War News Censorship Essay Example for Free

War News Censorship Essay Censorship is a general term used to describe the manner at which control of information and its circulation is being employed within a society. Censorship is often administrated with the goal to implicate political suppression and to deliberately impose moral values on others. It can be implemented through government and private pressures, although government sponsored censorship is rendered unconstitutional (â€Å"What is Censorship† 1 ). In the global context, censorship is employed is various ways and behind different rationales. The earliest argument used to rationalized censorship is with respect to religious context, it inculcates values for conscience and moral entities that can make censorship acceptable to the public. Another, issues on national security and defense is also used to justify the censorship. â€Å"Censorship through intimidation† and â€Å"censorship though consensus† are also possible to be employed (â€Å"What is Censorship† 2) On the context of war news media, censorship is used as a tool for propaganda. In every war, there are two battles fought; one is in the battlefield, and the other is through the minds of the people made possible in the propaganda and news releases that are being circulated. The labeling used between the â€Å"good guys† and the â€Å"bad guys† are done in such a way that the media and the government can influence the minds of their readers and the majority of the people to support their cause, or to develop a sense of legitimacy on why they are really ought to be involved in a war. Misleading the people is possible through (1) only covering selected stories; (2) giving out only partial facts; (3) reinforcing reasons and motivations; (4) narrow sources of â€Å"experts† and other resource persons; (5) demonizing their opponents; and (6) narrow range of discourse (Shah, 2005). Moreover, war news media is being censored to restrict and to minimize occurrences for leakage of war photos which are deemed to be violent. Thus, this aspect of censorship is deemed to have implications on the moral values of the people. In a way, censorship is also employed to eliminate the possibility that people will become violent if continuously, they are exposed to violent images and occurrences behind the war (â€Å"What is Censorship† 1 ). Vietnam Era   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Vietnam War was the first war that was given full access and full freedom to the journalists. During this era, the journalists were given the freedom to report the war as they have seen it, and they were able to publish images in order to enable to let the public view the war in the most accurate possible way. The earlier war occurrences were beneficial to the American community. The events before the Tet Offensive were proven to have gathered support for the American offensive. However, the spark of the American Embassy in Saigon, as it been publicly watched by the American people, signaled the defeat of the American troops and consequently they have become doubtful to the then present President Johnson’s credibility. Consequently though, this event has led the American support for the war to decrease and falter (Media’s Role in the Vietnam Era) These turn of events, the complete media access and the full freedom to journalistic reporting has proven to be detrimental to the flight of American troops. The outcome of the media coverage and the humiliating coverage of the American defeat in the war have caused the morale of the US soldiers to surge down; and in turn, have boosted the morale of the Vietnamese soldiers which was during this time, were perceived to be the enemy. Further, the media coverage has implicated that the war was more like a â€Å"Communist victory† rather than just plainly the failure of the Tet Offensive. Thus, the war’s ultimate failure to repress the growing Communist idealism in Vietnam was blamed on television and media – that the public has turned against their support against Vietnam War was due to the media’s accurate depiction of the horrors that were inculcated in the war (Humphreys). Contemporary War: Iraq War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The war in Iraq is currently viewed as media’s â€Å"crisis coverage†. This contemporary war occurrence has also proved the innate strong influence of media, as they still have contributed a delicate role in the anti-Iraq hysteria. The media has published sinister images of the Iraqi leaders that connoted the meaning that they are indeed enemies (Smith, 2001). More so, the media’s mainstream performance has caused the Iraq War to become a disaster. The subjective allegations of the Bush administration that were further accepted , published and proliferated by the media have served as direct blows that further hastened the development of the war. And though there were critical journalists who raised questions despite the growing support for the Iraq war, still the damage of unfair reporting and biased presentation of information has caused the war to further burn (Iraq and the Media).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition, aside from the military conflicts and aggression, the Iraq War is more likely a â€Å"war of ideas†, in which the US government has instigated first. The obvious fact is that, the US has anchored their attack solely on the basis of allegations which up to now haven’t been proven to be accurate. And despite the oppositions to the war due to insufficient proofs of Iraq’s direct US threat, the US government has still pushed to the war (Regan 2006). And now, they are under the pressure of winning this â€Å"war of ideas† in order to keep US support from the majority of the world community, which is attainable through strategic dispensing of information and tactical censorship of ideas that are flowing in the global community.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, the current war in Iraq has once again instituted the means for media censorship. In contrast to the Vietnam War wherein full coverage was given to access the entire war discourse, the current aggression in Iraq has proven to be rather selective and biased on which issues are to be leaked outside for the media to circulate. Moreover, the media along with the military have also covered up the truth behind the occurrences of war – they have been leaking false tallies of war casualties and other records that are relevant to assess the true status of the war. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   War news censorship indeed plays an integral role in any war occurrences. In Vietnam, less censorship has led to the tumbling down of war support from the US community, due to the adversaries that were shown by the media as they were entitled for full coverage of the war. On the other hand, the war on Iraq which is currently under minimal media coverage, in addition to the highly censored and filtered nature of news standards, the US government is able to gather the support from the global community. Further, war news censorship has also greatly influenced the morale of the people who are directly and indirectly involved in the war. Positive or negative feedbacks gathered from media coverage relatively affects the feelings, attachments and morale of the people involved. Works Cited Humphreys, Donald. War on Television. The Museum of Broadcast Communications. 4 December 2007 http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/warontelevi/warontelevi.htm Iraq and the Media. 19 March 2007. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. 4 December 2007 http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3062 Media’s Role in the Vietnam Era. Trinity College, Department of History. 4 December 2007 http://www.trincoll.edu/classes/hist300/media.htm Regan, Tom. Experts: US Must Win â€Å"War of Ideas†. 16 June 2006. CSMONITOR.COM. 4 December 2007 http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0616/dailyUpdate.html Shah, Anup. War, Propaganda and Media. 31 March 2005. Global Issues. 4 December 2007 http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Military.asp Smith, Sharon. â€Å"Targeting Iraq: US Hypocrisy and Media Lies.† International Socialist Review. November-December 2001. What is Censorship?(1) American Civil Liberties Union. 4   December 2007. http://www.aclu.org/freespeech/censorship/26611res20060830.html What is Censorship?(2) 4 December 2007 http://www.gilc.org/speech/osistudy/censorship/

