International Financial Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Financial Markets - Essay Example From this point, bond portfolios can be restructured in a systematic manner outlined as under: In the events when interest rates are expected to decrease, it would be advisable to restructure the bond portfolios drifting towards securities constituting long-term maturities. This will allow the portfolios to earn maximum capital gain because there is a stronger likelihood that the price of the bonds having long maturities are expected to increase by a greater amount than that of bonds having short maturities in case of a decrease in the yields. Conversely, in the events of an increase in the interest rates, it would be advisable to restructure the bonds portfolios drifting towards short-term securities as it may likely to result in decreasing the capital losses from a decrease in the prices of long-term maturities compared to the increase in the prices of securities having short-term maturities. ... ter 1 year Price of Bond 2 (5yr) after 1 year Price of Bond 3 (10yr) after 1 year Price of Bond 4 (20yr) after 1 year Price of Bond 1 (2yr) after 2 years Price of Bond 2 (5yr) after 2 years Price of Bond 3 (10yr) after 2 years Price of Bond 4 (20yr) after 2 years Bond Current Price P1 P2 2yr 109.5 104.4599 105 5yr 120.23 115.0694 109.2377 10yr 126.63 122.9504 118.6706 20yr 126.46 123.9087 121.6928 Holding Period Returns Bond 1 (2yr) Return for 1 year: 0.23 - 5.04006 = -4.81 Bond 2 (5yr) Return for 1 year: 0.85 - 5.16058 = -4.31 Bond 3 (10yr) Return for 1 year: 2.03 - 3.67964 = -1.64 Bond 4 (20yr) Return for 1 year: 3.19 - 2.55135 = 0.638 Bond 1 (2yr) Cumulative Return for 2 years: [0.23(1.0113) + 0.23] -4.5 = -4.0374 Bond 2 (5yr) Cumulative Return for 2 years: [0.85(1.0113) + 0.85] -10.99 = -9.2804 Bond 3 (10yr) Cumulative Return for 2 years: [2.03(1.0113) + 2.03] -7.96 = 3.877 Bond 4 (20yr) Cumulative Return for 2 years: [3.19(1.0113) + 3.19] -4.76 = 1.656 Bond 1-year Return 2-year Return 2yr -4.81 -4.0374 5yr -4.31 -9.2804 10yr -1.64 3.877 20yr 0.638 1.656 Task 5 Holding period return is considered as quite significant because the period covering this return pertains to the time horizon for which the investment is to be held in the portfolio. In the light of the holding period returns generated for the four bonds, it can be closely observed that if the time horizon is kept as 1 year, securities having short-term maturities, are unable to provide any returns, rather they are incurring losses. Only 20-year bond is providing the holding period return of 0.638 while rest of the other three securities, are in negative zone. On the other hand, if the 2-year time horizon for holding the securities in the portfolio is taken into consideration, it can be noted that the

