Export-Import Bank Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Export-Import Bank - Case Study Example Ex-Im began issuing loan guarantees after thirty years of existence. This move aimed at encouraging commercial banks to take part in export markets. Loan guarantees focused on reducing the administrative obligations of commercial banks. Loan guarantees surpassed direct loans, making insurance to become popular. Ex-Im guarantees 90% of the outstanding balance of working capital loans from a commercial bank to an exporter. It only authorized transactions that had a reasonable assurance of repayment. It offers medium and long-term coverage for transactions by providing an 85% guarantee. In this case, a 15% deposit is required from the buyer. Ex-Im charges the following costs on direct loans and medium and long-term guarantees; Export-Import bank charged fixed interest rates on loans that were set at the Commercial Interest Reference Rate (CIRR). The cost of direct loans was static; that is, it was set after numerous negotiations among countries in the OECD (organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). All medium and long-term guarantees were subject to a ‘one-off’ exposure fee. The exposure fee was determined by the degree of transactional risk. For example, scheduled payments from Amal to Wells Fargo were subject to a 0.2 exposure risk value. The beta constitutes the transactional risk for the scheduled payments. Ex-Im would charge a 0.2 exposure fee for the transactional risk. Importer payment obligations differed from those of foreign buyers of a U.S. product. Direct loans and guarantees of importer payment obligations are influenced by various aspects such as; market risk premium of the destination country, the repayment period, percentage of exports covered, and whether the exposure fee was financed or paid in advance. Each country has a baseline fee set for sovereign borrowers. Non-sovereign borrowers are subject to a transaction risk increment higher than the

A Discussion of the Final Chapter of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay Example for Free