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing in Business

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing in Business INTRODUCTION A proceeding stream of information technology innovations is changing the customary business world. Samples incorporate the rise of distributed computing, the development of a portable computerized business stage dependent upon cell phones and netbook machine and not slightest, the utilization of informal communities by directors to attain business goals. The vast majority of these progressions have happened in the last few years. All the while, some old or customary organizations are, no doubt devastated while new organizations are springing up. Data frameworks are establishment for directing business today. In numerous streamlined, survival and even presence is troublesome without far reaching utilization of data engineering. Organizations use data frameworks to accomplish significant targets like playing point and regular preference. KEY IT TERMS Cloud Computing Definitions â€Å"A computing environment where software and storage are provided as an Internet service and are assessed with a Web Browser.†(Factual Definition) In my own words, cloud computing is defined as a Web-based application that are stored on remote servers and accessed via the cloud of the internet using a standard Web browser. Cloud Computing refers to a modal of computing in which firms and individuals obtain computing resources and software applications over the internet which is also referred to as the cloud. Hundreds of thousands computers are located in cloud data centers where they can be accessed by desktop computers, notebooks, netbooks and other client machines linked to the internet. Companies like EBay, Amazon, Dell and HP work tremendously; versatile distributed computing focuses that give processing force, information stockpiling and rapid Internet associations with firms that need to keep up their IT frameworks remotely. Based on my IT knowledge, organizations using cloud computing generally do not own the infrastructure; they do not have to make huge investments in their own hardware and software. Instead, they purchase their computing services from remote providers and pay only for the amount of computing power they actually use or are billed on a monthly or annual subscription basis. Advantages and Drawbacks The strength of cloud computing imply that association can depend all the more on telework, remote work and conveyed choice making. This same stage methods firms can outsource more work and depend on businesses as opposed to representative to construct esteem. It likewise implies that organizations can team up with suppliers and clients to make new items or make existing items all the more effectively. Besides that, cloud computing platform emerges as a major business area of innovation. A flexible collection of computers on the internet begins to perform tasks traditionally performed on corporate computers. Every advantage has its disadvantages, therefore cloud computing has some drawbacks. Unless users make provisions for storing their data locally, the responsibility of data storage and control is in the hands of the providers. Some companies worry about the security risks related to entrusting their critical data and system to an outside vendor that also works with other companies. Companies expect their systems to be available 24/7 and 365 days and do not want to suffer any loss of business capability if their infrastructure if their IT infrastructure malfunction. For instance, when Amazon’s cloud went down in July 2008, subscribers were unable to use their system for eight hours. Another limitation of cloud computing is the possibility of making users dependent on the cloud computing provider. Latest Cloud Trending Cloud computing has encountered exponential development throughout the last few years. As of December 2013, very nearly 60 percent of current small-to-medium businesses (SMB) utilization cloud administrations, and 72 percent of these organizations virtualize generous bits of their servers. The development is just anticipated that will expand throughout the following few years. Here are simply a couple of the real present patterns in the business today. Hybrid clouds- Hybrid clouds mists offer a framework that consolidates private cloud security with savvy, capable and adaptable open cloud qualities. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)- Platform-as-a-service solutions empower business to decrease their IT expenses while expanding requisition advancement through more productive testing and improvement routines. Mobile-Cloud Computing- Growth of Mobile Cloud Computing is the latest trend among smartphones users because it’s cost-effective and less time consuming. Mobile commerce Definition â€Å"The use of mobile, wireless devices to place orders and conducts business† (factual definition) In my own words, Mobile Commerce is defined as the use of wireless devices, such as hand phones or handheld digital information appliances, to conduct both business-to-consumer and business-to-business electronic commerce transaction over the internet. Based on my understanding on m-commerce, is the fastest growing type of Business-to-Consumer e-commerce although it represent only a small part of all e-commerce. In 2013, there were an estimated 5 billion hand phones subscribers worldwide with highest users are from China and United States. Portable business provisions have taken off for administrations that one time-basic, that speak to individuals moving or that finish an undertaking more productively than different systems. M-commerce is especially popular in Japan, South Korea and other countries with strong broadband infrastructures. For instance, banking and financial services. Banks and credit cards companies are rolling out services that let customers manage their accounts from their mobile devices. Maybank and Public Bank in Malaysia allows their customers to use their smartphones to check account balances, transfer funds and pay bills that makes the life of consumers easier and better. Uses of M-commerce M-commerce is particularly appropriate for area based requisitions, for example, discovering neighborhood lodgings and restaurants, overseeing nearby activity and climate, and giving customized area based showcasing. Hand phones and handhelds are constantly utilized for portable bill installment, keeping money, securities exchanging, transportation timetable redesigns, and downloads of computerized substance, for example, music, recreations, and feature cuts. M-commerce obliges remote entryways and exceptional computerized installment frameworks that can deal with micropayments. M-commerce used as Entertainment Latest emerging smartphones like Samsung, High Tech Computer (HTC), IPhone and Blackberry are quickly turning portable entertainment platforms. Mobile phones services offer downloadable digital games, music and ringtones. More and more handset models combine the features of a cell phone and a portable music player. Users of broadband services from the major wireless vendors can download on-demand video clips, news clips and weather clips. For instance, Astro-on-the-go, Astro IPTV, and MyHyApp TV offered by Astro; features live TV programs, including Fox Sports and Fox Movies. Besides that, film companies are starting to produce shorts films explicitly designed to play on mobile phones. User-generated content is also appearing in mobile-form. