Culture briefing for a US based company selling bicycles Essay

Culture briefing for a US based company selling bicycles - Essay Example These divisions include the pre-colonial era, colonial era, and the post-colonial era. Kenya is widely known to comprise forty two tribes each with a distinct mother tongue language. Historically, each and every tribe has its own distinct history in terms of relocations and resettlements, development, communication and relations with other tribes, customs, traditions, as well as in trade and industry. On the basis of resettlements, Kenya’s population is groups into Bantus, Nilotes, and Cushites. Cushites include Somali and Borana among others. Some examples of the Nilotes include Nandi, Pokot, and the Luos. Examples of Bantus include Kikuyu, Embu, Meru, and Kambas. During the pre-colonial era, most individuals in Kenya depended on crops and animals. In 1985, Kenya was colonized by Britain. The country got its independence in 1963 (Hornsby, 2013). Geography According to Hornsby (2013), Kenya is a unique country with an extensive shoreline, a large proportion covered by vegetati on, beautiful mountains, arid region, lakes, as well as home to the Great Rift Valley. The Indian Ocean touches Kenya towards the south east direction. The country has a total of five countries as its neighbors. These countries include Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Available sources assert that the country comprises of five climatic regions. These include the Coast, the Rift Valley, Semi-desert, desert, and the lake region. Only twenty percent of the country is considered appropriate for both crop growing and animal keeping. A whooping seventy percent of the country is either desert or semi desert. Political system Since independence, the country has upheld and preserved a centralized form of government. It is important to point out that this centralized form of government brought with it individualistic leaders such as Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi. These rulers were above the law during their tenures as presidents. The current president is the fourth since in dependence. The country adapted a multi-party system in 1992. This saw the emergence of new parties unlike the time of Jomo Kenya and partly during Moi’s era whereby the country had only one political party, Kanu (Hornsby, 2013). Currently, Kenya is divided into forty seven counties each being represented by a governor and a senator. Economic perspective Economically speaking, Kenya is a developing nation. Consequently, this country can be termed as a capitalist nation in terms of the economy. It depends on a large proportion with the international markets for trade and commerce. The country gets most of its revenue through the importation of cash crops such as coffee and tea. Tourism is also well structured and coordinated in Kenya and is a source of foreign exchange. Tourist throng the country’s wildlife reserves, game parks, as well at the coastal region for its favorable and warm climate (Hornsby, 2013). Traditions and customs Kenya comprises of forty two tribes ea ch practicing its own customs and traditions. For instance, Kambas undergo various rites of passage. They undergo initiation to become adult members of the community as early as the age of twelve. Young men are given the responsibility of upholding, preserving, as well as preservation of the community. The final stage among the Kambas is becoming an elder. The Maasai on the other hand are known for keeping animals and making ornaments. There are

Social Implications of Information Technology Essay

Social Implications of Information Technology - Essay Example Economically it has changed the way of doing business and improved communication between partners; culturally it has reduced the differences between cultures and improved intercultural communication; politically it provides people with a new type of access to important information, while politicians obtain a new powerful type of lever to affect the voters; and socially it has influenced the communication and learning patters, and created absolutely new systems of relationship between people. Such extensive and diverse influence makes the new informational technologies one of the key forces that shape the present-day society and affect being of virtually each human being. The recent shift towards intensive use of computer technology in educational practices has already become so powerful that computer-mediated learning is no more perceived as something new. Whether computer laboratories in the primary schools or Internet-equipped computer facilities in the high school, computers have turned into unalienable part of students' life. The tremendous growth of technology has had large and serious impact on virtually every aspect of educational and learning practices. One of the consequences of the remarkable technological surge was the rapid development of computer-mediated distance learning at the higher education level. The beginning of the third millennium was marked by intensive growth. Institutions of higher education continued to further develop distance learning offerings targeting the populations of working adults who otherwise have limited access to higher education (Smart, and Cappel, 2006; Liaw and Huang, 2002). The online enrollment estimations made in the late 1990s have been exceeded and continues to grow at amazingly high rates. Thus, the number of online students reached 2.6 million in the fall of 2004 (Allen and Seaman, 2004). Despite the tremendous success of distance technology-mediated learning (this term covers not only fully online courses, but also various blended approaches that integrate online components into traditional classes), experts suggests that it still remains at an early stage of development and has huge poten tial to grow further (Smart, and Cappel, 2006). Computers are exceptionally useful for students at any level. Simple word-processing software turns students into independent publishers of ideas and opinions, helps them to eliminate the feeling of isolation, weigh their thoughts and ideas against thought and ideas of other people, while more advanced interactive software make it possible for them to practice the inquiry-based learning (Papert, 1996). This significant advantage of the computer technology is especially important in educational institution of higher learning, where the role of teacher is less important and students learns more on his own. Traditionally, European and American universities and colleges found themselves under constant pressure to control the costs while improving the quality of instruction, focusing on customer needs, and reacting to the competitive challenges (Horgan, 1998: 1). Higher education professionals used to perceive distance learning as the major tool in addressing the challenges while maintaining cost-effectiveness of universities (Dibiase, 2000). The distance learnin