A Discussion of the Final Chapter of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay In the final stages of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, there are many ways in which the author, Robert Louis Stevenson, both explores human nature, and also creates a sense of sympathy on the part of the reader for Dr Henry Jekyll, which could be said to extend to Mr Edward Hyde as well. In reference to the authors exploration of the nature of humanity, the settings of the story itself are very important. Previous to the writing of this story, there had been a firm tradition of horror stories being set exclusively in rural areas, perhaps due to the fact that only a minority of people lived in these areas, and so to those elsewhere it would have seemed far more remote and exotic. Stevensons thriller was ground-breaking in that it focussed its plot in an urban setting, by name London, but also with extraordinary resemblance to Stevensons home city of Edinburgh. This setting reflects the idea of urban expansion into the countryside, but more importantly the more modern appearance of this particular horror story. Because a large majority of the readers of this book would have been living in the city, it brings the story closer to them, and allows them to become more involved in the events of the plot. Stevensons use of the city as the setting for his story also is also representative of early manifestations of writers of this era moving towards using the city as a representation of fear and darkness, rather than its previous role as a deeply romanticized place. In terms of Stevensons investigation of human nature, the proximity of Jekylls laboratory and his fine house is very significant. The laboratory represents, in my opinion, the hidden, secretive side of his life, involving his work, as well his life as Mr Edward Hyde. The fact that this laboratory is so close to Jekylls expensive and upper-class house, representing his professional and social life as a doctor and a well-respected member of society, signifies the proximity of the two parts of his character, in fact their intricate relationship, intertwined and connected in so many different aspects. This idea is also mentioned by Jekyll himself in the final chapter, in his account of events, emphatically saying; It was the curse of mankind that these two incongruous faggots were thus bound together-that in the agonized womb of consciousness, these polar twins should be continuously struggling. I have decided to quote this sentence because I believe it is very revealing about the thorough and primitive duality of man explored in the text. Jekyll talks of incongruous faggots being bound together, meaning that the two elements do not combine, but that they are still as one. The phrase polar twins, is almost a contradiction in terms, and shows that the two elements of Dr Jekylls psyche are both united in their existence, but also that they are totally opposite. The phrase duality of man, used earlier in this chapter, also expresses the idea of two parts to every mind or conscience, an ego and a superego. Mr Edward Hyde is the ego, an utterly self-absorbed being, merely concerned with and conscious of themselves. Dr Jekyll, however, is the superego, the element of the character which socialises the entirety, enabling it to interact with others. No man is complete without both of these parts, and neither can truly exist without the other. However, Jekylls apparent desire to appear arid and utterly professional externally, and his recognition of his chief fault as a certain impatient gaiety of disposition seems to have forced him into a desire to separate the two parts of his character, the superego and the ego. This, in his mind, would allow him to live as two men, but his failure to predict the nature of these two individual characters leads to his suffering and isolation. In the final chapter, his retrospective account, he concedes, all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil. Stevenson himself shares some parallels with the character of Jekyll. Born into a strictly religious, part of the Calvinist movement, Stevenson grew up with the belief, although possibly inescapable, that there was an underlying and constant presence of sin in everything; every action and every person. This is shown in the character of Henry Jekyll, and the underlying evil that is personified by Edward Hyde. In Jekylls earlier life, he was forced to conceal his pleasures from his family, becoming rebellious against his father, just as Jekyll himself feels urged to do in the story, and from which the beginnings of his familiarity with a double-life or, as he says a profound duplicity of life, can be traced. The context of the story is also important in terms of the sympathy created by the author for Hyde. The period in which the book is set was one of enormous scientific progress and discovery, and in my opinion, this adds a further element to the reasons for a feeling of sympathy for Henry Jekyll. Jekyll himself cites a burning ambition inside himself as being a key reason for his unquenchable thirst to discover the true nature of humanity, and thus his desire to become Hyde. The intensity of the scientific world of the period, and the temptation which face Jekyll after his first experience of the transformation both appear to contribute towards his inability to stop himself becoming Hyde. Jekyll himself seems to realise the responsibility of these factors towards the end of the book, in his account of events. One particular example of this is; Strange as my circumstances were, the terms of this debate are as old and commonplace as man: much the same inducements and alarms cast the die for any tempted and trembling sinner; and it fell out with me, as it falls with so vast a majority of my fellows, that I chose the better part and was found wanting the strength to keep it This clearly shows Jekylls impotence to stop himself from leaning towards the temptation of his new life, and also that this was not a vice exclusive to him as an individual, but that it was something unavoidably and unquestionably natural for mankind. This creates a sense of sympathy on behalf of the reader, because it emphasises Jekylls lack of power and control over his actions, as well as explaining to the reader that the evil which is brought out of Henry Jekyll is not something that he is to blame for, instead that he is a victim of his own ambition and daring, as well as the ambition and aspirations of the society in which he lived. Another remark which shows this idea is, It was thus the exacting nature of my aspirations, than any particular degradation in my faults, that made me what I was, expressing the feeling of blamelessness in Jekyll, and thus the sympathy in the reader for him. Another way in which the reader is led to sympathise with Jekyll is the way in which Jekyll is tempted to become Hyde by his feelings of restriction and his desire to find pleasure, whilst keeping his life as Dr Henry Jekyll separate from this. In his account, Jekyll explains that, in becoming Hyde, he is free from the bonds of obligation and is able to, like a schoolboy, strip off these lendings and spring headlong into the sea of liberty. These quotations clearly show the immense need for freedom that Dr Jekyll faces, and the extent to which he is prepared to act in order to obtain this freedom. There seems, to me, to be a certain resemblance to the idea of sin and temptation in this element of the story. Jekyll clearly feels restricted by, and in, the world in which he lives, and the fact that he is aware of a way out of this world causes his inability to resist the temptation of taking the path to freedom. When he has experienced the freedom for the first time, he is unable to st op himself from using the potion in order to free himself from the burdens of society. The sympathy induced by Stevenson is not, however, limited to the character of Dr Jekyll. To a certain extent, Mr Hyde is worthy of some pity himself. The main way in which this applies is in relation to Hydes death and disappearance. Hyde commits suicide because he is afraid of being caught, and subsequently punished for his violent actions. If we are to believe that Hyde is evil incarnate, and that he possesses no element of good in his character, then the fact that he is unable to forgive himself his wrongdoings, and that he makes excuses for his actions, would seem to suggest that he cannot be seen as utterly ruthless, and thus in a sense he is weak. This inability to ignore his conscience, means, in my opinion, that he is not in fact entirely evil, and that the relationship between good and evil, and between Dr Henry Jekyll and Mr Edward Hyde, is not as defined as one might think, that there are shades of grey to be considered. I believe that this creates sympathy for Hyde, making him appear wretched and pitiful. Indeed, Dr Jekyll himself creates and expresses a certain degree of pity for Hyde, admitting that he cannot wholly condemn his actions, because he himself envies the way in which Hyde embraces his freedom. He says, But his love of life is wonderfulI find it in my heart to pity him The fact that even Jekyll feels pity for his wretched inner self merely serves to encourage similar feelings in the reader. In conclusion, I believe that Dr Henry Jekyll bravely sacrifices his own life in order to prevent the evil Edward Hyde from being free. In this sense, I feel that he shows another side of human nature which is almost entirely exclusive to Jekylls superego, the conscience. Jekyll shows an ability to consider the situation of others above himself, and importantly, an ability to recognise between good and evil.