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and other social networking sites have versions for mobile devices. M-Commerce Trending The most compelling motivation for this enormous uptick in portable trade is the sheer number of individuals now furnished with cell phones and tablets. Yet there are some paramount ways retailers are likewise driving and saddling the versatile business blast. Local(Malaysia) – â€Å"Duriana†, a new Malaysian mobile marketplace app, surpasses the 110,000 listing mark on their platform with 80% of those listings coming from their Malaysian platform after only six short weeks in the market (Business Insider). Foreign Country- ‘EBay India launches initiative to promote mobile commerce’. Famous e-commerce website EBay launches mobile commerce in India in order to increase their revenue. Machine cycle Definition â€Å"The instruction phase followed by the execution phase†. In my own words, Machine Cycle usually called fetch-and-execute cycle, fetch-decode-execute cycle, is the fundamental operation cycle of a computer. It is the procedure by which a machine recovers a system direction from its memory, figures out what movements the guideline requires, and completes those activities. This cycle is rehashed persistently by the central processing unit (CPU), from boot up to when the monitor is closed down. Steps of Machine Cycle The steps performed by the computer processor for each one machine dialect direction gained. The machine cycle is a 4 procedure cycle that incorporates reading and interpreting the machine language, executing the code and then storing that code. Therefore, the four steps of machine cycle are as follows:- Fetching the instruction the computer peruses the following project guideline to be executed and any important information into the processor. Decode the instruction- The guideline is decoded and went to the proper processor execution unit. During decoding, the retrieved instruction is translated into a series of computer commands. Execute instruction- The equipment component, now naturally bolstered with a direction and information, does the guideline. Store results- The results that are obtained via information are stored in registers or memory. The time it takes to complete the execution phase (Steps 3 and Steps 4) is called the Execution time or commonly known as E-Time (coated from the text book). Overall Summary of Machine Cycle Each time the CPU executes an instruction, it takes a series of steps. The complete arrangement of steps is known as a machine cycle. A machine cycle could be isolated into two more diminutive cycles. These are instruction cycle and execution cycle. Management Information System (MIS) Definition â€Å"An organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases, and devices that provides routine information to managers and decision makers†. In my own words, Management Information System (MIS) is defined as the study of information system focusing on their use in business and management. The term management information system (MIS) also indicates a specific class of information systems serving middle management. Middle manager needs systems to help monitoring, controlling, decision-making and administrative activities. Therefore, management information system (MIS) will provide the middle managers with reports on the organization’s current performance. This information is used to monitor and control the business and predict the future performance of the company and the employees. Besides that, management information system summarize and report on the company’s basic operation using data supplied by Transaction Process System (TPS). TPS and MIS relation In the system illustrated by this diagram, three TPS supply summarized transaction data to the MIS reporting system at the end of the time period. Managers gain access to the organizational data through the MIS, which provides them with the appropriate reports. In my own words, based on the diagram, the basic transaction data from Transaction Processing System (TPS) are summarized and compressed to the Management Information System (MIS) at the end of the time period. Today the typical Management Information System (MIS) changes transaction level information from stock, preparation and bookkeeping into Management Information System (MIS) documents that are utilized to give middle managers with accurate reports. The information obtained helps middle managers in decision making process. New in Management Information System Management information system is the most exciting topic in business because of the continual change in technology, management use the technology and their impact of business. New business and industrial appear and old ones decline and successful firms are those that learn how to use the new technologies. Besides that, IPhones and BlackBerrys are not just gadgets or entertainment outlets. They represent new emerging computing platforms based on an array of new hardware and software technologies. More and more business registering is moving from Pcs and desktop machines to these mobile devices. Managers are progressively utilizing these gadgets to arrange work, speak with representatives and give data to choice making. We call these developments the emerging mobile platform. All in all, most MIS use simple routines, such as summaries and comparisons as opposed to sophisticated mathematical models or statistical techniques. (Coated from text-book) Near Field Communication (NFC) Definition â€Å"A very short-range wireless connectivity technology designed for cell phones and credit cards. In my own words, Near Field Communication is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology that empowers the trade of information between gadgets over around a 10 cm separation. Mobile technologies are creating new efficiencies and ways of working throughout the enterprise. In addition to the wireless system, I defined above, wireless frequency identification systems and wireless sensor networks are having a major impact. The most paramount advantage of Near Field Communication is NFC establishes a peer to peer network between 2 or more devices. NFC is an upgrade of the existing â€Å"Proximity Card Standard (RFID)† that joins the interface of a smartcard and an onlooker into a solitary gadget. It permits clients to flawlessly impart content between computerized gadgets, pay bills remotely or even utilize their cellphone as an electronic voyaging ticket on existing contactless foundation officially being used for open transportation. Advantages and disadvantages of NFC Advantages- â€Å"Near Field Communication (NFC)† has a significant advantage over Bluetooth which is the shorter set-up time. As opposed to performing manual arrangements to distinguish Bluetooth gadgets, the association between two NFC gadgets is made without a moments delay under a 1/10 second. Besides that, because of its shorter range, NFC gives a higher level of security than Bluetooth and makes NFC suitable for packed ranges where correlating a signal with its transmitting physical gadget and by amplification, its client may might otherwise prove impossible. Disadvantages- The disadvantage of â€Å"Near Field Communication (NFC) is it is too costly. Because of it, NFC is an unmanageable innovation and smaller organizations may not have any desire to hazard putting resources into NFC on the grounds that it is difficult to measure the extra benefit with NFC. â€Å"It might be costly for businesses to change the way they run their company, for example hiring NFC technicians and additional customer service to handle these tap go transactions (Business Insider). Systems analysis Definition â€Å"The system development phase involving the study of existing and work processes, to identify strengths, weakness and opportunities for improvement†. In my own words, System Analysis is defined as the analysis of a problem that the organization will try to solve with an information system. Explanation of System Analysis The above diagram illustrates the problem-solving process to system building. Therefore, the four steps we would need to take are defining and understanding the problem, develop alternative solutions, choose the best solution and implement the solution. Before a problem can be solved, it first must be properly defined. Parts of the associations must concur that an issue really exists and that it is not kidding. The issue must be researched with the goal that it could be better caught on. In the information systems world, they have for these activities, therefore concluding the first three problem-solving steps where we identify the problem, gather information, devise the alternative solutions and we make decision about the best solution is what we call System Analysis.

