USA Trade to Latin America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

USA Trade to Latin America - Research Paper Example Trade between the United States and Latin America grew to approximately 82 % between 1998 and 2009, more than the 52% with the European Union, 72% with Asia, and 64 % for the rest of the world, according to the Congressional Research Service (Hornbeck, 2011). Last year’s growth elevated trade between the United States, and the region to a historic high of $772 million (Weintraub, Rugman &Boyd, 2004). Exports to the region have grown by 22%, while imports reached increased to 20 percent. Growth in trade between the United States and the Latin America has traditionally been high. This is because of the high population of Hispanics living in the United States and Latin America’s proximity to the U.S. There are approximately over 50 million Hispanics living in the United States. Latin American countries have made prominent advancement in trade liberalization over the past three decades, reducing tariffs significantly and entering into multiple subregional agreements of their own. Countries such as Chile, Peru, Brazil and Colombia helped through their efforts to liberalize trade and become more competitive. Recently, Colombia and the United States signed a free-trade agreement. Early Latin American trade agreements (1960s) were inward looking, defensive in nature, exclusive of industrialized countries, and so minimally successful in leading to lasting regional integration and facilitating development. Agreements struck more recently, under the rubric of the â€Å"New Regionalism,† have gone farther, cultivated by the desire to integrate more fully, and by the growing belief, that trade liberalization can be a cornerstone for promoting structural reform, development, and international competitiveness. Historically, growth in U.S. trade with Latin America has outpaced that of all other regions, and over the last 15 years, the United States has signed reciprocal free trade agreements (FTAs) with 11 Latin American countries and implemented with nine of them. These include the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and bilateral FTAs with Peru and Chille. FTAs with Col ombia and Panama were signed but not implemented, as they awaited congressional action. Still, a number of large economies in South America are not part of U.S. FTAs. They have resisted a region wide agreement, the Free Trade Areas of the Americas (FTAA) because it represented an extension of the same trade model used by the United States in bilateral agreements. Many countries south of the Caribbean Basin have been hesitant in entering into such a deal because it does not meet their principal negotiation objectives. Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela do not rely on U.S. regional unilateral preferential arrangements (e.g., the Caribbean Basin Initiative or Andean Trade Preference Act), and would have to redefine their sub regional trade pacts). They are less compelled to capitulate to U.S. demands because they are far less dependent on the U.S. economy (Chauffor & Maur, 2011) On the other hand, Chile, which has long followed a policy differing from that of its neighbours, has signed t he Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (P4) with Singapore, New Zealand and Brunei. The P4 came into force in May 2006. All party countries are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. The United States was to join the group as well, but has not yet done so. The US also

Academic electronic medical record system usability testing Coursework

Academic electronic medical record system usability testing - Coursework Example Some researchers suggest that the main reasons for the backlog in new technology applications are the following: a large number of end-users (e.g. physicians, nurses, and other medical technical personnel) are still strong followers of traditional pen-and-paper methods of information retrieval and storage; high costs of implementation and maintenance of the systems; the usability of the programs are highly variable amongst the software developers and the end-users, with those not having enough computer technical know-hows end up not using the system to their advantage; the use of computer-based records interfere with the time allotted to interact with the patient; and because future nurses are not taught how to use electronic health records (EHR) as early as possible during their studying years (McBride, 2011; Master of Technical and Scientific Communication Program Students, 2004; Moody, et al., 2004; Natarajan, et al., 2010). ... Common EHR Usage in Hospitals Using HER’s in hospitals provide improvements in health care delivery mainly due to the reduction of inaccuracies in patient health and medicine records. There is considerably less misinterpretation of information handled from the reduced use of handwriting which often leads to inaccuracies in patient records or from missing information due to illegibility (Garrido, et al., 2005; Simon, et al., 2007). But EHR is not limited to the storage and retrieval of patient health information, as it also functions as a database for other kinds of data such as drug dosage and actions, disease symptoms, and physician information which many identified users can access in order to synchronise patient medical information and history from (Wang, et al., 2008). At the same time, EHR can also function as an alarm or reminder notification system for regular users in their work duties, such as patient check-up times or administration of drugs, creation of electronic m emos such as patient health progress, among others (Bonnel & Smith, 2010; Moody, et al., 2004; Simon, et al., 2007). This makes for the EHR's contribution in enhancing care delivery for end-users and other stakeholders, and it is expected that the number of agencies putting EHR in effect will also increase in proportion to the improvements made in the program user interfaces. Impact of Teaching EHR in Schools Due to the costs of EHR instalment and maintenance, it can be expected that the bulk of end-users of such programs would be large health facilities such as hospitals or other medical institutions, or individual practitioners tied to these facilities. This is mainly from the high volume of patients or clients that enter regularly or intermittently and have their health records

