Motivational statement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivational statement - Research Paper Example My ultimate goal is to be an instrument of change to the development of sailors and hone them into future naval officers. The US Navy is one of the most prestigious institutions which can accord a multi disciplinary approach to the development of navy and marine corps. I am optimistic in learning various principles of leading and motivating navy personnel to enable me to devise innovative methods which would be more effective in improving educational methodologies and instructions. I would like to be given the opportunity to share the theoretical and practical applications of the US Navy to a variety of navy and marine personnel. Inasmuch as the US Navy would accord me with the much needed skills to make me an efficient and effective instrument of knowledge; I, too, if given the opportunity, would like to relate an ample share of what I have learned to those under my future governance. It has always been my dream and long-term goal to position myself as a leading Navy officer to help others in confronting challenges in their future naval service. By being commissioned as a Navy officer, I would finally integrate my diverse leadership and motivational acumen to affiliated careers in marine endeavor. This would eventually fulfill my promise to return the generosity accorded by highly professional governmental service institutions like yours by unselfishly sharing the expertise I earned. Personally, I believe I have the innate skills, utmost dedication, exemplary mental abilities, highly disciplined, unquestionable integrity and pure conviction to delve into this field of endeavor. My previous educational and work experiences fuelled my desire to explore matters pertaining to naval service, human resources intricacies, navy and Marine Corps based participation and correspondences. A childhood dream. A good opportunity. A desired profession. A prestigious governmental service

Vulnerability Scanning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Vulnerability Scanning - Essay Example On other hands, most comprehensive systems of vulnerabilities scanning utilize producing and poking systems in order to determine true vulnerabilities. Working of the vulnerability scanners is similar to antivirus software. Vulnerability scanners are only valid until the last updates as they rely upon the known vulnerabilities. Inferior or outdated vulnerabilities scanners provide a little solace against security threats and give false security sense. A perfect vulnerability scanner should meet the security solution purposes and a tool which can proactively identify the security issues and provides a solution before a hacker attains a chance to exploit these issues. Hackers always look for compromising networks and infiltration with the help of vulnerability scanners. Although vulnerability scanning has become a significant tool, but cannot provide the complete security for networks as it helps for detection of poor code and cannot substitute for the practices of a secure coding system. Vulnerability scanning at regular intervals can prove useful for securing the systems from security threats. An organization having the confidential data such as processing of credit card must have a regular vulnerability scanning.

Classical vs Modern Globalization Annotated Bibliography

Classical vs Modern Globalization - Annotated Bibliography Example In addition, he has also suggested a reform agenda to reshape globalization. Nadir Eroglu studied the impact of globalization of financial markets on economic policies of nations. By conducting this research, Eroglu aimed to highlight how globalization has reshaped the financial markets. Eroglu states that globalization of international finance has separated the financial capital from the state by separating the political control, economic activities, regulation and stability through financial deregulation and information technologies. Moreover, he also highlighted the increasing supremacy of financial commodities on the economic structure and the impact of this hegemony in making the implementation of nation states policies limited and ineffective. Jonathan Holter appears to be a major supporter of classic and neo classic globalization and an opponent of modern globalization in his research study, â€Å"The invisible hand: Failing on a global scale†. Holter has discussed the theory of invisible hand proposed by Adam Smith and analyzed its implications in the world economy. By quoting various examples, he has also explained reshaping of world economy and financial markets and highlighted the problems created by modern globalization. The crux of Holter’s research is that globalization has created a free trade economy and it has changed the world for the worse, because modern globalization has not promoted a global scale social welfare system, which it has promised, therefore, there is a need to establish powerful institutions devoted to poor economies and international finance and trade organizations should be also strengthened. Natalie Radovanovic in an article on â€Å"International Finance in the period of globalization: current trends† discussed the current practices of financial institutions including IMF and World Bank. Radovanovic has presented his view that debate

