I need to write a concise essay of no more than 500 words (2-page), I have to explain my reasoning for seeking an advanced degree in business, describing how the program will help me to facilitate my career goals. I need to include my professional and executive experience in detail that relates to the pursuance of the EMBA program. I need to explain what I considered my most significant contribution to the Online EMBA Program and to other program participants. In addition, I need to discuss my greatest accomplishment and disappointment, and lessons learned from the experience.
Day: November 14, 2020
Write a 5 paragraph essay about the essay that starts on page 150 in the textbook, Why Prisons Don’t Work. You are arguing a position, that your views are the correct way of looking at this topic. There is no right and wrong. You are just supposed to write a good academic essay that analyzes ideas presented by the author as being logical and making sense or not. I won’t grade you down because you disagree with me.
Remember, you need an introductory paragraph that has at least 4 to 5 sentences in it. You also need three body paragraphs with each one addressing something you read that you found to be interesting, very true, or just plain ridiculous. That amounts to three ideas from the text. This author had many more points than that, so you have a lot of things to choose from. Then for your conclusion please also write 4 to 5 sentences.
You must reply to at least two colleagues in a manner that extends the discussion. A simple “I agree/disagree” will not be accepted. respond in a manner that further extends the discussion. respond to the posts below,
post 1.
I believe there are several parties that are at fault for this crisis. One of the key players in the crash were the lenders. In the late 90s, Fannie Mae wanted to allow just about anyone to get a mortgage, including those with less than great credit. This meant people were being approved for mortgages that they could not actually afford. Then banks were able to take these subprime mortgages, repackage them and sell them to investors. Another group that is to blame are the credit-rating agencies and the government. These two together had a combined lack of regulation, which resulted in banks being able to repackage and rerate those subprime mortgages. This caused the bubble that would inevitably pop.
I believe that unfortunately we may be able to recognize some of the signs that something like this is happening, but it is nearly impossible to stop. Look at our current housing market. Even though there is a pandemic happening, the housing market is booming. Houses in my area that are in the $150k to $250k are staying on the market for a maximum of a few weeks unless there is something seriously wrong with it. Part of this is the fact that interest rates are so low, and people are finding it relatively easy to get a mortgage. This is concerning because this is also what we saw before the 2008 market crash. I believe that in order to prevent something like this happening again, we would need to closely monitor the housing market, and adjust rates and such as needed. I also believe that while a mortgage should not be impossible to get, there should definitely be some strict guidelines.
I think one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves is to do our own research and stay informed. A home mortgage is a big deal and should not be taken lightly. People should understand their debt to income ratio, and what owning a home would mean for them financially. It is also important for people to recognize what is happening in the market, and maybe consider waiting out before buying a home, especially if it looks as though a bubble is forming.
https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-us/learn/2008-market-crash#who_predicted_the_market_crash_of_2008
post 2.
Whos to blame for this crisis, in your opinion? Lenders? The government (lack of regulation)? Homeowners? Investment banks (Wall Street)? Credit-ratings agencies (Moodys)?
In my opinion, I believe theyre all to blame. Putting them in some sort of responsibility order I would say: investment banks, credit-ratings agencies, homeowners, and the government.
Investment banks were flat out greedy during this period. The more profits they made, the risker the investments they were willing to create. Packaging large numbers of sub-prime loans, in theory, sounds like it would lessen the risk, but in reality, it was an anvil ready to sink.
Credit-ratings agencies forfeited their good name for greed and market share. They essentially colluded with investment bankers to provide ratings that were not valid. They disregarded their responsibilities to provide creditable information for individuals to make sound investments and instead created false ratings in part to compete with each other. It was completely unethical and had they provided accurate information these investments would not have gone the way they did.
The third one on my list is homeowners. This is because as a homeowner, you are responsible for understanding the contract you are obligating yourself to. Going into something as large as a home mortgage, it is important to understand what you can afford, what interest rates you are ok with, what types of mortgage is best for you. Blindly jumping into a large purchase such as a home is a risky move, it is something best done educated. No one is going to have your best interest in mind, they will always have their incentives they are looking out for. Therefore, the homeowners that obligated themselves to homes they could not afford with interest rates they didnt understand are also a large cause of this crisis.
Lastly, I believe the government is to blame. They are in the last place, not because they didnt play a significant role, they all did, but because they failed in their lack of oversight. I believe this one is the easiest to do without having a full grasp as to what you are not paying attention to. Although the movie does lead you to believe all aspects of this were evenly to blame, I think that sometimes when youre not paying attention things bite you in the butt, and that maybe what happened here. Being so far removed from this type of thing happening ever before, the bubble was real for them.