Juvenile Justice :: essays research papers fc

Juvenile Justice Though crime, in general, is on the decline there are specific crimes and group offenders that are actually increasing. Specific crimes such as hate crimes, those crimes motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group, based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation, and juvenile crimes have become escalating debates. Lionel Tate, a 12-year-old boy at the time of his actions, is a suitable case to investigate. Using his case, I will address the increase in juvenile delinquency, the contributions to the malice acts, the severity of the crimes being committed by youth, and possible, yet reasonable repercussions. Lionel Tate, now 14, was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole on March 9, 2001. This harsh conviction was founded on the basis of the beating and death of 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick. Tate defense lied in the hands of his television heroes, professional wrestlers, whom he claimed he was simply imitating. This argument was not enough to convince the jurors that his actions were an accident. If a defense team was not able to convince a select group of individual that violence on television is becoming more of an issue with youth violence, then how is a nation of parents going to be convinced that television, video games and other public violence is affecting their children. Is every parent going to have to experience what Lionel Tate or Tiffany Eunick's parents experienced to see the effects of a violent society in which children are being raised? Understand that there are more than one cause to juvenile violence. Media and television related violence is only one of the factors. Addressing and trying to correct one issue at a time is going to be the most productive. Take television for example. Lionel Tate was obviously influenced by actions he saw from people, adults, on television. Though not all blame can be put in the hands of the entertainment industry. Other factors including parent control and limitation, and previous behavioral patterns could have prevented Tiffany's death. In the book, Children in a Violent Society, Joy Osofsky makes a strong case about kids and the negative effects of witnessing violence. "Children learn what they see†¦and they do not learn that violence is bad. Too often, they learn that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflict†¦"(Osofsky, 4). Take a hypothetical situation about Johnny.

The Valley :: Andes Ecuador The Awakening Valley Papers

The Valley - Awake! In 1946, John Collier, Jr. and Anà ­bal Buitrà ³n wrote The Awakening Valley, telling the story of a social miracle happening in Ecuador - in the valley at the foot of Tiata Imbabura. (1, cover) In 1993, forty-three years later, I set foot in that same area and discovered a valley, not awakening, but awake! My son, Matt, and I were traveling by bus, north out of Quito, on our way to Colombia. (4) We had been advised to be in Otavalo on a weekend to experience the famous market. Little did we know that this trip would evolve into many more trips and to special relationships with the people living in this valley, high in the Andes. Ecuador, among the smallest and most unspoiled of South American nations, owes its name to its geographic location - astride the equator. (6, p. 59) The Andes divide into two parallel chains in Ecuador - the western and the eastern, which run like twin spinal columns from north to south. The valley in which most Ecuadorians live, and where most of the mountain areas agricultural produce is grown, runs for about four hundred kilometers in between. Some thirty volcanoes serve to fence in the valley from either side. The deep river valleys (hoyas) are home to agricultural communities whose way of life seems to have remained unchanged for centuries. (6, p. 64) A book written by Linda A. Newsom, Life and Death in Early Colonial Ecuador, and reviewed by Mary A. Y. Gallagher, (2) begins with a study at or just before the point when the Ecuadorian sierra began to be incorporated into the Inca Empire (ca. 1460). She describes in great detail what can be inferred about the preconquest population of Ecuador’s regions: sierra, coast and Oriente. She then describes the disastrous impact of Inca penetration and partial conquest of Ecuador, and of the prolonged wars still being fought there when Spanish brought Ecuador’s first colonial period to an abrupt end and began a new series of invasions which subdued and "reduced" the indigenous population over a number of years. This history, laced with the invasion of the Incas and the Spanish had a great impact on this small country.

