The History of Rubiks Cube and Inventor Erno Rubik

The History of Rubiks Cube and Inventor Erno Rubik There is only one correct answer- and 43 quintillion wrong ones- for the Rubiks Cube. Gods algorithm is the answer that solves the puzzle in the least number of moves. One-eighth of the worlds population has laid hands on The Cube, the most popular puzzle in history and the colorful brainchild of Erno Rubik. Erno Rubiks Early Life Erno Rubik was born in Budapest, Hungary during World War II. His mother was a poet, his father an aircraft engineer who started a company to build gliders. Rubik studied sculpture in college, but after graduating, he went back to learn architecture at a small college called the Academy of Applied Arts and Design. He remained there after his studies to teach interior design. The Cube Rubiks initial attraction to inventing the Cube was not in producing the best selling toy puzzle in history. The structural design problem interested Rubik; he asked, How could the blocks move independently without falling apart? In Rubiks Cube, twenty-six individual little cubes or cubies make up the big Cube. Each layer of nine cubies can twist and the layers can overlap. Any three squares in a row, except diagonally, can join a new layer. Rubiks initial attempt to use elastic bands failed, his solution was to have the blocks hold themselves together by their shape. Rubiks hand carved and assembled the little cubies together. He marked each side of the big Cube with adhesive paper of a different color and started twisting. An Inventor Dreams The Cube became a puzzle  in the spring of 1974 when the twenty-nine-year-old Rubik discovered it was not so easy to realign the colors to match on all six sides. Of this experience, he said: It was wonderful, to see how, after only a few turns, the colors became mixed, apparently in random fashion. It was tremendously satisfying to watch this color parade. Like after a nice walk when you have seen many lovely sights you decide to go home, after a while I decided it was time to go home, let us put the cubes back in order. And it was at that moment that I came face to face with the Big Challenge: What is the way home? He was not sure he would ever be able to return his invention to its original position. He theorized that by randomly twisting the Cube he would never be able to fix it in a lifetime, which later turns out to be more than correct. He began working out a solution, starting with aligning the eight corner cubies. He discovered certain sequences of moves for rearranging just a few cubies at a time. Within a month, he had the puzzle solved and an amazing journey lay ahead. First Patent Rubik applied for his Hungarian patent in January 1975 and left his invention with a small toy making cooperative in Budapest. The patent approval finally came in early 1977 and the first Cubes appeared at the end of 1977. By this time, Erno Rubik was married. Two other people applied for similar patents at about the same time as Rubik. Terutoshi Ishige applied a year after Rubik, for a Japanese patent on a very similar cube. An American, Larry Nichols, patented a cube before Rubik, held together with magnets. Nichols toy was rejected by all toy companies, including the Ideal Toy Corporation, which later bought the rights to Rubiks Cube. Sales of the Rubiks Cube were sluggish until Hungarian businessman Tibor Laczi discovered the Cube. While having a coffee, he spied a waiter playing with the toy. Laczi an amateur mathematician was impressed. The next day he went to the state trading company, Konsumex, and asked permission to sell the Cube in the West. Tibor Laczi had this to say on first meeting Erno Rubik: When Rubik first walked into the room I felt like giving him some money, he says. He looked like a beggar. He was terribly dressed, and he had a cheap Hungarian cigarette hanging out of his mouth. But I knew I had a genius on my hands. I told him we could sell millions. Nuremberg Toy Fair Laczi proceeded to demonstrate the Cube at the Nuremberg toy fair, but not as an official exhibitor. Laczi walked around the fair playing with a Cube and managed to meet British toy expert Tom Kremer. Kremer thought Rubiks Cube was the wonder of the world. He later arranged an order for a million Cubes with Ideal Toy. Whats in a Name? Rubiks Cube was first called the Magic Cube (Buvuos Kocka) in Hungary. The puzzle had not been patented internationally within a year of the original patent.  Patent law  then prevented the possibility of an international patent. Ideal Toy wanted at least a recognizable name to copyright; of course, that arrangement put Rubik in the spotlight because the Magic Cube was renamed after its inventor. The First Red Millionaire Erno Rubik became the first self-made millionaire from the communist block. The eighties and Rubiks Cube went well together. Cubic Rubes (the name of cube fans) formed clubs to play and study solutions. A sixteen-year-old Vietnamese high school student from Los Angeles, Minh Thai won the world championship in Budapest (June 1982) by unscrambling a Cube in 22.95 seconds. The unofficial speed records may be ten seconds or less. Human experts now solve the puzzle in 24-28 moves on a regular basis. Erno Rubik  established a foundation to help promising inventors in Hungary. He also runs the Rubik Studio, which employs a dozen people to design furniture and toys. Rubik has produced several other toys, including Rubiks Snake. He has plans to start designing computer games and continues to develop his theories on geometric structures. Seven Towns Ltd. currently holds the rights to Rubiks Cube.

