Abstract This paper reviews the concept and application of the consumer price index. It reviews energy price changes for 1993-2002 in relation to the CPI. It looks at how the CPI is used to measure inflation in the United States economy.
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses political corruption. The paper uses the 2005 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) as a guide to the world's most corrupt nations. According to the paper, the country believed to be the most corrupt nation of all, is Haiti. The paper also examines the issues surrounding political corruption in Norway and goes on to review the solvency in each nation and its relationship / linkage to political corruption.
From the Paper "NORWAY: Norway is ranked #8 on the CPI, behind Iceland, Finland, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland. The CIA World Factbook records that in the 1960s, Norway discovered oil and gas in its offshore waters, which was a welcome addition to its list of plentiful natural resources (iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber and hydropower). Whereas in Haiti natural disasters come in the form of powerful hurricanes, in Norway there are far less destructive "rockslides" and "avalanches," the CIA explains. Also, as far as trade, Norway has the advantage of being "adjacent to sea lanes and air routes" in the North Atlantic region. "
Abstract This paper examines the movie, "Braveheart", which tells the story of the thirteenth-century Scottish hero, William Wallace, who led his countrymen in a quest to gain freedom from the oppressive rule of King Edward I of England. It looks at how the movie distorts its two central characters and contains many inaccuracies, although it heroically depicts William Wallace and the conflict between England and Scotland. It analyzes how, although the basic plot of the film is historically accurate, it overly simplifies the characters of Wallace and Edward. It also shows how the film's representation of Wallace illustrates the attitudes and beliefs that the Scots have held for him throughout the years. Although William Wallace and King Edward were powerful and pivotal foes in the fight for Scottish Independence, Wallace's many faults are overlooked in the movie in order to depict him as a Hollywood hero. Additionally, Edward is villanized to the extreme, despite his legitimate actions as King.
From the Paper "Despite the oversimplification of his character in Braveheart, King Edward was actually a practical and effective ruler. Although Edward was a strict ruler, he became king at a time when feudalism was breaking down in Europe. A firm hand was needed to maintain stability in England as social structures changed. Additionally, his attempted occupation of Scotland would have also benefited England as a whole. Like many logical rulers of the time, Edward wanted to expand his United Kingdom. Increased land holdings were equated with increased royal superiority and national power. It was the aim of many rulers, not just Edward, to protect themselves and increase their power. Edward was given the opportunity, by the nobles of Scotland, to further this aim and acted accordingly."
Abstract The paper discusses the causes for the increase in the US GDP and why personal income grew. The paper looks at the federal discount rate and the primary credit rate and explains that the increase in primary credit rates indicated an increase in such banks and such credits. The paper relates that the Consumer Price Index or CPI represents the average change in prices over time of goods and services purchased by households and the paper notes an increase in the CPI. The paper examines how unemployment was higher for evacuees not living in their former homes because of Hurricane Katrina and discusses how housing permits decreased in every region. The paper reveals that consumers' opinions did not show likelihood of losing trust in the economy although total retail sales showed a decline and economists and analysts viewed the economy as slowing down.
From the Paper "Real gross domestic product or GDP represents the total output of goods and services by labor in a particular country, in this case, the United States (Bureau of Economic Analysis 2006). The US GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.9% from June 2--5 to June 2006 or 5.6% in March 2006 alone. This increase reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures for services, private inventory investment, non-residential structures, exports, and state and local government spending. These were partly offset by negative contributions from residential fixed investment and federal government spending. Imports too increased and would be debited from the calculation of GDP."
Tags: consumer, investment, credit, CPI, employment, federal
Abstract The story in the movie "Braveheart" is drawn from history, but the film is not history, but rather a fictionalized and romanticized account that some critics see as generally faithful to history, while others see it as veering too far from the real story. The paper shows that while "Braveheart's" version of the life of Scottish rebel and hero, William Wallace is in part fictional, this is not surprising given that so little is actually known of the real Wallace. Still, critics have found much to criticize regarding the historical inaccuracies in the film. The paper argues that despite several inaccuracies, the film gives a fair account of the military career of Wallace and so conveys his importance in Sottish history, something most people did not know before they saw the film.
From the Paper "For that matter, there were other rebellions across the country at that time, and the unrest was due to the imposition of strict rule on the Scots after John Balliol, who had held the throne of Scotland for a brief time, gave up his kingship. Edward I had control of Scotland because Scotland had no king, and he wanted to make certain that the Scots did not break free from his control. Under such oppression, it was not surprising that the Scots did react, and that many of them, being poor, formed weapons from farm implements and set out to protect their land ("The History Behind Braveheart").