Malaysia Low Cost Medium Housing

In this article, the issues and challenges in implementing low medium cost housing in Malaysia under Malaysia’s government plan are deemed as somehow unsuccessful but have helped numerous Malaysians in owning a house. Issues arose for various reasons including those from the local authority, private developers and housing delivery system. There is no proper local authority regulation to evaluate the price of low medium cost housing in Kuala Lumpur. According to the data collected on table 5, most people who are working at Kuala Lumpur falls under the income category of less than RM1999 a month which is at 32. 7% and they can only afford to pay for a house below RM42,000. There is no possible way for the low income category to own a house in Kuala Lumpur because the price range to own a house in Kuala Lumpur is between RM42,000 to RM 85,000 per unit. Private developers are not interested in building low medium cost housing because of meager benefits like low profitability and no incentives are given. Clearly, the local authorities are not doing a very good job in monitoring the process of constructing new houses. Based on table 3, the planned and completed housing units are mostly not up to par. In fact, the Seventh Malaysia Plan reflected on only a 17. 1% of the targeted units of 110,000 low medium cost houses were completed. Also, there is a clear miss-match between demand and supply of low medium cost housing in Malaysia. Based on table 3, in the Seventh Malaysia Plan, the private sector built 268250 high cost houses more while 10402 low medium cost houses lesser. The primary demand was more on low medium cost houses, instead, more high cost houses were built. Clearly, there would be a vast imbalance on the demand and supply aspect. Also, there were no stern control to be hinged on by the housing delivery system. The low medium cost houses were always property speculators’ choice for them to make investments.

Concept of Culture essays

Concept of Culture essays Assignment B-Concept of Culture Essay Anthropology is the field of inquiry that studies human culture and evolutionary aspects of human biology. Anthropology is derived from the Greek words, anthropos, meaning human, and logos, meaning word or study of. Anthropologists examine such topics as how people live, what they think, what they produce, and how they interact within their environment. Culture refers to the ways of life that are learned and shared from one generation to the next. Usually people within the same society share the same culture, so anthropologists use the terms society and culture interchangeably. Being that anthropology is a broad field of study, most anthropologists choose from one of four subfields to specialize in. The subfields are cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology, and physical anthropology. The focus of cultural anthropology is the characteristics of human behavior. The interest is of present-day people and the societies they live in. The beginning of cultural anthropology is found to have started in the nineteenth century, when the Europeans became observant of what they called primitive societies in Africa and Asia. Cultural anthropologists study the topics such as: the interaction between people, the ideals they hold, the way they make their livings, and the organization of the establishments in which they live. On the other hand, archaeology is the study of the past, rather than living, human societies and culture. Archeologists main concern is with culture; they rely on artifacts left by past societies. There is found to be a connection between the artifacts left from an ancient society to the nature of that society. Another focus is on the past environments, this gives an understanding of how environmental forces shaped the growth of human culture. One of the most uniquely human charac ...