Free Essays on Antiamericanism & Antiglobalism

Antiglobalism and Anti-Americanism Anti-Americanism and anti-globalization go hand in hand because Americans believe in globalization. Globalization is the â€Å"bringing of every aspect of world society under one universal political system† (Anderson, 1994, p.1). Anti-Americanism is strong disapproval or even hatred for the United States of America, its government, people’s, or its â€Å"way of life†. Many countries, groups, organizations, amongst others, attack the American way because they see us representing globalization. The sad thing about it is that they themselves, professed anti-Americanists, use globalization to promote their hatred. Anti-Americanism can vary from mere dislike and disapproval of America, such at times exhibited by European nations, to destruction and violence, such as that shown by terrorists. In many instances, the â€Å"United States is perceived as a bully ready to use all means including overwhelming force against those who resist it† (Hoffmann, 2001, p.192). These actions cause groups to become Anti-Americanists. They feel that America has no right to bully over people just because they will not side with American causes. For example, nations that were on the American side are now turning to anti-Americanism. â€Å"Countries such as France, Germany and Britain, which for more than five decades have been the closest allies of the United States, are beginning to drift away, propelled by wave of concern, alarm and resentment† (Frankel, 2003, p. 1). The cause of this may be the United States policy towards Iraq, but the emerging theme is their sense of fear and loathing of American power, policies, and motives. People are thinking of the worse possible motives from American behavior, as said by Gary Smith, executive director of American Academy, a non-profit institute of advanced studies in Berlin. Another example of why the groups hate America is because of religion. Religion, especially in i... Free Essays on Antiamericanism & Antiglobalism Free Essays on Antiamericanism & Antiglobalism Antiglobalism and Anti-Americanism Anti-Americanism and anti-globalization go hand in hand because Americans believe in globalization. Globalization is the â€Å"bringing of every aspect of world society under one universal political system† (Anderson, 1994, p.1). Anti-Americanism is strong disapproval or even hatred for the United States of America, its government, people’s, or its â€Å"way of life†. Many countries, groups, organizations, amongst others, attack the American way because they see us representing globalization. The sad thing about it is that they themselves, professed anti-Americanists, use globalization to promote their hatred. Anti-Americanism can vary from mere dislike and disapproval of America, such at times exhibited by European nations, to destruction and violence, such as that shown by terrorists. In many instances, the â€Å"United States is perceived as a bully ready to use all means including overwhelming force against those who resist it† (Hoffmann, 2001, p.192). These actions cause groups to become Anti-Americanists. They feel that America has no right to bully over people just because they will not side with American causes. For example, nations that were on the American side are now turning to anti-Americanism. â€Å"Countries such as France, Germany and Britain, which for more than five decades have been the closest allies of the United States, are beginning to drift away, propelled by wave of concern, alarm and resentment† (Frankel, 2003, p. 1). The cause of this may be the United States policy towards Iraq, but the emerging theme is their sense of fear and loathing of American power, policies, and motives. People are thinking of the worse possible motives from American behavior, as said by Gary Smith, executive director of American Academy, a non-profit institute of advanced studies in Berlin. Another example of why the groups hate America is because of religion. Religion, especially in i...

Immigration As A Source Of Conflict In France Essay

Immigration As A Source Of Conflict In France - Essay Example With a huge proportion of the immigrants being unemployed, there is a rise in labor riots in France. This can be attributed to the competition for jobs between the North African immigrants with the local French laborers. This is because they are willing to work at lower wages due to their lack of skills. This has sparked up racism and ethnic violence between the French Nationals and the North African immigrants. The immigrants feel they are not accepted as being French and are stigmatized to go back to their country, as they do not belong in France. They are not given jobs due to their immigrant nature and end up doing work beneath them. The lack of employment has also sparked up social evils and increased the crime rates in the country. The governments of the day are forced to deport some of the illegal immigrants to avoid extreme political movements due to high unemployment rates among the immigrants. There are two key things that are depicted about immigration as a source of confl ict in contemporary France. Immigrants come along with their cultural practices, religion, and this when they interact with local nationals, conflict can arise in the attempt of either group trying to dominate the other. This makes integration of the immigrants with the local communities difficult and can result in animosities between the two. Immigration adds competition for resources in the country and, therefore, the government should provide enough job and investment opportunities so as to avoid socio-economic conflict and labor woes.