Life And Health Insurance In Malaysia Economics Essay

Life And Health Insurance In Malaysia Economics Essay INTRODUCTION Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) took over the supervision of the insurance industry in 1988. The primary reason for the move was to enable an integrated approach in the regulation and supervision of major financial institutions, in view of the growing convergence of crossholdings and integration of interests between banks and insurance companies. The economic environment may have a profound effect on the growth of the insurance industry. In Malaysia, the performance of the insurance industry in 1998 was affected by an economic downturn. The total and non-life premium income declined by 2.1% and 9.7% respectively whereas the life premium income experienced a lower positive growth rate of 4.6% in 1998 (1997: 13.5%) (BNM, 1999-2000). In line with the sustained economic recovery, the life insurance industry rebounded strongly to register an impressive double-digit premium growth in 1999, soaring well above pre-crisis levels. The performance of the insurance industry showed an improvement in 1999 following the recovery of the Malaysian economy. The combined premium income of the insurance industry recorded a growth of 8.5% (1998: -2.1%) to reach RM11,829.9 million (1998: RM10,902.9 million). The life sector has been the major contributor accounting for RM7,152.7 million (1998: RM6,217.2 million) or 60.5% of the premium income, while the remaining balance of RM4,677.2 million (1998: RM4,685.7 million) represented premium income generated from the general sector. Premium income of the industry as a proportion of nominal gross national product (GNP) increased to 4.2% in 1999, compared with 4.1% in 1998. BACKGROUND OF RESEARCH In Malaysia, BNM Annual Report that been issued yearly regularly indicate policies and development of insurance market in Malaysia. to implement policies and measures to prepare the industry for the challenges posed by the new requirements of the new economy and the increasingly more liberalised market environment. Several measures were initiated directed at improving market penetration through the promotion of new life insurance products and in order to do that the process of formulating and identifying strategies need to be done to enhance the marketing channel for life insurance business so that it can achieve the desired penetration level and raking in all the advantages given by positive economic environment. In order to do that, first step that need to be taken is to identify which macroeconomic variables that really positively significant to the demand of life and health insurance market and from there on best formulation and strategies can be initiated to create accurate resu lt on the demand of life and health insurance market. Efforts were also made by Bank Negara Malaysia to enhance the discipline and standards of conduct amongst life insurer in Malaysia. Problem Statement Statistical data from BNM has shown that due to economic downturn in 1998, the performance of insurance industry in Malaysia reportedly experienced negative growth of -2.1%. Generally, it shows that economic environment may possibly have direct influence on the performance of insurance industry in Malaysia as a whole. The combined premium income of the insurance industry recorded a growth of 8.5% in 1999 following the economic recovery situation. The life and health sector has been the major contributor accounting for RM7,152.7 million or 60.5% of the premium income, while the remaining balance of RM4,677.2 million represented premium income generated from the general sector. However, despite the vast potential for growth given the relatively low market penetration in Malaysia, domestic premium income to GNP was comparatively lower than that observed in more saturated markets. This research need to done so that it can specifically identified which macroeconomic variables that really effect the growth of life and health sector in Malaysia in order to ensure that it can contribute clearly to developing pricing strategies to achieve a specific sales target for life and health business. Macroeconomics is the study of the behavior of the overall economy and economic models normally consist of variables such as real GDP, inflation, price and population density. This study attempts to examine the relationship between macroeconomic variable to performance and demand of life and health insurance industry in Malaysia by using the LS analysis to prove that certain key macroeconomic environment may have a profound and significant effect on the growth of the life and health insurance market. As in the context of Malaysia, few studies has been carried out to seek evidence of the relationship between macroeconomic variables and performance of life insurance industry from Malaysia perspective but various studies comes out with various results as they are using different period of data and did not include health insurance data like this research and also holds different and various macroeconomic variable. Study by Lim and Haberman (2002) indicate major findings of this study that the savings deposits rate and price change in insurance are two important macroeconomic variables associated with the demand for life insurance in Malaysia. Study conducted by Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) indicate that income has a positive relationship with life insurance demand. Life insurance becomes more affordable when income increases. They examine two types of income variable in their study, namely GDP and income per capita. Income per capita is defined as the GDP divided by the size of the popul ation but on the other hand, their finding also show an insignificant positive relationship between inflation rates and the performance of life insurance. Economists use these type of data and variables to measure the performance of an economy and the focus on macroeconomic variables in this paper are, price of the life and health insurance product, inflation rates, income per capita and population density. This study is to further examined the direct linkage between these economic environments and whether each one of key variables (price of the life and health insurance product, inflation rates, income per capita and population density) has direct influence on the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Research objective The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of various macroeconomic variables towards performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia.. The specific aims of this study are: To determine which various macroeconomic variables that might have influence on the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia To examine the relationship of each macroeconomic variables ie price of the product, income per capita, inflation rates and population density with the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia To identify which macroeconomic variables that influence the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia the most. To suggest the most suitable and appropriate strategies that can be used to improve the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia by using all the advantages given by positive economic environment Research Question How to determine which macroeconomic variables that influence the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia? Is there any relationship between each macroeconomic variables ie price of the product, income per capita, inflation rates and population density with the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia Which macroeconomic variables that influence the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia the most? What are the most suitable strategies that can be suggested to improve the performance of life and health insurance market in Malaysia by using all the advantages given by positive economic environment? Significance of Research/ Contribution to the body of knowledge There is no unique and integrated theory for life insurance demand. Research on the impact of macroeconomic variables towards performance of life and health insurance industry in Malaysia very scanty at best. Very little (if at all) is understood about the. urgent need for research focusing on the Malaysian industry and the Malaysian economic environment, which is unfamiliar to most readers. Hence, important impetuses for this research are established. 