskan Lynx Essays - Lynx, Bobcat, Predators, Trapping, Hare

Alaskan Lynx Essays - Lynx, Bobcat, Predators, Trapping, Hare Alaskan Lynx Lynx by Cody White Academic Orientation Mr. Keown period 7 December 19, 1997 With a pounce and a hop the speedy lynx chases the bleached white hare through the bushes. Poof! The hare disappears into the shiny white powder. Then the sly lynx picks up the scent of the hare and pounces toward the small hairball. The sharp elongated claws dont dig in, and the hares long slender legs launch himself out of the hole and out of danger. The swift cat swings his claws around to hit the fast hare, but he hits the snow right under his back legs. The hare runs right between two willow trees and into a narrow opening which has a bunch of fallen willow trees. The hare has escaped from the lynx this one time, but the lynx will find other food. The lynx is a pale brown to brownish grey with black streaks on its neck, forehead, and on the back. It has a short tail, long tuffed ears, long slender legs, wide feet for control in the snow, and long very soft fur. The lynx will grow to be 30 to 40 inches long, and 24 to 28 inches high from feet to shoulders. They usually weight 15 to 45 pounds. When you see the lynx, at first sight, it looks gaunt and lanky, but it is really fast and muscular. The back legs are longer than the fore legs for better pouncing ability. From the front the lynx looks royal with its hair on its face coming out to two points (Myers 136). The lynx is closely related to the bobcat, which populates the north American region. The bobcat does not have big fluffy paws, or is not as big as the lynx in relative size. They have two different food varieties. The lynx eats hares ,and also may prey on small deer, dall sheep, grouse, mice. Rarely they feed on fish. On the other hand bobcats feed on grouse , fish, and other small rodents. Lynx chase and still hunt their prey. They chase hares or they stay up on cliffs and branches, and waiting to pounce on the animal as it goes by. The lynx ranges from Alaska, all the way across Canada. The lynx are usually found in climax forests and dense undercovers. They are usually found where hares are abundant. If there are no hares in the vicinity, they travel out into the tundra to find food. Lynx breed during March and April. The gestation period is 60 days long ( Myers 135) . They will have from 1- 4 kittens each year. They usually have dens, where they keep their kittens, in hollow trees or under a pile of brush. The kittens stay with the female until well into the next winter. The kittens dont open their eyes until 10 days after birth. They also only nurse for 3 to 4 months. When the population of the hares are up the litters of 2 to 4 kittens have a lot better chance to survive in the wilderness with their parents. When food is not abundant the female lynx might not have a litter at all that year or not until the hares have come back. Lynx usually are silent, but the males make a screeching noise to find a mate during breeding season. The weird thing about the lynx is when it is in a trap. It doesnt make a sound. It sits there calmly accepting its death. The Lynx are sly creatures that prowl at night to find their food. That is usually the reason why people dont see the lynx out in the wilderness a lot. The lynx are sensitive to bright light, because their eyes are made to see at night. Adult males usually hunt alone, not in packs like wolves.The females usually hunt with their family if the kittens are old enough to go along. The kits hunt with their mother and learn skills from her until they leave in the fallowing winter. The huge feet of the lynx give it superb agility in the snow. The lynx has been known to chase down slow clumsy fox that has slim and slender feet that dont give them any leverage on top of the snow. Trapping