Berry Gordy and the Rise of Motown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Berry Gordy and the Rise of Motown - Essay Example Berry Gordy, Jr., created a recording company that became a legend in the music industry and an icon of American culture. Gordy wielded tight control over the company’s business practices, famously micro-managing both Motown’s finances and the lives and careers of its musical talents.The formula he established,both from a business and creative standpoint,stood the test of time and turned Motown into a mega-million dollar concern Following intelligent business principles, Gordy diversified into other branches of the entertainment industry, such as film, and moved Motown from Detroit, the city with which it is still identified, to southern California. Today, Gordy’s holds the double legacy as a successful businessman and creative musical impresario. Keywords: Berry Gordy, Jr., music industry, Motown, Detroit. CREATING AN ICON 3 Creating an Icon: Berry Gordy and the Rise of Motown For millions of music fans around the world, Berry Gordy and Motown Records are icons of the music industry and of popular culture in general. The â€Å"Motown sound† is still considered the most distinctive â€Å"urban† representation of the genre, an influence as seminal and profound in its way as Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Memphis had Stax and Sun Records, and Chess Records is still closely identified with the Chicago blues scene. Yet no music label has ever been more closely identified with a community than Motown with Detroit, a musical marriage the mere mention of which still encompasses its own aesthetic and mystique. All of this was due to the vision of Berry Gordy, the Detroit native whose foresight, business judgment and promotional flair helped grow a small, hometown label into a multi-media entertainment empire. As with any successful entrepreneur, once he was established as a leader in his field Gordy successfully diversified his business interests. Motown’s move into the film industry proved financially successful and by the tim e Gordy sold the company to MCA, it was worth more than $60 million. A Newsweek article from May 1983 ascribed the basis of Motown’s success to the fundamental desire of young people, both black and white, to dance to music with an infectious beat (Barol, 1983). This, the article contended, was the basis of Gordy’s genius: his faith in a formula that defined Motown like no other label. Its first great hit, â€Å"Shop Around† by Smoky Robinson, which sold a million copies in 1960, is a prime example of the timelessness of the music Gordy produced and the durability of his business formula as a music impresario. A true opportunist, Gordy leveraged the racial and cultural tumult of the 1960s, positioning Motown as CREATING AN ICON 4 a kind of unofficial urban musical â€Å"voice† of black America, and a symbol of Detroit, the city with which it is still identified, even though Gordy long ago moved his operation to Hollywood to take advantage of opportunities in the film industry. No sentimentalist, Gordy did not allow image to cloud his business judgment or convince him to act counter to his best interests. On June 28, 1988, Gordy sold Motown to MCA for $61 million, a deal that some said decidedly favored Gordy. â€Å"Right now, the company has nothing on the charts, it’s internally shot, people are looking to get out. It’s a sad ending to a good piece of American history. Berry Gordy is a great creative guy, but (he’s) not a strong manager† said a rival producer at the time (Ingham and Feldman, p. 195). It is a measure of Motown’s cultural power that Gordy came under such virulent criticism for having sold arguably the nation’s most visible black-owned business to a large corporation (p. 195). Motown may have been folded into a giant national conglomerate, but Gordy’s success was far from over. Motown’s subsidiaries comprised a considerable source of revenue, and Gordy brought th em under one roof in 1990 when he formed the

The relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry Essay Example for Free

The relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry Essay There are many issues involved with the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. According to David Goldbloom, he proposed that gifts that the pharmaceutical industry wanted to give physicians should not be gifts, but instead should be materials that are sold to the physician at cost. This not only would avoid the appearance of impropriety, but would lower the overall cost of the drug to consumers. This position was picked up by the American Medical Students Association, who stated that there should be a complete ban on industry involvement in education. 2) Ethical and policy issues in research involving human participants. When a pharmaceutical company decides that they are going to conduct a human clinical trial, there are issues of the morality and ethics of conducting clinical trials. One of the first things is that the research subject must have full informed consent about the topic and the implications of the research that they are going to be involved in. Second, the government has in place in protecting the clinical research subject to assure that they are treated in an ethical way and are not subject to abuse or maltreatment in the clinical research process. In these regulations, the physical and emotional effects on the subject are minimized, additionally, the psychological and physical effects are reasonable, given the medical subject matter involved. Finally, all research involving human subjects must be analyzed and approved by the FDA in order to assure that the FDA’s guidelines are being met and that the research is indeed safe for human subjects. 3) Research involving persons with mental disorders that may affect decision-making capacity. Many of the same ethical considerations that involve research on human participants also apply to research trials on participants with mental disorders that may affect their decision making capacity. The only additional consideration is that there is an advocate for the person that should be in a position to assure that the medical and mental issues of the participant is indeed taken care of. Pharmaceutical companies should assure that all ethical guidelines and laws are followed to assure that those individuals with mental disorders are not taken advantage of in the clinical research process. 4) Bias in pharmaceutical sponsored (funded) clinical trials. There is a natural bias inherent in a pharmaceutical company conducting the clinical research on a drug. First, the pharmaceutical company has invested years and millions of dollars in developing and refining a drug. If that drug is not approved, they are out all that time and money. The individuals that work for the company and that are conducting the testing may feel pressured to manipulate the results to come out a certain way to assure that the company does not lose the money and time they have invested in the drug development process. 5) Relationship between clinical investigators and the pharmaceutical industry. When clinical investigators are investigating the efficacy of a drug, they should avoid the appearance of impropriety by working to maintain their independence. The investigator should not have any relationship with the industry in which they work. This helps them to maintain their independence and they are better able to accomplish their job in an efficient and professional manner. Investigators should also avoid paid consultancies as they give the appearance of a conflict of interest. Investigators are there to investigate the efficacy of the drug in question, and they should be left to do their job without being pressured to achieve a certain result for the pharmaceutical company. 6) Corporate hand in clinical trials and their contracts with academia. The corporate hand in academia should be one that is very light. There should be a full disclosure of all fiduciary obligations that academia has with the corporate world, and it should be up to an independent panel to determine if that financial relationship is affecting the academic independence of the researcher. Contracts with academia should be ones that do not have any implicit or explicit strings attached, and should not be contingent on a certain performance level. Works Cited (1999, March 11). Research Involving Individuals with Questionable Capacity to Consent: . Retrieved June 20, 2009, from U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site: http://grants. nih. gov/grants/policy/questionablecapacity. htm Bero, L. (2003, June 11). Corporate and Economic Pressures on Academic Freedom. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from University of California Web site: http://www. universityofcalifornia. edu/senate/committees/ucaf/afforum/bero. pdf Chopra, S. (2003, July 2). Industry Funding of Clinical Trials: Benefit or Bias?. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from www. jama. ama-assn. org Web site: http://jama. ama-assn. org/cgi/reprint/290/1/113. pdf Goldbloom, D. S. Physicians and the Pharmaceutical Industry . Retrieved June 20, 2009, from Canadian Psychiatric Association Web site: http://ww1. cpa- apc. org:8080/publications/archives/bulletin/2003/october/editorialEn. asp Kapp, M. B. (2006). Ethical and legal issues in research involving human subjects: do you want a piece of me?. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from Journal of Clinical Pathology Web site: http://jcp. bmjjournals. com/cgi/content/full/59/4/335 Panacek, E Guidelines for Clinical Investigator Involvement in Industry-sponsored Clinical Trials. Retrieved June 20, 2009, from www. saem. org Web site: http://www. saem. org/download/edward. pdf