Can we prevent something like this from happening again? If so, how?
If all the same factors are in play and credit agencies are willing to collude, then the answer would be no. Overall lessons were not truly learned because the government bailed them out. By doing this they created moral hazard and gave the banks exactly what they perceived to be true, a backstop to their bad decisions. We continue to see businesses that are deemed too big to fail being held together by the government. As long as that is an option, I believe this is something we may see again in our lifetime.
What can we do, as individuals, to protect ourselves?
As individuals, we need to not assume someone else is going to do your research and make sound investments for you. When investing do your due diligence to create diversification so that a large dip in the market will not greatly affect your investments. For the home buyer, understand the housing market. Understand mortgage terms and conditions, what they truly mean, and what is right for you. Never jump into things, and never take someones word for it when theyre trying to sell you something such as an investment or mortgage, your best advocate is you, so education is the best protection.
complete the evidence synthesis table…the blank table is attached..I have already added the articles to the table in the key. There also is an example attached on what the completed one should look like. Attached will be all 8 articles to review to be able to complete the table. *This does not need a title page..all that is needed is a reference page. ****Again this is just to fill out the table attached….it is NOT an essay.
You must reply to at least two colleagues in a manner that extends the discussion. A simple “I agree/disagree” will not be accepted. respond in a manner that further extends the discussion. respond to the posts below,
post 1.
Carpe Diem spending is out of control in this country, in my opinion. We have continually proven that we will spend beyond our means as long as someone is there to help us do so.
One of the drawbacks of having a banking system as sophisticated as ours is, that it really is too easy to get financing these days. Almost anyone can qualify for some type of loan, and as long as the bank will accept a higher risk of default for a higher rate of return, they will continue to do so.
Think about it. The bank makes money on the loan origination and interest payments, and if the borrower doesnt pay it back, they seize whatever collateral held the loan and sell it. Doesnt seem like a lot of risk being taken by the bank, so why not keep lending to anyone that asks.
I certainly used to do some of these things myself. Without the dumb luck of a hot housing market, I was looking at a nearly six figure debt while making a whopping $30k a year. Nobody should have given 20 year old me enough money to buy a house. What were they thinking? They were thinking that even if I couldn’t pay them back, they would get at least some of my money and end up owning a house. Like I said, not a lot of risk for the banks.
I think it should be just a bit harder to get a loan for any kind of larger purchase. And to file for personal bankruptcy, which many people see as a safety net if they decide to stop paying their debts.
post 2.
Social Security is a tough one for the politicians. Hard to say you are in favor of changing things around when its quite possible for the people affected are the ones who will vote you out of office next term.
They are at least on the right track with finally raising the full retirement age. They need to keep this age moving, and faster rather than slower. The sooner the FRA catches up with current life expectancy predictions, the better chance there is for SS to survive.
The only other real viable alternatives to raising the retirement age would be hitting the wealthy up in one of two ways.
First, SS would have to eliminate the tax limit currently in place at $118.5k and include incomes above that level to be counted towards SS contributions. Some estimates say this would cover almost 3/4 of the current funding shortage.
The second option to hit the wealthy would be to limit their own benefits after retirement. Many people with multi-million dollar 401ks and IRAs likely wont miss the $30 thousand or so that they would otherwise get in benefits. They probably wont starve if they only receive $18k of that. Right? Yeah, but its really just another clever way to levy higher taxes on the rich which in my view you can only take so far.
At some point you have to start spending less money, not start taking more.
Please consider – both content analysis: things like themes, symbols, characters, plot, setting, social commentary, as well as formal analysis: things like mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound, and editing.
Both of our films for this unit are considered classics from the 1970s. They were released in back to back years, and were both nominated for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Acting Academy Awards. They are also notable for their directing and editing. How and why do these films work for you (or not)? Do they deserve their awards and critical acclaim? Why/why not?
write two different posts, about one page each (subject – Introduction to energy finance)
You need to post a link in every forum regardless of whether you have Student’s Choice or not. Be aware that articles from “Investopedia” and “Wikipedia” do not count…you need to be more academic than that.