Sea Level Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sea Level - Assignment Example Humans, animal life and natural resources face the direct effects of sea level change, global warming and climate change at large. The California Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the development, implementation and enforcement of the states environmental protection laws (Ferrey 143). Cal/EPA aims to minimize air, water and land pollution. Therefore, the concerns addressed by the Cal/EPA are tailored towards the realization of human, animal and natural resource welfare, amid environmental hardships in the contemporary times. In this regard, sea level change and its impacts on human population, animal life and natural resources falls in the Cal/EPA docket. While the impacts of sea level change are both positive and negative, the need to address the causes of sea level change cannot be ignored. This is due to the fact that this scenario is being experienced as a result of climate change, characterized by persistent climate change. The threats posed by sea level change at all aspects of the state are significant to account for. In fact, this is not only a local, regional and national matter, but also an international undertaking. The Cal/EPA, through you and all its personnel is at a better position to quicken environmental advocacy in relation to sea level change. This is because, while outcome of sea level change may be devastating, this phenomenon continues to receive less than adequate attention across social, economic and political

Liquidity Function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Liquidity Function - Essay Example Liquidity preference is the desire to hold cash. The money in cash and the rate of interest which is demanded in exchange for it is a "measure of the degree of our disquietude (ICFAI Center for Management Research (ICMR), 2005)." The rate of interest, in Keynes' words, is the "premium which has to be offered to induce people to hold the wealth in some form other than hoarded money." The higher the liquidity preference, the higher will be the rate of interest that will have to be paid to the holders of cash to induce them to part with their liquid assets. The lower the liquidity preference the lower will be the rate of interest that will be paid to the cash-holders. Transaction Motive: This motive is related to the "need of cash for the current transactions of personal and business exchanges." It is further divided into the income and business motives. The income motive is meant "to bridge the interval between the receipt of income and its disbursement", and similarly, the business motive is "the interval between the time of incurring business costs and that of the receipt of the sale proceeds." Precautionary Motive: The precautionary motive relates to the "the desire to provide for contingencies regarding sudden expenditures and for unforeseen opportunities of advantageous purchases." Banks keep cash in reserve to meet unexpected needs. Individuals hold some cash to provide for illness, accident, unemployment and other unforeseen contingencies. Money under the speculative motive is for "securing profit from knowing better than the market what the future will bring forth." Liquidity Vs Profitability Short run trade-off exists between liquidity and profitability. Other things remaining constant, the more liquid a bank the lower its return on equity and return on assets (The Banker, 2004). Both asset and liability liquidity contribute to this relationship. Facts about liquidity of a bank: The more liquid a bank, the less profitable the bank Liquid assets earn less than illiquid assets. The shorter the maturity, the lower the yield. The highest yielding loans are loans with the highest default or interest rate risk and are therefore the least liquid. Asset liquidity is influenced by the composition and maturity of funds i.e. the ease with which a bank can convert assets to cash with a minimum loss (Comptroller of the Currency Administrator of National Banks, 2001). Large holdings of cash assets evidently decrease profits because of the opportunity loss of interest income. In terms of investment portfolio, short-term securities yield lower returns compared to long-term securities. As investors value price stability and therefore long-term securities pay a yield premium over short term securities, to induce the investors to extend their holding period. For banks that purchase short-term securities, this increases the liquidity but at higher potential returns. For example, in an environment where market expectations are constant for short-term treasury yields, the treasury yield curve will slope upwards, reflecting liquidity premiums that increase with maturity. A bank's loan portfolio displays the same trade-off where the loans carrying the higher yields are the least