The Basque Country In Spain Cultural Studies Essay

The Basque Country In Spain Cultural Studies Essay Basque Country (el Pais Vasco in Spanish) is small enclave country located in the heart of Pyrenees Mountains, which divide Spain and France from each other, the northern coastline of the Country lies in the Bay of Biscay on the Cantabrian sea. The Basque Country is made up of 6 traditional regions. The three regions to the south, within Spain forms Hegoalde (south zone), while the three to the northeast, within France, form Iparralde (north zone). The three provinces in Spain side are Vizcaya, Alava and Guipuzcoa centered around the cities of Bilbao, Vitoria and San Sebastian. Perhaps surprisingly to some, the capital of community is Vitoria, even though it is only just over half the size of the somewhat better known Bilbao city. In some resources it shows that there are four provinces in south zone. The fourth province is called Navarre, a region which Basque nationalists want to incorporate into Euskadi, but whose people want to continue being a separate entity. Navarre is just one of the territories that the Basque nationalist parties claim as Basque territory; there are also two enclaves surrounded by Basque territory Trevino and Valle de Villaverde, which belong to fellow neighboring communities of Castile de Leon and Cantabria. In French side there are three provinces: Labourd, Basse-Navarre, and Soule. Basques call these territories collectively, Euskal- Herria (Land of the Basques) or Euskadi. The region covers nearly 21.000 square kilometers, of which about 3,000 lie on French side. The 18.000 square kilometers on the Spanish side constitute about 3.6 percent of Spains total land area. Basque region has a wonderful mild climate with few extremes of temperature or weather conditions when the seasons changes. The climate, the influence of the sea, and an attractive mixture of village, mountains, hills and abundant greenery, all makes Basque Country a place of natural surprises. Around 3 million people live in this community. Almost all Basques are Roman Catholic. Traditionally, an unusually high percentage chooses to become priests and nuns. The region operates as an autonomous region; today region has its own parliament and police force, controls education and collects its own taxes. The Basque Autonomous Community is currently the wealthiest region in Spain. About 20 percent of population is engaged in agriculture. Fishing is a significant Basque industry. The Basque country has long been known as a center of Spanish industry especially the city Bilbao. The regions history as the nations iron and steel capital has led to the development of automobile and machine tool manufacturing. Shipbuilding is another profitable industry. One constant tradition that has always been strong in the Basque country is the wine-making. The areas wineries produce some of the riches wines in the world for example Rioja or Alava wines. The Basque people have preserved unique culture, the jewel of which is its language, Euskera, a pre Indo-European tongue whose mysterious origin has never been established. The fact that it is not and Indo-European language, and shows no resemblance to languages in neighboring countries has led to formulation of varieties of hypotheses to explain its existence. Owing to some similarities with the Georgian language, some linguists think it could be it could be related to languages from the Caucasus. Other relates the language to non-Arabic languages from the north of Africa. Throughout history, the Basque language has taken up words not only from French, Latin and Castilian, but also from Celtic and Arabic. On the other hand some of the words in Castilian, French and English come from Basque language. Rural communities have kept the language alive for centuries. It is estimated, nowadays, that more than 600.000 people speak Basque in seven provinces. There are 520.000 Basque speaking people in the Basque provinces in Spain, which is 25% of their total population. The Basque language is extremely difficult and complex .In addition there are number of different dialects. The Basque language was not written until the 16th century .Things has not been easy for the Basque language. Apart from having to compete with two powerful neighboring languages like French and Castilian, Basque was forbidden language during the dictatorship that followed by Civil War. For decades children had to study in an unfamiliar language and were severely punished when they spoke in Basque, even at play time. At that time an important movement to open Basque schools started. And these schools are the only ones which provide teaching in Basque. Through centuries of storytelling, the Basques have evolved a rich and colorful mythology. Basque folklore also encompasses various rituals and dances. The Basques maybe are the oldest ethnic group in Europe. They are thought to have inhabited the southwestern corner of the continent since before Indo-European peoples came to the area approximately 5.000 years ago. Surviving invasions by the Romans, Visigoths, Arabs, French and Spanish, they resisted domination by outsiders until the Middle Ages (AD 476-1450). At that time much of their territory was seized by Spaniards, Gascons and Catalans. In 1516 the Basques on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees Mountains agreed to Castilian rules but won the rights to keep degree of self-government. By the 1876 all Basque land were divided between the France and Spain. During the regime of General Francisco Franco (1939 75) the Basque language was banned and culture in the Spain provinces were ruthlessly suppressed, the Basque activists and intellectuals imprisoned and tortured for their political and cultural belief. By the 1950s, resistance groups had formed, most notably the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) Basque Homeland and Liberty. ETA was founded in 1959 by young national activists. ETA is a Basque separatist organization. Since the creation of ETA in the Franco dictatorship, for fifty years ETA has tried achieve full independence from the Spanish country for the four Basque provinces Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa, Alava and Navarra in the eastern area of Spain and the south western areas of France of Labourd, Basse-Navarra, and Soule. ETA has been trying to become an independent state through their tactics of bombing and assassinations. Since 1959 the group has been held responsible for a number of bombings, shootings and kidnappings or killings of high profile European government figures, and its activities have claimed over 800 lives in four decades. Though believed to be a small terrorist group (with approximately 20 main activists and several hundred supporters), in December 2001, the European Union declared ETA a terrorist organization. ETA members are believed to have received training in Lebanon, Libya, South Y emen, Nicaragua and as well as to have fled to Cuba. The group also allegedly maintains close ties with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) through the both groups political wings.