The Meaning Of Chow Yun-fat (its In His Mouth) :: essays research papers

The Meaning of Chow Yun-Fat (It's In His Mouth) Ultimately, it comes down to his mouth. Chow Yun-Fat is the coolest movie actor in the world today, and the only way I can explain this is to talk about his mouth. He does cool things with his mouth. Smoking cigarettes is no longer an emblem of cool in the USA, but Chow does wonders with cigarette smoke in Prison On Fire. Director Ringo Lam understands this; like most of the great Hong Kong directors, he loves using slow motion and freeze frames to pinpoint important moments in his movies, and he saves a few of the most elegant slow-motion sequences for Chow blowing smoke and looking cool. In John Woo's over-the-top classic, Hard Boiled (the rough literal translation of the Chinese title is Spicy-Handed Gun God), Chow plays with a toothpick. There are few movie moments more violently cool than the shot of Chow, a gun in each hand, sliding down a stair banister blasting a dozen bad guys while letting his toothpick hang just so from the side of his mouth. In God of Gamblers, Chow plays a gambler who gets a bump on his head that turns him into some quasi- autistic prodigy, like Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Chow retains his intuitive skill at playing cards, but now he must be pacified by constant pieces of chocolate that he scarfs greedily, goofy smile on his face. Blowing smoke, dangling his toothpick, eating chocolate, or just smiling ... ultimately, when trying to explain why Chow Yun-Fat is cool, it comes down to his mouth. Everything I have said so far describes a subjective reaction to watching Chow Yun-Fat on the screen. Fill in the name of your favorite actor or actress, change the specific references, and this could be your essay. We don't learn anything new from such subjective meanderings; we only identify taste preferences. I'm proud to be a Chow fan, but then, I am proud to be a fan in general. With other favorites of mine, though, I am able to get at least a little bit beyond subjectivity. Be it Murphy Brown or X-Ray Spex, Bruce Springsteen or NYPD Blue, at some point I can analyze my relationship to the cultural artifact in question, place it in some cultural context, and come to some hopefully useful conclusions about both the particular text and our interaction with that text. Chow Yun-Fat, however, seems to defy my attempts at analysis; ultimately, it all comes down to his mouth and nothing more. Try describing Chow Yun-Fat to someone who has never seen him on the screen.

MAR project team Essay

Strength Integrated Health consists a number of hospitals. Has an internal technology department – MIS. Has a large number of staff MAR project team is well rounded with technology. The institutions of Integrated Health are well known by the people in Tempe, Arizona. A non-profit organization, which means all the earned money minus the salary and daily operational costs of the institution, can be used for development. Weaknesses Utilizes manual processing of information. Low investment on automation. Chief Information Officer doesn’t have technical background. Some Directors doesn’t support automation and would rather have the traditional process. A large number of staff doesn’t agree with the change. Due to manual filings, specialists reported that patients endorsed to them doesn’t have files 30% of the time. Doesn’t have a change management process. MIS Staff are underestimated and their relevance is not clear to the whole organization Opportunities Lower of costs by investing on computerizing MAR. Can attract partnerships with insurance companies as they are becoming a trend. By investing in computerized MAR, less information would be missing or incorrect If medical tests would not be repeated unnecessarily, then operational costs can be lessen. Computer management of patient medication profiles offers the opportunity to enhance communication between pharmacists and nurses decrease medication errors and delays in delivery of therapy. enhance medication delivery accuracy and timeliness Threats If the computerized MAR is not implemented, insurance companies would not want to partner with Integrated Health. Increasing incorrect medical profiles of patients. If the computerized MAR is implemented, There will be dependence on its automation in the future and when it fails, operations will stop. Cost for further upgrades to fix bugs and improve services will be considered.