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globalization - Essay Example Both the Leagues of Nations and the United Nations have been very significant in solving international disputes. Therefore, both this organization influences the international politics very greatly. A league of nations influences the international politics of the areas where it is found. A good example is the Arab League that influences the international politics of the Arab countries. Another example is the African Union that influences the international politics of the African countries. However, due to globalization, these organizations are greatly influenced by the United Nations. The United Nations influences the international politics across the world. This is because its membership consists of all the states of the world. Although the world powers play the most significant role in controlling and funding the United Nations, other member states also play a very significant role in the operation of the organizations. Since the time it was formulated more than a decade ago, Unite d Nations has been able to ensure a peaceful coexistence between states. Strengths and weaknesses of the League of Nations and the United Nations Different international organizations have their own strengths that depend on their internal and external factors. The strengths of the League of Nations are different from the strengths of the United Nations. For the League of Nations, ordination of members is easy and effective. This is because most of these organizations have members from the same nations. This makes communication within members to be easier thus enabling them to coordinate much better when undertaking an activity together. Moreover, such organizations can settle conflicts within their member states much better. This is because they understand the political and economic states of their member states much better than the United Nations do. United Nations, on the other hand, has a large budget. This enables it to handle the complicated conflicts that might require use of a large amount of resources. Moreover, the decision makers in the United Nations are selected from across the world. This makes the organizational leadership of this organization to consist of countries that are less biased. However, the two organizations also have weaknesses. Like their strengths, the weaknesses of these organizations vary across them. One of the weaknesses of the League of Nations in that it does not consists of many members, thus, they have a very small budget. Moreover, this kind of organizations might not have a world superpower among them. As a result, they find themselves relying on either the United Nations or other regional organizations for support. The weakness of the United Nations is that its decisions are dominated by the world’s super powers. This makes them to look as if they are ruled by some few countries of the world. Another weakness of the United Nations is that it has bureaucratic procedures. This makes it to be very slow when it comes t o reacting to crises between its member states. Relationship of Strengths of the United Nations and accomplishments and failure of its predecessor According to Kegley and Blanton (142), the United Nations Organization was formed in 1945 just after the World War II. This indicates that both World War I and World War II preceded it. World War II resulted in emergence of superpowers. The superpowers have been playing a very important role in

American revolutionary era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American revolutionary era - Essay Example Many colonists migrated from Great Britain to gain independence and to seek their own personal freedoms that the King George III clearly neglected. The desire to colonize the new world generally meant more liberation and strong urgency of independence. Undoubtedly, the American revolution has transformed American ideals and lives of ordinary Americans from many aspects. One of the first elements that have been transformed American lives is the concept of individuality and freedom. One of the main causes that initiated the revolutionary war was the geographic distance that separated the colonies from Great Britain. Many colonists migrated from Great Britain to gain independence and to seek their own personal freedoms that the King George III clearly neglected. The desire to colonize the new world generally meant more liberation and strong urgency of independence. This concept of liberation has been the focal point of Americans since the era of colonies to modern day America. The ideal s of democracy have been created from expressing individuality rather than conforming to a traditional mainstream society. America continues to take a great pride in individuality from many facets. Each American has the desire to have the prosperous in wealth and have a standard of life of luxury. This attribute can be traced back to the ideals of early colonists, who wanted to isolate themselves from the British rule on the first place. The expression of individuality and liberalism has been consistent element for all Americans and what makes America unique. Another element that has been derived as a result of the revolutionary war that has transformed America to be exceptional is the fact that Americans are conditioned to change and clash against status quo. Unlike other countries that continue to be dictated with status quo, Americans are quick to embed rapid changes to accommodate their country. Throughout history, America is known to embed these changes with the age of progress ivism and revolution. For instance,    John Locke once stated in his writing Second Treatise of Government, â€Å"Where there is no law, there is no freedom.† Every society makes and enforces laws that govern the individuals, businesses, and other organizations that function within. Since the American revolution, individuals have celebrated and enjoyed their God-given rights. This has manifested itself in America throughout the years, even in isolationism has managed to maintain its focus in domestic affairs to propel itself against other nations. Furthermore, America’s firm belief in its capitalism democratic principles has propelled it compared to other nations. In order to truly understand the influence that the Revolutionary war had on America, it is crucial to understand the root causes of these changes. One of the root cause the American Revolutionary War was the colonial legislatures that were enacted by the King. The enactment of these laws meant that that th e colonies continued to be pass laws and pay taxes to atone the sins of the Great Britain. King George III clearly had a safety net to protect himself when he was in trouble. In order to fund his financial burdens, the King would impose illogical taxes to the colonists. His behavior was brilliantly captured by Thomas Paine. In his literary work the â€Å"common sense† described King George as a â€Å"