Caring :: essays research papers

Since I was a little girl, I have been giving care to others. It started when I was nine years old. My grandmother, who was a heavy smoker, developed cancer and became very sick.. It got to the point where she received home hospice care because nothing more could be done for her in the hospitals. â€Å"Hospice is a specialized type of medical care for people who have advanced or life-limiting illness. This care is provided by a team of individuals who care for patients and families in their homes† (1). It basically provides the patient with care in the comfort of their home. A hospital bed was set up in our home where she spent her last days. She was hooked up to an I.V. where she would receive daily doses of morphine, a strong drug ment to ease the pain of the terminally ill. I would check on her frequently, and even learned how to program the machine that released her morphine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soon after my grandmother died, my mom started getting sick. When she was born, she was born with a heart condition. Her heart had a â€Å"hole† in it and it was positioned wrong in her chest. In fact, it was said by doctors that because of her abnormal heart condition, she wouldn’t live past the age of six. She was also partially blind in her left eye, which restricted her from driving. As she got older and older, her heart grew weaker and weaker. At the age of 35 years old, she had a pacemaker surgically implanted in her chest. A pacemaker is a battery-powered case that assists the heart in beating. An incision is made and a pocket is formed in the area overlying the muscle on the outside of the chest wall. â€Å"Most are placed to prevent the heart from going to slow. This happens because there is no cell in the heart that will beat fast enough to maintain proper function or because the electrical pathway, which allows impulses to spread to the necessary parts of the heart muscle is damaged.†(2). Eventually, even the pacemaker didn’t help. Her heart couldn’t handle the aging process, and it became more and more difficult for her to do simple, everyday activities. Even walking became a chore. I would do my part by helping out at home with the daily chores and push her around in her wheelchair whenever we went places.