Math and Running a Business Essay

I Know I have been to many towns in my life and noticed people trying to make a living at street vendors. There are many street vendors in many cities across the US as well as other countries such as Chicago, New York, and Cancun Mexico just to name a few. I have never had or thought to ever spoke to a vendor about business. â€Å"No matter where they live or what they sell they all talk about business just like any CEO or large company Executive would† ( Charan, 2001, P 1). They are all out to make a profit. They all need to find a way to make sure the product sells and quickly so a profit can be made. So a vendor will start his day with quality and quantity, he needs to make sure he will not have too much inventory at the end of the day so he may purchase more product for the next day. Say something like fresh fruits or vegetables. â€Å"The fresh products are placed in the front (retailers call this merchandising)† (Charan, 2001, P 23). Any vendor needs to watch their competition and look to see what their product is selling for. This will happen every day so as the vendor is watching he may also have to cut his prices so the value would increase for the customer. The next day and the day after will go the same way it’s all about how to make a profit. Being a one-person business may seem simple, it’s not there are many decisions that need to be made. Every business is the same one way or another they need to make money to survive. Math is an essential asset in the business world, without math no business would be able to operate. The business world revolves around math, from profit and loss statements, bookkeeping, taxes and employees’ salaries. Formulas and equations are used to determine how much product one might need. For example a vendor will start his day with quality and quantity. He needs to make sure he will not have too much inventory at the end of the day so he may purchase more products for the next day. Say something like fresh fruits or vegetables. â€Å"The fresh products are placed in the front (retailers call this merchandising)† (Charan, 2001, P 23). Any vendor needs to watch their competition and look to see what their product is selling for. This will happen every day so as the vendor is watching he may also have to cut his prices so the value would increase for the customer. The next day and the day after will go the same way it’s all about how to make a profit. Being a one-person business may seem simple, it’s not there are many decisions that need to be made. Every business is the same one way or another they need to make money to survive. â€Å"Business ownership requires more than skill in creating a product or talent at providing a service. Overseeing the finances of your company is the key to survival and success. Understanding basic business math is necessary for profitable operations and accurate record keeping. Knowing how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, round and use percentages and fractions is the minimum you need to price your product and meet your budget. If math is not your strength, partner with someone who can take over that role or hire a trusted employee to help your operation stay in the black and grow responsibly†. (Deeb, 2012, WS). Whether you are a sole proprietor, small business owner or corporation location is a big concern. Location shows us we need to do the math. Will I have enough customers to make this business work? Will my product sell? Am I going to make a profit? What are my expenses going to be? I have learned a lot about being a business owner from reading â€Å"What the CEO wants you to know† (Charan, 2001, NP). I find it very interesting that weather you are a street vendor, a sole proprietor, or a CEO of a large corporation it all comes down to one thing. â€Å"Show me the money† everyone in business for themselves or corporation needs to have the income to survive. I have learned the basic building blocks of a business and the hard work it takes to be able to run a business. Not everyone will succeed in the business world, but if you prove dedication and hard work dreams of being a sole business owner can come true. There are so many steps to follow to be a successful business man. Those steps are called the business acumen which include; cash generation, return on assets, making your margin meaningful, making velocity meaningful, growth and going in the right direction. You also need to make sure you have customers, and be able to know your customers. â€Å"Wealth is more than making money† (Charan, 2001, P 77 C 5). â€Å"The best business men know and understand that money making and wealth creation are linked through what is known as the price earnings multiply† (Charan, 2001, P77). P–E multiple is a number and it represents expectations about a company’s current and future money. Everyone in business for themselves has one goal and that is at the end of the day they need to deliver and make a profit. I like the way that â€Å"Ram Charon† uses in the book as he is teaching a class. â€Å"He asked the question Think of someone you consider being good with people? The students always come up with phrases like outgoing, enthusiastic, personality, or well liked. Personality alone is not what makes a company deliver. It takes knowledge and insight into how an organization really works†. (Charan, 2001, P94). I use that a lot every day in my own job as I work with students helping them build their resumes, talking about what they want to do after they graduate, and how to help them with interview skills. I coach each student just like any business man would coach their staff or team. Team + knowledge = success. Building you own company is the big picture; you need to know how to be a leader, and to stay focused. With the right tools and determination anyone can be a business owner. There are steps to starting up a business, first you need to write a business plan to form goals and objectives, register your business and file a (DBA), obtain a federal Identification number and satisfy business licensing requirements. The easy part but still very important part starts as to opening a bank account, purchasing insurance, establish a business presence, and in today’s day and age establish a website. Getting you name out to the community is the most important part without customers you will fail as a business owner. Advertising yourself is the key to a successful career. A business needs to advertise in the community join the chamber of commerce, flyers and the local church. Research is needed identify where to get help, smart business owners know where and when to seek advice from other sources. Identify accountants in the area who may be able to assist you with specific questions about a startup business. The question is answered with much difficulty. One could easily argue that in order to be good at business you simply need to have a good mind for management, decisions, and people skills. However, math is a big part of business and while you can always rely on other people to take care of it would you really want to? Only you can decide whether or not you feel math is important for you. Decide what to do, despite the clutter of day-to-day business and the complexity of the real world. Many people spend more than a hundred thousand dollars on an MBA without learning to pull these pieces of the puzzle together. Many others lack a formal business education and feel shut out from the executive suite. What the CEO Wants You to Know takes the mystery out of business and shows the secrets of success. What the CEO Wants You to Know by Ram Charan – CNET Download.com Building you own company is the big picture; you need to know how to be a leader, and to stay focused. With the right tools and determination anyone can be a business owner. Starting a new business can be fun and very rewarding at the same time. You become your own boss, and eventually, you might even be able to hire your own employees. Everything would depend on how successful your business is in making profits. So the next time you see a street vendor you might want to take a moment and talk to that vendor about his or her business. References: Carol Deeb. (2012). importance-basic-math-business-41097.html. In The importance of basic math in business. Retrieved October 13, 2012 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ Ram Charan (2001). WHAT THE CEO WANTS YOU TO KNOW Copyright  © 2001Ram Charan Designed and developed by FSB Associates What the CEO Wants You to Know by Ram Charan – CNET Download.com