Discussion Posts About Type II Diabetes And FASD Essay

Discussion Posts About Type II Diabetes And FASD - Essay Example Efficient diabetes management needs demanding and continual self-care procedures and behaviors in various areas. For instance, measuring and testing glucose level, diet control, information update about diabetes from library and insulin injection. The patients are expected to record all the results obtained. Text messaging makes it easy for patients to send the blood glucose results to their doctor on time and in response receive intervention feedback to support self-care management (Sarnikar, Bennett & Gaynor, 2013).Discussion two I agree with Katherine Johnson that the introduction of FASD topic in high school sex education is effective in lowering the number of babies born with the disorder. Effective strategies to minimize FASD comprise of comprehensive and early education about the hazards of alcohol intake during pregnancy. In order to minimize the number of babies born with FASD, prevention is the best alternative. Sex education programs provided in the private and public scho ols is a suitable venue to teach about FASD (Miller, Blumenthal & Chamberlain, 2015). Such a program can assist in implementing CHOICES, which is a program for women about selecting healthy behaviors to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies. The teenagers can access information that assists women to learn how to abstain from alcohol and use birth control techniques effectively. In addition, the youth will benefit from addiction rehabilitation and correctional settings (Hanson, Wilton, & Langland, 2015).

The purpose of higher education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The purpose of higher education - Essay Example So in order to secure a good position in a company, higher education is often a requisite. In relation to landing a dream job, higher education is also viewed as a magnet for good money. In an interview conducted, one student asserted that those with higher education are more likely to possess higher income potential. With more earnings, one is able to provide for his needs and even afford luxuries like expensive vacations, beautiful home or nice cars. In the interviewee's case, with more money pouring in he would be able to provide for his children's basic needs including better education. In addition, he would be able to financially aid his parents if need be. As a believer of education, I totally agree with the arguments given above. Pursuing higher education may be instrumental in being accepted to a prestigious firm. Although one may lack job related experience, a degree would certainly have a signaling effect to employers. A higher education would communicate to them that an applicant has learned vital skills needed to perform a particular job effectively. With this, everything else follows - higher salary, better life, brighter future. However, it is apparent that the said arguments revolve around the financial benefits derived from higher education.

Homesite Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Homesite Report - Research Paper Example e oceans; the destruction they leave in their wake is devastating as was witnessed during the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 where 230000 people lost their lives and property worth billions of dollars lost and the Japanese tsunami that led to the destruction of nuclear power plants leading to loss of lives and severe environmental degradation (Nanto 15)  Ã‚  Additionally, active volcanoes pose a major threat to those who live near them, since the possibility of property being buried under volcanic ash is always real. Wildfires are a major threat since once they start, they are difficult to contain and they have often led to major losses as witnessed in the Greek forest fires in 2009 (Amiridis et al. 6)  The other natural disaster that is likely to affect residents adversely is drought, which reduces the value of property and increases the cost of living. To make the right decision about where to settle, one has to look at the likelihood of any of these happening.  Having consider ed all these factors, three cities were found to be the most suitable.  Ã‚   The 2012 United Nations world risk report listed Qatar as the safest country from natural disasters, out of 173 countries worldwide (ADW 4)  Doha is the capital city of Qatar, which is in the Middle East. The country is located in a geologic setting, which makes it less susceptible to earthquakes. It’s tectonically gentle and the country, being one of the biggest oil and gas producers in the world, has the financial muscle which it has used to install six earthquake sensors that further reduces the possibility of residents being caught unawares (USGS) Being in the desert and receiving very little rain throughout the year, the risk of flooding and landslides in Doha is virtually nonexistent. Due to its geologic setting, the country is also not susceptible to tsunamis. The vegetation in Qatar is quite sparse thus making it rather difficult to sustain wildfires. The country does not have active volcanoes, thus