International Management - PESTEL analysis of company ( Jaguar Land Essay

International Management - PESTEL analysis of company ( Jaguar Land Rover) - Essay Example In the case of UK the company has to go through lesser formalities. Red tape is also an important issue that the organization faces in their business operations in India. This political issue is a significant problem for the company. Like other automobile companies the organization is also facing the threat of international terrorism. Being a multinational company the organization has significant threats from the global terrorists groups. Foreign investors in the Indian market are getting significant tax benefits from the government. It has attracted lots of automobile companies to open their accounts and to expand their businesses in the Indian markets. It has increased the competition for Jaguar Land Rover. The organization has business operations in China. China is a communist nation. In that country freedom of speech is very less and so the organization has to manage their business operations according to the whims and fancies of the Chinese government. There is very less scope f or the organization to voice their concern in the country. Political situations in the Asia pacific region are significantly volatile in nature. Political situations in Pakistan and Afghanistan are not all safe for the company. It is being observed that often in these two countries foreign nationalities and foreign organizations are the soft targets of the terrorists groups. Due all these volatile situations safety and security of the employees are significant concerns that the organization is currently confronting. These entire messy political situations have hampered the business profitability also. In this region the company recorded lowest volumes of sales. In 2012, Only 9161 Land Rover cars and 3815 Jaguar cars were sold in the region. Recently the organization has been acquired by Indian automobile company TATA Motors. Differentiating cultures of these two organizations is also an issue for the company. Jaguar Land Rover is one of

Open topic logos based argumentative paper Essay

Open topic logos based argumentative paper - Essay Example Most Congressmen admit to not have reading the Act before voting to pass it but those voting in favor were overwhelming. Only one of 99 Senators (Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold) and 66 of 423 Representatives voted against the law. The PATRIOT Act, as many citizens and legal experts alike have argued, violates the fundamental rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution’s first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights (Savage, 2006). This includes the freedom of speech and assembly (First Amendment); the freedom from unreasonable search and seizure (Fourth Amendment); the right to due process of law (Fifth Amendment); the right to a speedy, public and fair trial along with the right to counsel and to confront the accuser, (Sixth Amendment), the freedom from cruel and unusual punishment (Eighth Amendment) and freedom from punishment without conviction (13th Amendment). One of the most obvious tactics in the ‘War on Terror’ and the PATRIOT Act is the widespread use of racial profiling, described as when law enforcement officials use race, ethnicity, religion and even color of skin to determine which persons are more probable to commit a crime such as terrorism. The term ‘War on Terror’ has been continually invoked to justify breaches of the Constitution as well as the basic civil liberties of citizens and foreigners alike. The invocation of this phrase has repeatedly prohibited rational discussions regarding civil injustices such as profiling individuals based on their race. Therefore racial profiling has continued unabated including the profiling of young black men since September 11, 2001. The not-so-subtle insinuation is that â€Å"one cannot condemn racial profiling because to do so will hinder the war on terrorism and undermine national security† (McDonald, 2001). The popularly stated position is that racial profiling is necessary because not using this tool of law enforcement would compromise the effort against terrorism thus