1. The Government This research is important for the government to formulate policies, acts and regulations for the improvement on the best strategies available in a suitable economic environment in order to develop and guide healthy demand on the insurance industry as a whole. 2. The University/ Academician This study will be used for reference and information for the students and academician who learn on insurance area, risk management or other related fields. Students and lecturers can have an extra knowledge on information provided by the researcher. 3. Management team of Life insurer in Malaysia This research is important for the management team Life Office especially if changes or corrective actions are required due to the changes in various economic environments occur in Malaysia or globally. Hopefully, this research can help the management team of Life insurer in Malaysia able to implement and generate new strategies with regard to the suitable current economic environment. 4. General Public Public must know the factors that influence their purchase decision of life and health policy offered in the market. Besides, they also need to be alert and aware on the coverage offered by Life insurer in Malaysia. This research will help them to really identify the needs to buy life and health product and there is also a growing awareness among Malaysians of individual responsibility in financial planning hence it directly will affect the demand of the said industry. 5. The Researcher By completing this research, the researcher has experienced and being exposed to view the economics side on the insurance industry as a whole and specifically on life and health sector which the researcher have never attempt before. It is a researcher attempt to view as a macroeconomists attempt in order to explain the economic side of this sector and to devise policies to improve its performance as economists use different models to examine different issues. Thus, other researcher might need the information to make their research in the future. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW The performance for insurance is influenced by many factors and economic factors might be one of them. For example, inflation rate, income per capita and price of the product may affect the performance for insurance in a country. A number of studies have examined the effects of macroeconomic factors on the performance for life and health insurance. Among them are the studies conducted by Cargill and Troxel (1979), Babbel (1985), Browne and Kim (1993), Outreville (1996) and Rubayah and Zaidi (2000). The macroeconomic factors investigated in these studies are highlighted and discussed in brief below. Financial Development. The findings of Outreville (1996) indicate that the level of financial development directly affects the development of life insurance sector. However, the findings are not statistically significant. Two different proxies have been used as a measurement for financial development. The first one is the ratio of quasi-money (M2-M1) to broad money (M2). This is an indicator for the complexity of financial structure. The second one is the broad definition of money (M2). It is an average value over four years. M2 is regarded as an adequate measure for the financial development in developing countries because banking is the predominant sector in the financial market of developing countries. Income. Lewis (1989), Hakansson (1969), Fischer (1973), Fortune (1973), and Campbell (1980) have shown that the demand for life insurance is positively correlated with income. As income increases, life insurance becomes more affordable. In addition, the need for life insurance increases with income as it protects dependents against the loss of expected future income due to premature death of the wage earner. According to prior research (Beenstock, Dickinson, and Khajuria (1986), Browne and Kim (1993), Outreville (1996) the ability to pay insurance premium has been argued to be related to the level of income. This is because, when there is an increase of income levels, there follows a need for a financial instrument to absorb the individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s surplus funds and to enable them to accumulate wealth. This shows the income level significantly affects the demand for life insurance. Two different measures have been used for disposable personal income in the study of Babbel (1985). The single-year income is used as a proxy for human capital and the three-year moving average income is used as a proxy for permanent income. The income variables are the real amounts of aggregate disposable personal income. The nominal income values are deflated by the yearly average indices of personal consumption expenditure deflator to render the nominal values in constant dollar terms. . The conclusion from Cargill and Troxel (1979), Babbel (1985), Browne and Kim (1993), Outreville (1996) and Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) verified that life insurance demand has a positive relationship with income. It shows when income increase, it can create more opportunity the life insurance becomes more affordable for people. In the study of Browne and Kim (1993), disposable personal income refers to the national income. It is defined as when the depreciation (capital consumption) and indirect business taxes have been taken away from GNP. National income is a more accurate measurement of disposable personal income for a country than GNP or GDP because national income is the income earned by the various production factors; it is refer to Browne and Kim (1993). Meanwhile, Outreville (1996) relates the income variable in his study as the real disposable income per capita. GDP is used as the basis for the disposable personal income. The income variable is expressed in linear form and in logarithmic form. On the other hand, Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) identified GDP and income per capita have been the two types of income variable in their study. Income per capita is defined as the GDP divided by the size of the population. In the initial stage, both the GDP and income per capita are found to have a positive relationship with the demand for life insurance but are not significant. It is only when stepwise regression analysis is applied in the later stage that GDP appears to have a significant positive relationship with the demand for life insurance but income per capita has been aborted. This is because income per capita contains the element of GDP and therefore multicollinearity exists because the two income variables are highly correlated. Inflation. If income has a positive relationship with demand for life insurance, it is different when Browne and Kim (1993) and Outreville (1996) did their research to find relationship for inflation. From their research, it shows that inflation has a significant negative relationship with life insurance demand. Inflation gives a diminishing effect on the amount of insurance purchased in a country. Consequently, it makes the value of life insurance eroded. As the result, it leads to the situation where insurance become less desirable good. High inflation tends to cause the purchasing of life insurance to be less attractive because of the rising cost of living. Meanwhile, Cargill and Troxel (1979) and Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) have revealed different result. Their findings are not in line with the findings of Browne and Kim (1993) and Outreville (1996). Measured up to between these two research, it has found Cargill and Troxel (1979) comparatively defined savings model (i.e. the model that takes into account the changes in policy loans besides the changes in life insurance reserves/savings and dividend accumulations) produce a significant result with the expected negative sign for this variable. It shows a week relationship between life insurance savings and price expectation. Meanwhile different with the findings of Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) it shows between inflation rates and the demand for life insurance has a significant positive relationship An average inflation rate for the last eight years, Browne and Kim (1993) has used an average inflation to represent the expected inflation rate. Meanwhile, Outreville (1996) uses a weighted average of realised