Most of the information about William Wallace comes from an old poem which states that "he unified the clans of Scotland and won famous battles against the English before being captured, tortured and executed as a traitor" (Ebert). The history that is known does not agree entirely with the film. Wallace and Murray stated the rebellion and then were aghast when the nobles who had allied with them surrendered to the English on July 9, 1297 at Irvine."
Tags: Edward, I, Princess, Isabella, John, Balliol, Longshanks
Abstract This paper analyzes some of the methods taken by the main character in Goldbratt's "The Goal" and how those decisions help him turn his life around, stabilize his job, and fix his marriage. Touched-on points include how the continuous process improvement method can repair many things that seem to defy other methods of repair.
From the Paper "In Goldbratt's The Goal, plant manager Alex Rogo is faced with a staggering number of problems?his plant is not making any money, his boss wants to hang him, his job is on the line, and his wife is developing a serious case of Female Neglect Syndrome that threatens his marriage. Really about the only thing that can keep Rogo from losing his job, sanity, and wife is the institution of the Continuous Process Improvement method."
Abstract This paper examines the Federal reserve, GDP, CPI , PPI, inflation, interest rates, political changes, money supply, taxes, government spending, economic cycles and trends and international trends over the past three years. The Airline Industry is looked at in terms of competition, market share and developments. Expectations for growth and development over the next two years, based on a review of relevant expert opinion, are presented.
From the Paper "The past three years have been a roller coaster ride for the economy. The changes that have been seen are a new President, the stock market dropping, interest rates at a 30 year low and unemployment rates rising. The Airline Industry has also seen changes. There are fewer people flying, and some airlines have had to file for bankruptcy protection.
"1999 was a year that saw three interest rate increases from June to December by the Federal Reserve Board (2000). The gross domestic product (GDP) slowed to 3.2 percent after rising at least 4 percent in each of the previous three years (2000). The stock market was doing well this year."
Abstract The United States economy has experienced several changes in the past few years. This paper explains that it is important to look at five economic indicators in order to speculate the direction the current economy is moving in. The indicators examined are the CPI, housing and unemployment, producer price index, retails sales, and the movements in the dollar.
From the Paper "The United States economy has been showing signs of growing stronger in the past several months. Housing starts and retail sales are up, while unemployment is down. The consumer price index has dropped, and while the producer price index dropped slightly, this was not a major concern for economists. Reports in December showed a slight decline in consumer confidence; however all of the economic indictors strongly suggest that the economy will continue on a strong growth path over the next year."
Abstract This paper examines how monetary policy refers to the actions commenced by a central bank called the Federal Reserve (FED) that was established to influence the availability and cost of money and credit to help promote national economic goals. It also looks at how J. P. Morgan Chase is a leading global financial services firm with operations in more than 50 countries and how the firm has five business segments that include investment banking, investment managing, private banking, treasury and securities services, and Chase Financial Services. It analyzes how all five segments are affected by actions taken by the FED and how mortgage rates, the CPI, PPI, employment, finished goods index, consumer credit data, housing starts, growth and sales, and disposable personal income are all economic indicators in the industry.
From the Paper "According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Finished Goods are defined as commodities that are ready for sale to the final-demand user, either an individual consumer or a business firm. In national income accounting terminology, the Finished Goods Price Index roughly measures changes in prices received by producers for two portions of the gross national product: (1) Personal consumption expenditures on goods, and (2) capital investment expenditures on equipment. The Finished Goods Less Food and Energy Index excludes volatile food and energy prices and is sometimes referred to as the core PPI. Other stages of processing in this classification scheme include Intermediate materials, supplies and components and crude materials for further processing."
Abstract This paper will discuss the ideas that are present in the book "Major Problems in American History, 1920-1945" by Colin Gordon Major. By realizing the analytical process of history for this period of time, we can understand the notions of this author in making correction in inaccuracies in historical research. By disseminating this influence in the common notion of history in this period, the author seeks to discuss the mistakes that have been made about it.
Abstract This paper explains that some film critics point out some glaring historical and scriptural inaccuracies in "The Passion of the Christ"; using Latin might have been an impressive and unusual screenwriting technique, but it lent only a false sense of historical accuracy to the film. The author points out that part of why "The Passion of the Christ" is passionless is because Gibson does not endeavor to explain the teachings of Jesus or invoke any real sympathy for the man. The paper concludes that the film does deliver a poignantly visceral rendition of the Passion of Christ, even if it does not amount to filmmaking genius and reveals the mind of Mel more than the mind of God.