RBC Analysis Essay

Executive Summary In today’s demanding market, it is essential to know how to make good investments. The following is an in depth qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Royal Bank of Canada. First, RBC and its subsidiaries will be introduced including information about its history and current situation. The qualitative analysis will consist of RBC’s general information, history, business segments, and corporate social responsibility. Secondly, ratios and other quantitative information pertaining to RBC’s investment situation will be analyzed. Finally, with respect to the qualitative and quantitative data, an investment recommendation will be made Investment Criteria A company’s ethics and proper management are just as important for their success as their financial data. In order to decide whether or not to invest in a company one must research the company inside and out starting with where the company has come from all the way to their current situation. A company’s history is of the utmost importance because it reveals management trends and past ethical decision making that could reoccur. Another important aspect of a company’s history is their international expansion and the companies they have done past business with. The industries companies choose to merge with are a good indicator of where they will invest their money in the future. More specific to the banking industry, sustainability has become one of the most important criteria for investment. Especially after the financial collapse of 2008, banks with strong sustainability stood out and gained ground on the high-risk high reward banks. From a quantitative perspective, data trends can help predict if a company is on a small skid or headed toward future collapse. Ratios can help determine how quickly a company can pay back their liabilities as well as how efficient they are being with their shareholder’s money. A company’s stock may rise or fall depending on their current situation and how the market is fairing overall. The amount of assets and acquisitions a company makes can lead a potential investor to believe they are expanding. Usually good financial data investment criteria are a current ratio >2:1 and an ROA >5%. Company Introduction The Royal Bank of Canada is Canada’s largest bank by assets and market capitalization. The bank has offices in Canada, United States and 49 other countries. Currently, there are 80,000 full and part time employees at RBC with close to 15 million clients worldwide. The company has a good balance between retail and wholesale banking with over two-thirds of their revenue coming from Canada. The other main geographical markets include U. S. (16%), while all other revenue is distributed internationally (17%). (See Appendix A) Qualitative Analysis History The history of a company, industry it is present in, and prior success are some of the main factors when considering investing in a company. RBC has been a leading Canadian bank since June 22, 1864 when it was incorporated as the Merchants Bank of Halifax. Its name was changed to The Royal Bank of Canada in 1901. Twenty-four year later it merged with the Union Bank of Canada on the basis of 1 share of Royal Bank stock for two shares of Union Bank stock. Since then, RBC has taken advantage of many international joint ventures and foreign acquisitions. Most notably in Cuba, Britain, and West Germany. Post-1980, the bank created joint ventures in China with China International Trust & Investment Corp. and began acquiring financial companies in North America. All of the sudden, RBC found themselves competing with large new international banks. During this time, the bank also made a larger commitment to their corporate social responsibility as their charitable donations reached 25. 5 million in 1999. Most recently, RBC has been striving to become a more broad-based financial services group rather than a traditional commercial bank. Although RBC wanted to keep with it’s main goal of being the #1 banker in Canada, they also wanted to build a stronger overall North American identity. Technology based products took the lead in the bank’s new American market strategy. In going along with this strategy, RBC acquired the world’s first Internet bank in order to take advantage of e-banking services. Finally, the bank has developed a new global brand strategy in response to their growing North American presence, which requires the RBC financial group banner to each business platform and operating subsidiary. Business Segments The Royal Bank of Canada has five main business segments. The largest of these segments is their personal and commercial banking segment, which makes up 56% of their earnings. RBC was named the largest and most profitable retail banking in Canada as well as the 2nd largest bank by assets in English Caribbean (†Corporate Profile†). The bank provides cross-border banking for Canadian clients and U. S. wealth management clients. Their second largest business segment is their capital markets sector. Their capital markets department deals with corporate and investment banking, equity and debt distribution as well as trading. This segment is recognized as the 10th largest global investment bank by net revenue and was also named the best investment bank in Canada across equity, debt, and M&A five years in a row (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). The third business segment of RBC, which makes up 11% of their earnings, is their wealth management division. Investment, trust, credit, and other wealth management and asset management solutions are all included in wealth management. The division was named top six global wealth mangers by assets as well as ranked #1 in Canada in both retail and asset management (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). Finally, their insurance and investor & treasury services make up the last 11% of the bank’s total earnings. The insurance segment deals with life, health, home, auto, travel, and wealth accumulation solutions. Achievements of the insurance segment include receiving high marks for â€Å"Likelihood to Recommend† and â€Å"Ease of Doing