File Sharing Software essays

File Sharing Software essays One of the most controversial technological innovations of the past decade or more, file sharing software applications have transformed the ways people view intellectual property. In fact, intellectual property has only recently been a subject of popular debate, since the newsworthy demise of Napster. With the advent of the Internet and subsequent software developments, computer users worldwide have been able to upload, download, and share files, many of which contain copyrighted material. In some ways, this type of file sharing seems to fall under the "fair use" clauses in copyright laws, which dictate that individual consumers are free to make a few personal copies of material for limited use. However, file sharing software calls into question the extent of "fair use" because potentially millions of people could have access to one copyrighted file. File sharing therefore raises a host of ethical and legal conundrums. First, the creators of the copyrighted material: musicians, writers, or software engineers, are potentially losing money. After all, they are receiving no revenues from the freely distributed materials. On the other hand, sharing files via the Internet may not be damaging creative professionals as much as we think. File sharing applications and the compressed material that is being shared is imperfect: MP3 files will never approach CD quality sound and will never come replete with the glossy books or other presentation material that a store-bought product contains. Moreover, most music connoisseurs don't mind forking over a few bucks to support their favorite artists. Similarly, pirated software is unusable much of the time, as the "cracks" don't always work and the software itself comes with glitches due to the reproduction process. In general, file sharing is a fun and exciting technological development but poses little actual threat to professionals who rely on intel...