price changes over the last five years as a measure of anticipated price change. Therefore, in Cargill and Troxel (1979) the price expectation in the study refers to the percentage changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a period of 14 months. Moreover, Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) used in the same way apply the CPI as a basis for the anticipated rate of inflation in their study. A part from the research, in Cargill and Troxel (1979) the price expectation in the study refers to the percentage changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over a period of 14 months based on the data contained in the Livingston Survey that have been revised by Carlson. Similarly, Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) use the CPI as a basis for the anticipated rate of inflation in their study. Interest Rate. The findings on the relationship between interest rates and the demand for life insurance are questionable. Cargill and Troxel (1979) examine two kinds of interest rates in their study: the competing yield on other savings products and the return earned by life insurers. The findings on the competing yield are inconsistent. However, the competing yield tends to be negatively related to life insurance savings. A higher interest rate on alternative savings products tends to cause insurance products to become less attractive as a savings instrument. The yield on newly issued AAA utility bonds is used to represent all the competing rates of return on alternative savings products. Cargill and Troxel (1979) include the current and twelve-quarter distributed lag variables of competing yields in their study. The lag variables are included to reflect the delayed reactions of savers towards new information regarding interest rates on savings because changes in interest rates are assumed to produce a lagged response. Likewise, the findings on the return earned by life insurers are mixed. However, the return earned by life insurers is frequently positively related to life insurance savings. Life insurers earning a higher rate of return tend to attract individuals to purchase insurance from them. The yield on industrial bonds placed privately with a representative group of life insurance companies is used as a proxy for the return earned by life insurers. It is the new money rate of return earned by the life insurers, not the average rate of return on the invested funds. Similar to the competing yield, the current and twelve-quarter distributed lags of the return earned by life insurers are included in the models to investigate the immediate and lagged responses of changes in interest rates on life insurance demand. Outreville (1996) has shown that the demand for life insurance has not determined by the interest rate such as the real interest rate and the lending rate. The real interest rate is obtained by subtracting the anticipated inflation from the current bank discount rate. For the meantime, there are three types of interest rated, which are the personal savings rate, short-term interest and current interest rate has been identified by Rubayah and Zaidi (2000) The personal savings rate and short-term interest rate are found to influence significantly and negatively the demand for life insurance, despite the fact that the current interest rate is found to have no significant effect on life insurance demand. The personal savings rate refers to the interest rate offered by banks on normal savings, the short-term interest rate refers to the interest rate on three-month Treasury Bills, and the current interest rate refers to the base lending rate on bank borrowings. Price of Insurance. From Babble (1985) and Browne and Kim (1993), the findings reported with respect to the effect of price on the demand for life insurance are consistent in the both studies. The price of insurance is significantly and inversely related to the demand for life insurance. A high insurance cost tends to discourage the purchasing of life insurance. The various insurance price indices in the study of Babbel (1985) are the net present cost per 1000 present-valued unit of insurance expected to be in force over any arbitrary time horizon selected based on the published policy values for a male of age 35. Specifically, the price index refers to the ratio of the present value of expected premium cost, net of dividends and accumulations of cash values, per 1000 present-valued unit of indemnification benefits expected to be received, in excess of the actuarially fair cost. Two different discount rates, namely the yields of 10-year prime grade municipal bonds and double-A-rated corporate bonds, are used to discount the expected future cash flows from the policies. Browne and Kim (1993) use the policy loading charge as the price measure. It is the ratio of the life insurance premiums to the amount of insurance in force. In fact, it is the cost per dollar of life insurance coverage. Theoretical Framework INDEPENDENT VIARABLES (IV) Income per Capita Performance of Life and Health Insurance in Malaysia Price of the Product DEPENDENT VARIABLE (DV) Inflation Rates Population Density Figure 1.6.1: Theoretical Framework Sources: Adapted from Shimp, T.A (2003); Pitta, et. Al. (2006); Rowley, (1998); Ndubisi, N.O., and Chew, (2006) Hypotheses Ho : Income per Capita is not significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. H1 : Income per Capita is significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Ho : Price of the Product is not significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. H1 : Price of the Product is significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Ho : Inflation rates is not significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. H1 : Inflation rates is significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Ho : Population density is not significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. H1 : Population density is significantly related with the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY All data in this study are secondary in nature. Secondary data is used in finding the resources for this study. Secondary data are statistic not gathered for the immediate study at hand, but for some other purpose. The data related to the demand for life insurance are obtained from the following annual reports: the Annual Report of the Insurance Commissioner and the Annual Report of the Director General of Insurance. The researcher has gathered the external information from various types of annual reports: Monthly Statistical Bulletin, Economic Report, Annual Insurance Report of the Bank Negara Malaysia. Materials obtained online are gathered from the official websites of BNM and Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE). Besides, the sources like books, newspapers, journals and internet that were relevant to the research topic were used. All the sources have been referred throughout the findings and analysis of the research. Researcher will analyze the data gathered to proof the evidence that various macroeconomic factors influenced the growth and performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. Scope of the study Basically the scope of this study focuses on the macroeconomic variables ie income per capita, inflation rates, price of the product and population density that effect the performance of life and health insurance in Malaysia. There are lots of other macroeconomic variables that can be contributed to the economic growth of Malaysia but this research shall only involved four key factor as for the remaining balance of variables can be included in the future studies as an extension from this research.The research area for this study is from Malaysia perspective only and the time frame shall be from 1998 to 2008 only. Data Analysis E Views version 6.0 applications were used by the researcher to analyze the data that have been gathered throughout the research process. The data need to be analyzed in order to obtain accurate answer for the question. The Multiple Regression Model will be used to predict the relationships in the construct. The Regression assumptions with respect to autocorrelation (independent of residual), normality (residual is normally distributed), homoscedasticity of error terms, multicollinearity of independent variables will be verified before making any interpretation of the statistical results.