Business† (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). Their investor & treasury services provide global custody, fund administration, and asset servicing to institutional investors. (See Appendix B) SWOT Analysis Strengths: Leading Market Position: RBC is Canada’s largest bank measured by assets and market capitalization. Leading market position in Canada enables the bank to gain economic economies of scale. Significant Presence in the US and UK RBC is the sixth largest full-service brokerage firm in the US and operates in a network of 42 states. In the UK, RBC is considered a Gilt-edged market maker and actively trades in either conventional or index-linked gilts (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). Strong Balance Sheet RBC has a strong capital ratio and common ratio that are much greater than those required under Canadian standards. Also, the bank’s operating leverage declined between the years 2008 and 2010 showing potential from raising new capital (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). Weaknesses: Asset Quality Deterioration RBC’s asset quality has been deteriorating since 2007. More specifically their gross impaired loans to total loans and acceptances ratio has grown between the years 2008 to 2010. Growth and profitability concerns at US operations Although RBC realized an overall growth in revenue in 2009, they also experienced a loss of net income. The US is RBC’s second largest market and can deeply impact the companies overall growth as a whole. Opportunities: International Expansion RBC has a rich history of international acquisitions over the past 30 years. Continuing with this aggressive strategy paves the way potential increases in revenue and profit expansion. Canada’s Promising Economic Prospects Canadian GDP has shown positive growth within the past two years. Attributing to this growth has been an increasing demand for commodities and improving global financial market conditions. Threats: Increasing Interest Rates As Canadian interest rates rise, so does the potential for a decrease in demand for financial services. High Taxation Banks in Canada are taxed at a much higher rate than other countries. In addition to Canada’s high taxation, the bank also faces high tax rates in the US; it’s second largest market (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). Corporate Social Responsibility RBC has a clearly defined community and sustainability mission as they have been contributing to building a better future since 1864. Emphasis is put mainly on investing in the future by delivering quality products, protecting the environment, and sustaining a productive workplace. In respect to the community, RBC invests millions of dollars in health, sports, and the arts. More specifically they created RBC Play Hockey, which provides hockey gear to under privileged children. RBC believes that the game of hockey can bring a community together and provide a fun, competitive atmosphere among kids. Twenty grants, each of which was $25,000, will be awarded across North America (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). In respect to the environment, climate change, biodiversity, and water are weighed heavily upon. The RBC Blue Water Project helps educate people about the importance of preserving clean water in order to have enough fresh water for the future. The main component of the program is a ten-year, $50 million donations program, which supports not-for-profit organizations that protect watersheds and ensure access to clean drinking water (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). In RBC’s workplace is built upon the notion of shared values, and a sense of responsibility toward others. They look to provide a safe and flexible working environment with career growth opportunities. Also, the bank provides short and long term savings and wealth accumulation programs for their employees. Quantitative Analysis (See Appendix C) Balance Sheet: RBC has realized a 14% increase in assets over the last three years. This growth in assets is an indicator for an increase in stock returns. However, many times a growth in assets leads to sluggish returns as too many assets weigh down the bank (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). Basic accounting procedures require all financial information on the balance sheet to even out. Therefore since RBC’s assets grew by 14%, so did they liabilities and shareholders equity. This increase in the bank’s liabilities can be attributed to inventory being purchased, issuing bonds payable at a discount, retirement costs for current employees etc. Paid-in capital, the year’s net profits, or a new share offering can increase shareholder’s equity. Shareholder’s equity is especially important for banks such as RBC because of the amount of capital they are given to invest. Cash Flow: Net investments cash flow represents the gain or loss in cash flow from investments made in the financial market and operating subsidiaries. In 2009, RBC had a positive cash flow indicating they were not investing heavily at the time. However, in the next two years, huge investments were made which made their net investments cash flow to go far below zero. Having a negative overall cash flow is not necessarily a bad thing, but instead may be a result of heavy investments. Nevertheless, RBC has maintained sustainability and kept their overall cash flow positive despite their large investments. Income Statement/Retained Earnings: RBC’s total revenue has decreased by 5% over the last three years. However looking deeper will reveal a huge increase in the company’s revenue over the past five years. In 2007 and 2008 the total revenue was $22,462 and $21,582 respectively (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). This data revels an overall increase in revenue of 22% between 2007 and 2011, which any company would be proud of. In addition, RBC shows their continued effort toward sustainability as their retained earnings increased by almost 20% in the past three years (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). In effect, this increase shows that a healthy profit exists even after dividends are given out to the shareholders.