From the Paper "The cinematography of "The Passion of Christ" is stunning, and along with the acting, offers the film some saving grace. For instance, at the end of the film, after Jesus has been crucified, Mary holds the body of her dead son with Mary Magdalene at her side in a modern amalgamation of Pieta representations in painting and sculpture. The shot is one of the film's most memorable and expertly composed, as if it were a study for a Michelangelo painting. Moreover, after the crucifixion, some brilliant camera work depicts the event as it would be viewed from heaven, in a swirling mass of color. This scene precedes a supposedly cosmic-inspired earthquake that destroys the Jewish Temple. Whether or not the earthquake actually did occur is irrelevant because Gibson was going for meaning and effect."
Abstract This paper begins with a plot summary of the movie and then continues with a discussion of the historical accuracies and inaccuracies, using comparisons to Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" and "Medieval Times".
From the Paper "The movie "A Knights Tale" has many inaccuracies and very little accurateness. As a movie about a knight in medieval times this movie is certainly out of place. It is unclear whether the director wanted the movie to be this confused about its identity. What is clear is that the director wanted to appeal to younger audiences. He added relatively new rock songs for the soundtrack. Some actors were dressed appropriately for the times and then some were completely out of place. The great writer Geoffrey Chaucer is portrayed as a peasant with a horrible gambling problem. Although there are references to God and the Bible the characters do not have the sort of faith that was practiced during medieval times. Also the main women characters seem to have a lot of freedom. With all of these things combined this movie turns out to look sloppy and un-researched."
Abstract The paper discusses the yearly Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of Transparency International that is a good benchmark of the corruption levels in countries around the world. The paper focuses on Asia's two least corrupt/high integrity countries, Singapore and Japan, and Asia's two most corrupt/low integrity countries, the Philippines and Myanmar. The paper explores the disparities in their CPI and explains that if there truly is political will, like in Japan and Singapore, corruption can be curbed. The paper then contrasts this to the Philippines and Myanmar where those in power aim just to propagate their power legacy and enrich their pockets at the expense of those they are supposed to govern.
From the Paper "Globalization is not a truly new phenomenon in this day and age but rather has been with us since time immemorial. In fact, globalization is part and parcel of mankind's history since traders and merchants roam the land or sail the Seven Seas in search of unique goods or to trade/barter with others in far off lands. The difference with globalization then and now is the time and speed factors. Whereas before it could take months or years to travel and perform commercial activities with other nations; nowadays, it could be done in a matter of days, hours, minutes or even seconds. Thus, globalization changes the playing filed and the rules but throughout history, one constant has remained the same - corruption!"
Abstract This paper discusses the novel, "The da Vinci Code," written by Dan Brown. The paper presents controversies that have been cited by theologians and historians regarding historical and theological inaccuracies of the novel and it discusses some of the more serious inaccuracies. The paper suggests that the very premise of the novel is based on anecdotal evidence rather than factual material.
From the Paper "We have already exposed most of the inaccuracies in the book. Needless to say then, that this book is simply another controversy theory that was meant to infuriate a certain section of the readers. As the author must have wished, the book attracted mass attention. It has now become a serious source of contention and conflict. The book is being cited as the new Satanic Verses. Brown either makes obvious errors or carefully thought-out alterations but in either case, he gives us a rather inaccurate account of the events surrounding the Last Supper and the Holy Grail. Langdon for example incorrectly mentions that Romans had "originated" the cross for crucifixion (145) but the truth is that it was the Persians who created in around sixth century BC."
Abstract This paper looks at how sophisticated computer systems are a necessary cost that corporations are finding themselves faced with in order to maintain control and reliability of their computer systems. Without them accountants will be unable to appropriately balance and file reports. The paper discusses how, in order to reduce this, some corporations have put account managers in place to police their customers when checks are received and bills issued. This puts an additional level of checks and balances in place to try to eliminate inaccurate postings. The paper concludes that, although mistakes will occur even with data analysis systems and security protocols in place, the fact is that the best companies can hope for is to reduce inaccuracies.
Outline:
Fraud or Inaccuracies In the Name of Sarbanes-Oxley
Technological Advances
Enterprise System
Security Reduce Threats
Conclusion
From the Paper "In today's market place data is being channeled into networks through user screens that are more than likely customers' computers. They submit their orders via their own computer systems while inadvertently place security responsibilities to others. With the Internet, online ordering is putting the customer in control of what he needs and when he needs it. This puts additional pressures on companies to not only protect the data that they currently have within the walls of their servers but to also maintain some degree or order in the process flow of data from a customer. While doing this it must also be realized that customer computers must be preserved from receiving corrupt or virus laden files from the company systems when they are attached to the corporate website or host providers. "