Book Recommendations for Graduate School in Economics

Book Recommendations for Graduate School in Economics Q:Â  If I want to achieve a Ph.D. in economics what steps would you advise me to take and what books and courses would I need to study to gain the knowledge that is absolutely needed to be able to do and understand the research that is needed for a Ph.D. A:Â  Thank you for your question. Its a question that Im frequently asked, so its about time that I created a page that I could point people toward. Its really difficult to give you a general answer, because a lot of it depends on where youd like to get your Ph.D. from. Ph.D programs in economics vary widely in both quality and scope of what is taught. The approach taken by European schools tends to be different than that of Canadian and American schools. The advice in this article will mainly apply to those who are interested in entering a Ph.D. program in the United States or Canada, but much of the advice should also apply to European programs as well. There are four key subject areas that youll need to be very familiar with to succeed in a Ph.D. program in economics. 1. Microeconomics / Economic Theory Even if you plan to study a subject which is closer to Macroeconomics or Econometrics, it is important to have a good grounding in Microeconomic Theory. A lot of work in subjects such as Political Economy and Public Finance are rooted in micro foundations so youll help yourself immensely in these courses if youre already familiar with high level microeconomics. Most schools also require you to take at least two courses in microeconomics, and often these courses are the most difficult youll encounter as a graduate student. Microeconomics Material You Must Know as a Bare Minimum I would recommend reviewing the book Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach by Hal R. Varian. The newest edition is the sixth one, bu if you can find an older used edition costing less you may want to do that. Advanced Microeconomics Material that Would be Helpful to Know Hal Varian has a more advanced book called simply Microeconomic Analysis. Most economics students are familiar with both books and refer to this book as simply Varian and the Intermediate book as Baby Varian. A lot of the material in here is stuff you wouldnt be expected to know entering a program as its often taught for the first time in Masters and Ph.D. programs. The more you can learn before you enter the Ph.D. program, the better you will do. What Microeconomics Book Youll Use When You Get There From what I can tell, Microeconomic Theory by Mas-Colell, Whinston, and Green is standard in many Ph.D. programs. Its what I used when I took Ph.D. courses in Microeconomics at both Queens University at Kingston and the University of Rochester. Its an absolutely massive book, with hundreds and hundreds of practice questions. The book is quite difficult in parts so youll want to have a good background in microeconomic theory before you tackle this one. 2. Macroeconomics Giving advice on Macroeconomics books is a lot more difficult because Macroeconomics is taught so differently from school to school. Your best bet is to see what books are used in the school that you would like to attend. The books will be completely different depending on whether your school teaches more Keynesian style Macroeconomics or Freshwater Macro which is taught at places like The Five Good Guys which includes the University of Chicago, the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, University of Rochester, and University of Pennsylvania. The advice Im going to give is for students who are going to a school that teaches more of a Chicago style approach. Macroeconomics Material You Must Know as a Bare Minimum I would recommend reviewing the book Advanced Macroeconomics by David Romer. Although it does have the word Advanced in the title, its more suited for high level undergraduate study. It does have some Keynesian material as well. If you understand the material in this book, you should do well as a graduate student in Macroeconomics. Advanced Macroeconomics Material that would be Helpful to Know Instead of learning more Macroeconomics, it would be more helpful to learn more on dynamic optimization. See my section on Math Economics books for more detail. What Macroeconomics Book Youll Use When You Get There When I took Ph.D courses in Macroeconomics a few years ago we didnt really use any textbooks, instead we discussed journal articles. This is the case in most courses at the Ph.D. level. I was fortunate enough to have macroeconomics courses taught by Per Krusell and Jeremy Greenwood and you could spend an entire course or two just studying their work. One book that is used quite often is Recursive Methods in Economic Dynamics by Nancy L. Stokey and Robert E. Lucas Jr. Although the book is almost 15 years old, its still quite useful for understanding the methodology behind many macroeconomics articles. Ive also found Numerical Methods in Economics by Kenneth L. Judd to be quite helpful when youre trying to obtain estimates from a model which does not have a closed-form solution. 3. Econometrics Material You Must Know as a Bare Minimum Theres quite a few good undergraduate texts on Econometrics out there. When I taught tutorials in undergraduate Econometrics last year, we used Essentials of Econometrics by Damodar N. Gujarati. Its as useful as any other undergraduate text Ive seen on Econometrics. You can usually pick up a good Econometrics text for very little money at a large second-hand book shop. A lot of undergraduate students cant seem to wait to discard their old econometrics materials. Advanced Econometrics Material that would be Helpful to Know Ive found two books rather useful: Econometrics Analysis by William H. Greene and A Course in Econometrics by Arthur S. Goldberger. As in the Microeconomics section, these books cover a lot of material which is introduced for the first time at the graduate level. The more you know going in, though, the better chance youll have of succeeding. What Econometrics Book Youll Use When You Get There Chances are youll encounter the king of all Econometrics books Estimation and Inference in Econometrics by Russell Davidson and James G. MacKinnon. This is a terrific text, because it explains why things work like they do, and does not treat the matter as a black box like many econometrics books do. The book is quite advanced, though the material can be picked up fairly quickly if you have a basic knowledge of geometry. 4. Mathematics Having a good understanding of mathematics is crucial to success in economics. Most undergraduate students, particularly those coming from North America, are often shocked by how mathematical graduate programs in economics are. The math goes beyond basic algebra and calculus, as it tends to be more proofs, such as Let (x_n) be a Cauchy sequence. Show that if (X_n) has a convergent subsequence then the sequence is itself convergent. Ive found that the most successful students in the first year of a Ph.D. program tend to be ones with mathematics backgrounds, not economics ones. That being said, theres no reason why someone with an economics background can not succeed. Mathematical Economics Material You Must Know as a Bare Minimum Youll certainly want to read a good undergraduate Mathematics for Economists type book. The best one that Ive seen happens to be called Mathematics for Economists written by Carl P. Simon and Lawrence Blume. It has a quite diverse set of topics, all of which are useful tools for economic analysis. If youre rusty on basic calculus, make sure you pick up a 1st year undergraduate calculus book. There are hundreds and hundreds of different ones available, so Id suggest looking for one in a second hand shop. You may also want to review a good higher level calculus book such as Multivariable Calculus by James Stewart. You should have at least a basic knowledge of differential equations, but you do not have to be an expert in them by any means. Reviewing the first few chapters of a book such as Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems by William E. Boyce and Richard C. DiPrima would be quite useful. You do not need to have any knowledge of partial differential equations before entering graduate school, as they are generally only used in very specialized models. If youre uncomfortable with proofs, you may want to pick up The Art and Craft of Problem Solving by Paul Zeitz. The material in the book has almost nothing to do with economics, but it will help you greatly when working on proofs. As an added bonus a lot of the problems in the book are surprisingly fun. The more knowledge you have of pure mathematics subjects such as Real Analysis and Topology, the better. I would recommend working on as much of Introduction to Analysis by Maxwell Rosenlicht as you possibly can. The book costs less than $10 US but it is worth its weight in gold. There are other analysis books that are slightly better, but you cannot beat the price. You may also want to look at the Schaums Outlines - Topology and Schaums Outlines - Real Analysis. Theyre also quite inexpensive and have hundreds of useful problems. Complex analysis, while quite an interesting subject, will be of little use to a graduate student in economics, so you need not worry about it. Advanced Mathematical Economics that would be Helpful to Know The more real analysis you know, the better you will do. You may want to see one of the more canonical texts such as The Elements of Real Analysis by Robert G. Bartle. You may also want to look at the book I recommend in the next paragraph. What Advanced Mathematical Economics Book Youll Use When You Get There At the University of Rochester we used a book called A First Course in Optimization Theory by Rangarajan K. Sundaram, though I dont know how widely this is used. If you have a good understanding of real analysis, you will have no trouble with this book, and youll do quite well in the obligatory Mathematical Economics course they have in most Ph.D. programs. You do not need to study up on more esoteric topics such as Game Theory or International Trade before you enter a Ph.D. program, although it never hurts to do so. You are not usually required to have a background in those subject areas when you take a Ph.D. course in them. I will recommend a couple of books I greatly enjoy, as they may convince you to study these subjects. If youre at all interested in Public Choice Theory or Virginia style Political Economy, first you should read my article The Logic of Collective Action. After doing so, you may want to read the book Public Choice II by Dennis C. Mueller. It is very academic in nature, but it is probably the book that has influenced me most as an economist. If the movie A Beautiful Mind didnt make you frightened of the work of John Nash you may be interested in A Course in Game Theory by Martin Osborne and Ariel Rubinstein. It is an absolutely fabulous resource and, unlike most books in economics, its well written. If I havent scared you off completely from studying economics, theres one last thing youll want to look into. Most schools require you to take one or two tests as part of your application requirements. Heres a few resources on those tests: Get familiar with the GRE General and GRE Economics Tests The Graduate Record Examination or GRE General test is one of the application requirements at most North American schools. The GRE General test covers three areas: Verbal, Analytical, and Math. Ive created a page called Test aids for the GRE and GRE Economics that has quite a few useful links on the GRE General Test. The Graduate School Guide also has some useful links on the GRE. I would suggest buying one of the books on taking the GRE. I cant really recommend any one of them as they all seem equally good. It is absolutely vital that you score at least 750 (out of 800) on the math section of the GRE in order to get into a quality Ph.D. program. The analytical section is important as well, but the verbal not as much. A great GRE score will also help you get into schools if you have only a modest academic record. There are a lot fewer online resources for the GRE Economics test. There are a couple of books that have practice questions that you may want to look at. I thought the book The Best Test Preparation for the GRE Economics was quite useful, but its gotten absolutely horrid reviews. You may want to see if you can borrow it before committing to buying it. There is also a book called Practicing to Take the GRE Economics Test but Ive never used it so Im not sure how good it is. It is important to study for the test, as it may cover some material that you did not study as an undergraduate. The test is very heavily Keynesian, so if you did your undergraduate work at a school heavily influenced by the University of Chicago such as the University of Western Ontario, there will be quite a bit of new macroeconomics youll need to learn. Conclusion Economics can be a great field in which to do your Ph.D., but you need to be properly prepared before you enter into a graduate program. I havent even discussed all the great books available in subjects such as Public Finance and Industrial Organization.