Margaret Thatcher – Emancipated Woman

Even today in the year 2009 the top political positions in most countries are still male-dominated. Emancipation has made a lot of progress during the last decades, but woman in the prime political positions such as the president or the prime minister are still a rare sight. For example when Angela Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany in 2005 it was regarded as a milestone in German politics; and the USA, the country of freedom and sophistication has yet to experience a female president. One of the exceptions in this context is the UK. Not because of the UK itself but because of Margaret Thatcher.She took office as the first female Prime Minister of the UK as well as the first female leader of the Conservative Party already 30 years ago, when women in such high political positions were basically non-existent. She was one of the forerunners for the emancipated women in today’s world. She was nicknamed â€Å"the Iron Lady† and the term Thatcherism was inve nted to describe her distinctive style and content of her politics. So what set her apart from the others; how was it possible for her to become Britain’s first female Prime Minister, a feat that no other woman so far could duplicate?One reason for her inimitable success was definitely her steadfast character. She had a strong opinion and did not let others dissuade her from doing her thing. A prime example for this is her behavior in October of 1984 when the IRA made an attempt on her life, which became known as the Brighton hotel bombing. In the night of October 12, 1984, the IRA detonated large bombs in the Grand Hotel in Brighton/UK, where many high-level politicians were staying because of the British Conservative Party Conference the next day.The bomb detonated at around 3 o’clock in the morning, when Margaret was in her hotel room, still awake preparing a conference speech that she gave on the same day. The bomb badly damaged adjacent rooms and killed several of her fellow politicians, but she came away uninjured, spending the rest of the night at a police station for security reasons. The IRA claimed responsibility the next day, part of their statement was: â€Å"Mrs. Thatcher will now realize that Britain cannot occupy our country and torture our prisoners and shoot our people in their own streets and get away with it.Today we were unlucky, but remember we only have to be lucky once. You will have to be lucky always. Give Ireland peace and there will be no more war. † (IRA, 1984). One would assume that she needed a day off to assimilate the shock of the bombing, but Margaret continued to do business as usual, attended the Conference punctually at 9:30 (a mere 6 hours after the attack) and gave her speech which included the following statement â€Å"†¦the fact that we are gathered here now†¦is a sign not only that this attack has failed, but that all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail. (That-cher, 1984) Besides her resolute character, the other key component of her success was her political and economic philosophy. Thatcher was a firm supporter of democracy. She was anti-communism and in favor of free markets with little government intervention. In January 1976, as the leader of the opposition (before she became Prime Minister), she criticized the Soviet Union in a speech that included: â€Å"The men in the Soviet Politburo do not have to worry about the ebb and flow of public opinion. They put guns before butter, while we put just about. verything before guns. † (Thatcher, 1984). Other key elements of Thatcher’s philosophy included entrepreneurialism, monetarism, opposition to trade unions and privatization of state-owned industries Margaret Thatcher really was of the precursors of today’s emancipated women. She is one of the most influential British politicians of the last decades and the fact that she is a woman makes this even more impressive. Her incredib le success was mainly due to her unwavering character and the content of her politics and economic policies.The fact that Thatcher’s politics had a long-lasting effect becomes especially clear in a statement of Peter Mandelson, member of Parliament belonging to the British Labour Party: â€Å"we are all Thatcherites now. † (Mendelson, 2002) ? References Taylor, Peter. (2001). Brits : The War Against the IRA. 265-267. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 0-7475-5806-X. Thatcher, Margaret. (1984). Speech to Conservative Party Conference, 12 October 1984 Mendelson, Peter. (2002). Mandelson: we are all Thatcherites now. retrived on April 7, 2009 from: The Guardian, Website: http://politics. guardian. co. uk/labour/story/0,9061,730718,00. html