Research methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research methods - Essay Example At the next level, the precise structure and the methods used for data collection and analysis are expected to be less clear in qualitative studies compared to quantitative ones (Kumar 2010). As a result, a misunderstanding may often results in regard to the characteristics of a qualitative study; in certain qualitative studies, their design is identical with the data collection method, as, for example, in the case of the participant observation’ (Kumar 2010, p.104). Further differences can be identified regarding the philosophical underpinning of the two approaches. More specifically, the qualitative studies are usually characterized as ‘naturalistic’, being depended on social evidence, while the quantitative studies are ‘positivistic’ (Rapport 2004, p.2), being depended on specific facts which can be analysed using tools that can ‘produce generalisable observations’ (Rapport 2004, p.2). On the other hand, qualitative studies are likely to emphasize on the relationship between the causes and the effects of particular events while the qualitative studies are based on the analysis of human behaviour, as reflected in the responses of participants to a series of events. In accordance with Lee (1999) one of the key characteristics of the qualitative approach is that it is ‘context – free’ (Lee 1999, p.8), meaning that it is not based on empirical results but it rather refers to findings that reflect the local conditions, as related to a series of events. From this point of view, researchers using the qualitative approach give emphasis on the responses of participants to specific events (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill 2009); in opposition, in quantitative studies researchers tend to focus on the development of empirical results, which need to be fully justified, as of the methods used for generating them, and verified; in qualitative approach, the researcher does not have such concerns since the qualit ative study can refer to the views of a limited number of participants (Hansen 2007); these views do not have to be tested as of their validity as in the case of quantitative studies. Moreover, Elliott (2005) noted that qualitative and quantitative approaches can be characterized as ‘divergent genres’ (Elliott 2005, p.184), based on different methods of data presentation; in quantitative studies, efforts need to be made for persuading the readers on the validity of results (Elliott 2005, p.184). In qualitative studies there is no such pressure; the reader has to be informed on the responses of the participants without further explanations on the characteristics of the data and the process involved (Elliott 2005). Section B In the context of the qualitative approach a series of different data collection methods can be used, in accordance with the research aims, the availability of sources and the target population. In the study of Bryman and Bell (2007) emphasis is given on the high range of data collection methods that respond to the requirements of the qualitative approach. Reference is made to five of the most known methods of data collection as used in qualitative studies: a) the participant observation in which the research has to observe the response of a group of persons to particular events; usually, the social group chosen

How far can acts of violence and coercion be attributed to beliefs and Essay

How far can acts of violence and coercion be attributed to beliefs and ideologies Discuss with reference to Block 6 and one oth - Essay Example In many parts of the globe today, there are places where violence is experienced. Violence however, can be prevented through various ways. Evidence shows that there are various implementations that can help do away with violence in the society. Among these implementations are: Developing good relationships between parents and children Education on how to prevent maltreatment Practicing gender equality Having programs in schools that address gender issues and attitudes Reducing the availability of alcohol since the effects are known to be negative to the users Supporting the economic empowerment to avoid misunderstandings among individuals. These are some of the strategies that can be implemented to make certain that violence is done away with. Coercion on the other hand, refers to the use of forceful activity to make an individual or a group of people take to take part in something in a manner which is involuntary. This means it is a situation where individuals are forced to undertak e some activities without their will. Coercion can be in action or inaction through the use of intimidation and threats and some other forces of pressure. This is therefore an act that violates the free will of individuals because they take part in activities when they do not want to. Coercion generally includes blackmail, extortion and torture among other forceful-natured actions. It is an act forcing individuals to act against their own interests resulting to cooperation by the individuals being coerced. In this case, they have to cooperate because there are consequences faced by those who are not willing to do so. To avoid these consequences, they end up obeying all the rules and regulations they are given making sure that they do what is expected of them. This essay seeks to explain the degree to which the acts of violence and coercion can be attributed to beliefs and ideologies. The two issues that will be discussed in this essay are Religion and economy. These are some of the issues that have been influencing how people live with each other for a long time now all over the world. This gives a clear impression that they are sensitive issues and affect the lives of people. They have direct impacts on lives of people because practices therein are undertaken in day-today life. They are among those factors that contribute to differences and the ways in which people associate with each other. This essay will therefore cover Europe as a region in the world to see how these two issues had influence on humans and to what degree they can be attributed to beliefs and ideologies. Looking at the first issue of religion, it is clear that individuals were ordered on what to believe in and how they were to carry out their worship. The nature of the teachings in churches would not change rapidly because there was a specific thing that was supposed to be taught. Following the rules and regulations, it was quite hard for the church leaders to teach what they chose to becau se they could not do it. Attending the communion was a compulsory thing which mans individuals had no choice but to do what they were told. The fact that individuals were forced to worship in some way following rules and regulations they were not willing to, made them have issues with their leaders and at times engaged in violent activities. These leaders practiced coercion out of beliefs that there are some things that were not supposed to be practiced in churches (Wallace, 2004, 48). They came up with the idea that they should control