deatharms Comparison of Death in Farewell to Arms and The Outsider (Th

Death in Farewell to Arms and The Outsider  Ã‚      Hemingway once said that "all stories...end in death." Certainly, each living person's "story" ends that way. The interrelationship of a narrative to a life, of the "boundary situation" of an ending, is of vital importance to the existence of these two fictional narratives, A Farewell to Arms and The Outsider. Death plays an important, one might say necessary, part in both novels, too: Frederic Henry is, of course, in war and witness to death many times, wounded himself, and loses Catherine; Meursault's story begins with his mother's death, he later kills an Arab, and then is himself tried and sentenced to death. In fact, the defining death-confrontations (Frederic's loss of Catherine, Meursault's death sentence) transform the characters into narrators; that is to say, the stories are told because of the confrontations with death. We must recognize that the fictive characters are attempting to provide or create an order or meaning where it appears there is none. Or, there are pre-exi sting versions, meta-narratives, which prove inadequate or unsatisfying, and which must be replaced by the narrative each character produces. Meursault responds directly and violently to the priest who represents one such meta-narrative for Meursault's life. In the crescendo of the final scene of that novel when Meursault confronts the priest and finally re- leases the pent up anger and frustration repressed for so long, he does experience an epiphany: As if this great outburst of anger had purged all of my ills, killed all my hopes, I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world. And finding it so much... ...s of The Myth of Sisyphus in The Outsider, and particularly to the discussion of the search for truth. In the Myth Camus goes through an inventory of accepted sources for truth and finds them all lacking: first he tries religion, but surprisingly it is too relative, for which god is god; second he tries science, but finds that it offers not precision but metaphor (the world is like...); third he tries logic, but finds that paradoxically it leads to contradiction (for if "all statements are true" is true then "no statements are true" must be one of the true statements). He is left with the "I" - not the Cartesian "I" - but the Humean "I" (a bundle of perceptions) as the foundation for a meaning system. That changing, evolving, non-static "I" is at the heart of both of these works. Works Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Simon, 1957.

Personal Narrative: My Experience in AP US History Essay -- Narrative

â€Å"Your final exam will be in three parts: multiple choice, primary source analysis, and three major essays. I won’t be allowed within 2 miles of you when you take the exam.† The words of Mr. F, my AP US History teacher, reverberated between my ear drums. He either didn’t notice or didn’t seem to care: â€Å"The AP US History exam will be on a Saturday in mid May. It’s graded on a scale of 0 to 5. Zero being the lowest possible score, 5 being the highest.† A student in the front row raises her hand, interrupting our baptism by fire. Mr. F motions for her to speak. â€Å"Are you related to Stephen King?† I didn’t realize it at the time (because let’s face it, I didn’t voluntarily read anything that wasn’t a motorcycle magazine until my senior year of high school) but Mr. F bore an uncanny resemblance to the best selling suspense author. Even their eyeglasses were similar. â€Å"He’s my cousin.† the teacher nodded, pausing to recollect his thoughts. â€Å"The test is pretty simple, but it’s probably more difficult than anything you’ve taken before.† I had yet to learn the eccentricities of the oxymoron, but that fact didn’t hinder Mr. F as he grinned slyly while he mouthed the previous statement. â€Å"The Regents exams have 4 possible answers. The AP has 5, and they’re usually more difficult to discriminate between. The primary source section will be basically the same thing you run into on Regents Part 2s: political cartoons or other documents accompanied by a set of questions. The essays are probably going to be the biggest hurdle for you. You are required to write three instead of the usual one or two on a Regents exam. Like the Regents, you will be given a limited choice between essay topics to write on, and at least one of the essays will probably... ... feedback, he had to show me what the AP would think of my essay. Mr. F wasn’t flawed. The whole process was - pardon the shamelessly obvious pun - flawed (you had to see that coming since the first 2 lines of the paper). Especially after having read Peter Elbow’s book on the teacherless writing class, thinking about that year of AP US History is absolutely appalling. The whole writing process was turned on its head. It wasn’t about learning to write or how to improve writing. It was about what to do in order to pass. I can only imagine how a member of the Iroquois Nation must feel about living in 21st Century New York: join us or be left behind in poverty. Write this way. It is the only way. Indians are subhuman. Be a man: become an American. No, a real American. Write this way. It’s the only real way to write. And then again . . . maybe I just don’t like US history.

Apple Prides Itself on Its Innovation

Apple prides itself on its innovation. When reviewing the history of Apple, it is evident that this attitude permeated the company during its peaks of success. For instance, Apple pioneered the PDA market by introducing the Newton in 1993. Later, Apple introduced the easy-to-use iMac in 1998, and updates following 1998. It released a highly stable operating system in 1999, and updates following 1999. Apple had one of its critical points in history in 1999 when it introduced the iBook. This completed their product matrix, a simplified product mix strategy formulated by Jobs.This move allowed Apple to have a desktop and a portable computer in both the professional and the consumer segments. In 2001, Apple hit another important historical point by launching iTunes. This marked the beginning of Apple’s new strategy of making the Mac the hub for the digital lifestyle. Apple then opened its own stores, in spite of protests by independent Apple retailers voicing cannibalization conce rns. Then Apple introduced the iPod, central to the digital lifestylestrategy. Apple continued their innovative streak with advancements in flat-panel LCDs for desktops in 2002 and improved notebooks in 2003.In 2003, Apple released the iLife package, containing improved versions of iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, and iTunes. Product differentiation is a viable strategy, especially if the company exploits the conceptual distinctions for product differentiation. Those that are relevant to Apple are product features, product mix, links with other firms, and reputation. Apple established a reputation as an innovator by offering an array of easy-to-use products that cover a broad range of segments. However, its links with other firms have been limited, as we will discuss in the next section on strategic alliances.There is economic value in product differentiation, especially in the case of monopolistic competition. The primary economic value of product differentiation comes from reducing environme ntal threats. The cost of product differentiation acts as a barrier to entry, thus reducing the threat of new entrants. Not only does a company have to bear the cost of standard business, it also must bear the costs associated with overcoming the differentiation inherent in the incumbent. Since companies pursue niche markets, there is a reduced threat of rivalry among industry competitors.A company attempts to make its strategy a sustained competitive advantage. For this to occur, a product differentiation strategy that is economically valuable must also be rare, difficult to imitate, and the company must have the organization to exploit this. If there are fewer firms differentiating than the number required for perfect competition dynamics, the strategy is rare. If there is no direct, easy duplication and there are no easy substitutes, the strategy is difficult to imitate.