The topic for the last two discussions for this semester is open discussion. This means that you may choose a topic (or topics) to discuss. You have been conducting searches all semester on various energy related topics for the discussion forums and Excel projects. You have likely come across energy industry stories or news that is very interesting, but was not necessarily on topic for that weeks discussion. Introduce some of these interesting topics in this weeks discussion in order to open them up for dialogue. Anything that is related to previous discussion topics that was not included in that previous discussion is also welcome.
topics covered so far,
introduction to energy finance and economics
Sustainable energy: myths and realities
the economics of renewable energy
Financial statement analysis of oil and gas companies
petroleum economics, risk and opportunity analysis
financial options, real options, and energy industry applications of real options.
A. Ideal Society Final Essay (100* pts.) [15+ pages]This is a commentary analyzing and evaluating different perspectives of the ideal society, including your own. Determine what concepts should be analyzed by considering these types of questions: Are there aspects related to class topics? (Task book-related material like education, patriotism, ethics, the environment or the Ideal Society Packet or Presentation) How does Rutger Bregmans Utopia for Realists compare with your theories about ideal societies? Do other topics such as politics, social theories, psychological theories, or civic issues matter to how you can explain and show your commentary and evaluation? Simply put, the assignment for term paper writers is to formulate, analyze and evaluate the concept of utopianism. Through your commentary, explain why it can or cant be constructive (effective, beneficial, necessary) for society. This judgment is vital to the success of this paper.
Using only the sources included and the original material itself, synthesize a literary analysis around “A Rose For Emily” (provided), using and citing at least two of the provided sources (no other sources allowed).
The main topic is to discuss how the town motivates the crime that is committed in the story. Please do not discuss Homer’s sexual preferences.
This is to be a research-driven synthesis, not a personal interpretation.
You do not need to summarize the entire story at any point.
Please avoid first & second person pronouns and include a thesis statement in the end of the introduction.
I have included an example if it’s helpful.
4-5 pages double spaced, 12 point font
Please type your paper. Where you refer to specific images, include a few of them at the end of your paper.
This paper will be an argumentative essay rather than a research report, though you will use research in gathering evidence to support your argument. Remember that when we speak of an argument in this context, we dont mean a fight. Rather, we mean a logically structured discourse that is intended to convince someone of something. The question I want you to address in this paper, through a case study of an artist or art movement, is the following:
What is influence and how does it work in the modern and contemporary art of China? What do we mean when we say that one style or technique influences another? What are some of the factors that cause this influence to occur?
Heres how to do it. You should choose one example (or a couple of related examples) of influence in Chinese modern or contemporary art. (anyone but li hua ) Introduce it first, with a brief description (as you know how to do). Then identify its influences. DONT STOP THERE.
Once youve identified its influences, please explain how they work, and why they happened. This explanation can draw on what youve learned about 20th-century Chinese history. For example, if you choose a realist oil painter, then obviously your artist was influenced by the European and/or Soviet oil painting traditions (although youll want to be more specific than that: whose oil painting in particular, and why?). However, the realists of the early 20th century were influenced by European oil painting for very different reasons than those that affected the realists working after the founding of the PRC. Artists choices never occur in a vacuum – they are shaped by changing standards of value. Historical, political, and cultural context will help you explain the flow of influence from one art tradition to another. You spent the last paper thinking about how your chosen artist was a product of his times and experiences. This paper is in some ways a continuation of that thinking – because influences are also a product of their times.
Your job is to convince your reader that your explanation of how influence works in this case is the most reasonable and convincing one, out of all the possible explanations that could be offered for this issue. In your conclusion, please spend some time thinking about what your example tells us about influence in general and how/why it works.
In the last writing workshop we spent a lot of time talking about the relationship between claims, reasoning, and evidence, and about the warrants or unexamined assumptions that connect them. I expect you to make use of what you learned in the last workshop to write this paper. Obviously, in this case, your main claim will be your answer to the question What is influence and how does it work in this historical moment? You must support this claim with reasoning and with evidence, and you must make the logical connections between these clear (remember that examining your warrants is one way to do this).
The research will come in when you need to cite specific evidence to support your claims and your reasoning. This evidence can come from course readings, from the research you did for Paper #2, or from additional research as you wish. Wherever you get it from, the same standards of citation apply to this paper as to the last: provide a citation for everything that doesnt come from your own brain in this case, your evidence, and perhaps some reasons if you happen to get them from someone else — use a standard citation format, and DONT only cite direct quotations.
The next writing workshop will focus on making and refining points and claims. To give yourself a head start, a word about your main claim, which is the answer to the question above. Your main claim should appear near the front of the work, ideally at the end of the introduction. Then you can follow it with the argument that supports it. Many students are tempted to hold off till the end of the paper to reveal their main point. In workshop, well talk about why this is confusing to the reader.