Hidden curriculum essayEssay Writing Service

Hidden curriculum essayEssay Writing Service Hidden curriculum essay Hidden curriculum essayExplain the â€Å"hidden curriculum† as described in your book. How can this help students? How can it be harmful to students and teachers?The concept of â€Å"a hidden curriculum† was first introduced by Jackson in 1968. The â€Å"hidden curriculum† differs from the official traditional curriculum, which is â€Å"taught through the spoken and written words in the classroom settings of traditional schools† (Eikeland, 2001, p. 145). The â€Å"hidden curriculum† involves various practices that reflect the way the major things in the classroom are organized to improve students’ education. In other words, students do not just get the new information and assess the content provided by teachers, they also â€Å"learn to sit quietly, to memorize and repeat, to believe that questions have one correct answer written in some book, and that helping each other equals cheating† (Eikeland, 2001, p. 145).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many teachers place emphasis on the importance of the â€Å"hidden curriculum† in students’ personal development and in â€Å"guiding participation in and interpretation of social conventions† (Harpur, 2004, p. 79). Teachers explain the use of the â€Å"hidden curriculum† as the best way to follow the established social conventions that contribute to the effective communication practices. In school setting, the major social conventions include interactions with teachers and students. In this case, it is necessary to refer to the role of language, gestures and glances. Teachers take into consideration not only the indirect use of spoken language, but also body language, gestures, eye glances, which often have a significant meaning. Researchers state that in college, students are mature and are focused on bringing clarity to their social interactions. Thus, students should apply their intellectual skills to â€Å"analyzing and compreh ending the â€Å"hidden curriculum† (Harpur, 2004, p. 80).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, the â€Å"hidden curriculum† helps students to become more independent and self-confident. According to researchers, â€Å"social roles are learnt in the way it is claimed, as are sex roles and attitudes to many other aspects of living†(Kelly, 2009, p. 10). The â€Å"hidden curriculum† affects the established attitudes and values created by teachers in order to be communicated to students in the course of a learning practice. Students effectively use the knowledge provided in classroom settings, based on the values hidden in the arrangements created by teachers in schools. This fact means that those people who are involved in the design of the school curricular are focused on the development of the so-called expressive culture. In some cases, the curriculum is hidden from students, but the values that should be learnt by students are clearly de fined as a part of the planned practice. The â€Å"hidden curriculum† helps students to eliminate the commitment of the acts of racism and gender discrimination. In addition, the â€Å"hidden curriculum† can teach students how to survive in school setting, especially if students have to cheat.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the â€Å"hidden curriculum† can it be harmful to students and teachers. Many teachers consider that some of the values and attitudes that are learnt through the â€Å"hidden curriculum† do not have direct relation to teachers’ practice. They argue that these values can be learnt as a â€Å"by-product of what is planned and of the materials provided† in school setting (Kelly, 2009, p. 10). Researchers believe that the nature of individual experiences, as well as the hidden forms of learning, affects students as well. Students face certain problems when they try to assume responsibility for their acti ons. In some cases, they fail to eliminate some unplanned and uncontrolled practices that can be defined as â€Å"a de-schooling of society† (Kelly, 2009). The â€Å"hidden curriculum† can cause harm to students, especially when their moral sensibilities allow them to cheat without any guilt.Thus, it is necessary to conclude that what is practiced in the classroom stands for the â€Å"hidden curriculum†, and what is preaches in the classroom stands for â€Å"open curriculum†. There is a close link between the â€Å"hidden curriculum† and the curriculum, although the hidden messages cannot be regarded as part of the official and planned activities of students in school setting. The â€Å"hidden curriculum† does not have any clear and systematic planning because students use hidden messages that come from everyday school activities and promote certain values, attitudes, and skills. As a result, the â€Å"hidden curriculum† can be useful for students’ personal development, but, at the same time, it can be harmful to students in terms of morality and ethical behavior.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Explain the following statement: â€Å"Race is not a simple matter of skin color but a socially constructed category.†The statement â€Å"Race is not a simple matter of skin color but a socially constructed category† gives an opportunity to access race as a socially determined category of human identity and human interaction. Race is similar to other categories, such as gender, age and class. The term race has direct relation to the concept of racism, which stands for prejudice, ignorance, or a disease that afflicts some individuals and causes them to discriminate against others just because of the way they look† (Bonilla-Silva, 2006, p. 13). According to researchers, race is a socially constructed category as it is focused on the process of construction of human society. For example, two categories â€Å"Negroes † and â€Å"Indians† were constructed in the 16-th century in order to â€Å"justify the conquest and exploitation of various people† (Bonilla-Silva, 2006, p. 28). As a result, â€Å"Indians† are represented as savages, while Europeans are represented as highly civilized. These facts mean that the category of race was invented to promote the so-called racialization of people in human society. Race as a socially invented category contributes to the development of a certain form of social distinction, similar to the categories of class and gender. Race as a socially constructed category generates â€Å"new forms of human association with definite status differences†(Bonilla-Silva, 2006, p. 28). This process affects human society and leads to the development of the category of race, in which race is characterizes as a â€Å"category of group association and identity† (Bonilla-Silva, 2006, p. 28).Hidden curriculum essay part 2