Managerial Accounting Essay

Due to positive turnout of many businesses, cross-functional integrated systems is not only becoming a trend but will be here to stay. The whole system provides savings from time, cost and quality compared to manually re-entering of data from one business function system into another system especially if it is still on a non-integrated environment. Thru the integrated systems, the managers can have direct access to relevant information significant to a decision. This also provides the needs of the customers, suppliers and business partners as well. In terms of operations, business enterprise runs smooth given the cross-functional systems. This saves times and dramatically improves the efficiency of total operation. it can act strategically #3. Which of the 13 tools for accounting information systems summarized in Figure 7.18 do you feel are essential for any business to have today? Which of them do you feel are optional, depending on the type of business or other factor? Explain. Essential : 1) Sales Order Processing- This is how orders are processed without this incoming and outgoing orders is not monitored. Since my company deals with fuel retailing it is very important that orders are managed and delivered to our customers. 2) Sales Analysis- This is very important since we have to analyze well if our sales are picking up or not, it is where we understand the needs and wants of our customers. This also helps us analyze what factors to consider in handling our products sales (such as supply and demand, margins, prices and market). 3) Accounts Receivable- This is where we monitor our receivables from our customers. Without this, we will not be able collect our sales. This is also a tool in monitoring our company’s profitability. 4) Accounts Payable – We also need to monitor our dues from our supplier and customers so that we can settle our payables to them. 5) Purchases- It is very essential for a business that purchases are monitored and managed (in terms of inventory, supply chain (since we do retailing), turn around time of our products, prices, margins, costs, payments and dues). 6) Inventory Processing- without taking note of inventory processing inventories, costs of the producst, prices will not be managed well. It is very essential that business nowadays have to have competitive advantage, for example, for us in retailing, we have to manage our inventory’s prices and turnover, our payables and our sales. 7) General Ledger- it is where we see the complete transactions of the company be it in inventory, accounts payable and receivables, and sales. 8) Payroll- Business cannot survive without employees, it is were employees’ 9) services are being compensated, with the systematize approach that we have employees are given salaries in no sweat since it is already organized. All the above mentioned systems are the common systems used in Business accounting and some of them are related to inventory which is I think is the major factor to consider in a business. Optional : 1. Billing- this is were we know the due of our customers and our suppliers. 2. Cash receipts- it were we manage dues and receivables, this helps us in managing our taxes also (BIR implications are being managed for recording). 3. Cash disbursment 4. Financial reporting- we have stakeholders and shareholders and the company as well have full view of the reports to know the company’s stability. 5. Timekeeping Those 5 systems are optional because it is part of the back end support on the main business. #4. What other solutions could there be for the problem of information  systems incompatibility in business besides EAI systems? Alternative to an EAI (Enterprise Application Integration) in performing data conversion and coordination, application communication and messaging services and access to the application interfaces are the following : First, for data conversion and coordination and all related to capturing data, a business can use a POS (point of sale) with a huge size of server as an alternative of EAI while for the communication and messaging services, a business can use the ECS (Enterprise Collaboration system) as an alternative tools in enterpise collaboration. #7. How can Internet technologies be involved in improving a process in one of the functions of business? Choose one example and evaluate its business value. Internet technologies has helped on improvements in capturing data to include conversion and coordination and also improvements in communication and messaging services. In our company, an example of this is the creation of dealer’s portal. Dealer’s portal consists of all related information of the dealer. This includes the online placing of orders, monitoring their deliveries, statement of account, online filing of technical request, training request and the status of all their reimbursements. In this improvement, this would reduce the communication chain and enable the real time transactions of request of each dealers. CHAPTER 8 Discussion Questions : #1. Should every company become a customer-focused business? Why or why not? Yes, a company is nothing without a customer. They are the bread and butter of the company. However, there are some companies that focuses for two main customers the internal (employee) and the external customers. They include internal because they consider their employees as their customers to gain their loyalty and for them to work harder which in result is customer satisfaction. #2.Why would systems that enhance a company’s relationships with customers have such a high rate of failure? Reasons for high rate of failure : 1. Poor coordination and communication prior to the release of the new system 2. Not properly implemented 3. Poor cooperation with some of the employees #4. How could some of the spectacular failures of ERP systems have been avoided? Things to consider to avoid failure of ERP systems : 1. Proper planning and coordination prior to the implementation 2. Planning should consider the possible problems that may be encountered during the implementation. 3. Proper training to all employees who will be using the system #7. How can the problem of overenthusiastic demand forecasts in supply chain planning be avoided? Things to consider to avoid the problem of overenthusiastic demand forecasts in supply chain planning: 1. Submission of moving dashboard (sales forecast) on a quarterly basis. 2. Assign a point person for each department involved 3. Weekly meeting to update activities for each department involved. 4. Proper analysis on the market trend