Superbad Movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Superbad Movie - Essay Example Classic Hollywood movies were work of art that was devoted close to theoretical and critical attention of the movie plot and cinematic text and ideology. Genre analysis can be problematical though. What is called analysis or criticism is often little more than making note of superficial similarities or differences amongst films. This is true across film criticism in general. Rick Altman calls this approach to genre criticism the semantic approach—a focus on the more superficial aspects of films that fit into a given genre. A semantic examination would point out the character types, aesthetics, plot lines, etc., which are common to the films. The inevitable question that must arise from such an assessment is, â€Å"Why bother?† What good does it do to point out that noir films all make extensive use of light and shadow plot development for example, or that Westerns usually feature saloons? In this case genre analysis is no different from a similar analysis of a given individual film. To be valuable, genre analysis must bring deeper issues to the surface. In the context of this deeper, broader method of analysis, I think that genre criticism can be very useful. Qualities or incidences and similarities that seem insignificant in individual films can take on more meaning when connected with similar characteristics of other films in the genre—if we have shown the existence of the genre itself. So while the semantic approach is necessary, it is a means to an end—the end being the syntactic analysis which can then be taken up, and which can tell us something about the societies in which the films are produced and consumed. These high school comedy romance movies are new genre and all similar movies are based on almost the same story line. The existence of particular genres themselves is significant as well. Given that a group of films of this high school genre share a common lot of significant characteristics, we can and should then ask why this is

What were the key issues in India's identity at the end of the Essay

What were the key issues in India's identity at the end of the twentieth century How did they compare with the key issues a century before - Essay Example What is also significant to note that there are other smaller and fragmented groups within the majority population of the country thus making it more difficult to carve out a different and unique identity for all? During last century, India witnessed significant conflict between different groups and identity crisis was one of the main elements of concern for the country. Religious and ethnic conflicts, Hindu caste system as well as developing a unique cultural identity were some of the issues which India dealt with during last century and will probably continue to deal with in future also. This paper will therefore discuss some of the key issues faced by India during last century and how they were different from the India of 19th Century. In a sense this paper will provide a comprehensive analysis of how India dealt with some of its critical issues during twentieth century. Though on paper India is a secular country with no official religion however, almost every area of life is dominated by Hindus as they are in the majority there. India has been ruled by Muslims for hundred of years and it’s because of this reason that the Indian Muslims have a very strong inclination and tendency towards maintaining their separate identity. Over the period of time, different religious and ethnic groups such as Sikhs have been merged with the Hindu majority however, Muslims have probably struggled hard to keep their separate identity. It is because of this reason that the India has remained a religiously volatile country as religious conflicts were common during last century. The ethnic violence in Mumbai during 1990s and the Babri Mosque incidents were some of the glaring examples of India’s fragility in terms of achieving religious harmony and peace. (Mahurkar). Similarly, Hindu majority was at odds with Sikhs and Christian minorities also and there w ere