Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for University

G.A. Cohen's Locked Room Analogy

The story of G.A. Cohen presents a scenario where ten people are locked in a single room with only one key able to open the door. This thought experiment is used to analyze the concepts of freedom and necessity within the capitalist system.

The Analogy's Components

The room is similar to the working class, the people locked in the room are the individual workers, and the key represents the means with which individual workers can escape the working class. It must also be noted that only one individual may use the key and leave the room, and after that individual leaves, no other individual may attempt to exit.

The Argument for Individual Freedom

It is true that before anyone attempts to leave, all are equally free... Continue reading "G.A. Cohen's Locked Room Analogy and Capitalist Exploitation" »

The Federal Judiciary System

Three Levels of Federal Courts

Level One: District Courts

District Courts are trial courts and handle cases related to congressional districts and voting rights.

• Cases: Constitution, laws, and treaties of the U.S.; Admiralty and maritime cases; Diversity jurisdiction (citizens of different states with more than $50,000 at issue).
• Annually, over 367,000 cases (excluding bankruptcy filings) begin at the 94 U.S. District Courts, staffed by 677 judges.
• There are 89 district courts in the 50 states, plus one each in D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
• Each state has at least one district court, and no district courts cross state lines. Some states have 2 to 3 districts, with California,

Q.1 American Revolution & Locke's Influence

• John Locke Two Treatises of Government

According to John Locke, the British King did not have the divine right of kings to rule; rather, the ruled were to receive "Life, liberty, and property" in a social contract between the subjects and the King.

If he broke the contract, the ruled had the right to revolt.

• Founding Fathers of American Revolution borrowed from Locke "Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" and the right to revolt from the British King

Q.2 The Politics of Signing of the US Constitution

• Philadelphia Convention

The formal signing of the Constitution took place on September 17, 1787, almost 109 days after the Philadelphia Convention first met.

Meeting on September 13, 1788, the Articles... Continue reading "The American Revolution, Locke's Influence, and the Politics of the US Constitution" »

Cool Jazz

In part a reaction to bebop, cool jazz involved more complex compositions, slower tempos, and sometimes less overt emotional involvement. Associated with the West Coast, it had much greater rhythm variety than bop in up-tempo & medium-tempo pieces. It had extensive arrangements, including written introductions and composed passages between improvisations.

Artists

• Paul Desmond
• Dave Brubeck
• Bill Evans

Hard Bop

Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues. An aggressive, driving, hot style of modern jazz developed by East Coast musicians... Continue reading "Exploring Different Styles of Jazz: Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, Free Jazz, and Fusion" »

The ability of a firm to produce good performance depends on the strategy of an organization. The strategy of an organization, in turn, depends on the environment and culture of an organization. The environment is the sum name of all those factors and forces which not only surround an organization but also affect the way it works and its performance (external factors outside the organization and internal factors within the organization). Culture is the way an organization and its people work. Usually known as organizational culture, it includes:

• Values: Easy to identify, they are explicit, and used to be different from formal statements.
• Beliefs: Specific, discerned in how people talk about issues the organization faces.
• Behaviors: Day-to-day

Assignment 5

Management of Interest Rate Risk

Major Risks in Bond Market

A) Interest Rate Risk (change in market prices of bonds due to varying interest rates)

• Increase in rates, decrease in market prices, increase in reinvestment rate risk (coupons reinvested at lower return)

B) Reinvestment Rate Risk (uncertainty of rate at which interim cash flows can be reinvested)

• High coupon rate, high reinvestment rate risk
• Greater for longer holding periods (high interim cash flows)

C) Default Risk (credit risk) (issuer unable/unwilling to pay interest and principal of bond)

• High credit rating, lower yield
• Short-term T-bills (almost risk-free, no default risk, and low return and reinvestment risk because of short duration)

D) Call Risk (risk bond issuer will redeem bond before... Continue reading "Interest Rate Risk Management: A Comprehensive Guide for Investors" »

Making a living on the ball steady exchanging

Paid peanuts keep your eye on the ball release broke

Got sacked on your corner reassure affluent

Show you the hopes jump the gun brought up amount

Pulling your weight hitting below the belt mugger change

Profit get a head start con artist receipt

Pack keep track of pickpocket price tag

Deliver stunning shoplifter two for the price of one

Dare tell get caught the full price

Income apart let off at no extra cost

Take pride in flee proff cost of living

Take for granted can't help safeguard low cost

Take sides accomplishment fine out of this world

Take advantage of devote gets away with making a living

Negardless of guidance guilty on the ball

Like clockwork excel trial crime doesn't pay

Split reammate valuables money

Early Chordates and the Rise of Tetrapods

The earliest known chordate, Myllokunmingia, is found in the Chengjiang fauna. One of the major challenges for early tetrapods was supporting their bodies on land, along with reproductive and sensory adaptations. Tetrapod limbs consist of three segments: the stylopod (humerus/femur), zeugopod (ulna/radius, tibia/fibula), and autopod (wrist/fingers, ankle/toes). Tiktaalik represents a key transitional fossil between fish and tetrapods.

Amphibians and Amniotes

Amphibians, with over 4,000 living species, represent a halfway point in the transition to land. They still rely on water for breeding and maintaining water balance. Amniotes, including reptiles, birds, and mammals, evolved a semipermeable shell made... Continue reading "Evolution of Life: From Early Chordates to Modern Biodiversity" »

External Environment Tools

PESTEL Analysis

List of influences on the possible success or failure of strategies:

• Political Factors: Government policies, taxation changes, trade regulations. Zara's corporate social responsibility is transparent; Zara collaborates with communities in its areas of operation and has a code of conduct.
• Economic Factors: Business cycles, interest rates, GDP trends. Zara conducts deep consumer research and acts in a unique way. Export and import concerns affect performance.
• Social-Cultural Factors: Population changes, income distribution. Zara has a good image through donations and charity. Zara embraces diverse cultures, and its brand is known worldwide.
• Technological Factors: ICT innovations, new discoveries, and technological