A book revew Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A book revew - Essay Example The authors emphasize the necessity for running the government like a democracy and not a business, and opine that elected and appointed public servants worldwide are working on this principle. Their renewed commitment to public interest has helped them find enhanced value for their service and earn more dignity and respect for themselves. They have also realized how much they can accomplish by â€Å"listening to† and not â€Å"telling† the public and by â€Å"serving† and not â€Å"steering† the public. As a result, the public servants have inspired the public so much so that common problems are being addressed and resolved by the common public as well as the public servants through mutual cooperation. The authors call this new attitude and new involvement in public administration along with the renewed commitment towards public interest as the new revolution called the New Public Service. The book stresses the importance of societal value in the work of public servants, wherein lies the soul of public administration. Public servants are responsible for improving public health, maintaining pubic safety, enhancing environmental quality, etc. which ultimately amounts to enhancing and maintaining good, quality life for all. The traditional approach to public administration is referred to in this book as the Old Public Administration. The authors throw light on several approaches to the Old Public Administration. Woodrow Wilson’s approach to public administration was followed for more than half a century in America. This approach differentiated between politics and administration, which associated accountability to elected leaders and assured efficiency of the administrators. This also necessitated creating structures and strategies. In this context, the authors point out the difficulty in distinguishing between politics and administration in all settings. The creation of hierarchical structures was based on several schools of thought, mainly

The Rule of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Rule of Law - Essay Example Nevertheless, under all contexts that the concept of the Rule of Law should be applied, it anticipates two major aspects; fairness and equality. The meaning of the Rule of Law can be broken down into different contexts, where the first two contexts adheres to the proposition by Webley & Samuels, 2012, that â€Å"The rule of law is a doctrine†, while the third context in which the Rule of Law can derive its meaning, is pitched on the other proposition by Webley & Samuels, 2012, that â€Å"The rule of law is a theory†. Thus, the Rule of Law can be applied in the first context to mean â€Å"according to the law†. Under this context, the Rule of Law is then applied to mean that no individual, regardless of the social status or the position of power they hold in the society, can be subject to a form of punishment that is not in accordance with laws that are well established and clearly and procedurally defined3. This context of the application of the rule of law there fore means that any criminal charges leveled against an entity, be it an individual, a group or an organization must be in line with laws that are well-established and which are clearly understood by the entity, and whose procedure is well known. Therefore, this context of the law anticipates the application of the law to be aligned with the existing doctrines. This prevents an individual or an entity from being punished for any violation that is not punishable by the law4. Relevant case: Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville, 405 U.S. 156, 92 S. Ct. 839, 31 L. Ed. 2d 110 [1972] The Papachristou v. Jacksonville is case in relation to a vagrancy ordinance enacted by the city of Jacksonville in Florida State, where the law prohibited a large form of freelance activities, which included strolling, wandering and moving from place to place, without any lawful intent or object5. The defendant, Papachristou, was among eight other individuals that were arrested and charged with vagrancy in a court of law in Jacksonville, city, for disorderly loitering. Upon an appeal in the United States Supreme Court, the court declared that the Jacksonville ordinance was largely vague constitutionally, since the ordinance did not create any distinction between the illegal and the innocent activities, thus could end-up criminalizing innocent movement activities such as walking at night or habitual movement which had no visible intent5. This vagueness granted the police arbitrary powers to determine which activities they would interpret as lawful, and which ones to declare innocent, following the lack of well-established laws, which are clearly understood by the entity, and whose procedure is well known5. The Supreme Court therefore held that the defendant would not be criminally liable, under such vague law. The second context under which the rule of law can be confidently applied is to mean; â€Å"rule under the law†6. Here, the concept of the Rule of Law would therefore mean that no one is above the law, and thus no one has the freedom to apply law arbitrarily, even when such an entity is the one formulating such laws. Therefore, the second context of the rule of law anticipates that all individuals and entities will be subjected to equal treatment by the law, and thus no one can be favored, and no one can be prejudiced by the same law, regardless of

Two essay question Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two essay question - Research Paper Example Considering the above artwork of Picasso of a standing before a mirror, it shows the actual condition of the girl and the pretending sense of the girl. On the face of the girl, two different features are frontal image and side profile that have different implications on real time. One side of the girl shows the daytime when the girl has make-ups on her and the other half of the face indicate the nighttime when the girl has no make-ups on her. The girl has no self-esteem without the make-up and therefore, she needs to add something different from her actual nature. However, when the girl looks herself on the mirror, she feels that she is old and therefore the need to make her appearance young. The picture of the girl does not depict a particular girl but targets not only girls but also opposite gender as well. It only tries to show challenges that individuals face but try to cover the problem by impressing other people in the society. The fact that the art is not real it tells the truth about the actual happenings in the society. Therefore, taking the writing of Picasso, art is the lie that tells the truth, there is a direct relationship between the art of the girl and the meaning that Picasso implies. Art is a provocative medium, and the challenge in analyzing art may often be to evaluate and define the artists techniques and choices, which, according to the viewer intellect and perception, arouse interest and convey meaning. This involves translating the visual, into a language. In order to do this, one will have to be attentive to the aspects of the work which means that description will include a large portion of the analysis. Formal analysis involves the formal parts (e.g., symmetry, framing etc.) of a work of art and their correspondence to create new and exciting ways of evaluating and understanding the work in as a whole. It is through this criterion that the

Financial Reporting and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Financial Reporting and Analysis - Essay Example This principle can also be termed as accrual basis accounting. c) Purchase for store equipment or office equipment for less than $25 are entered in miscellaneous expenses. The matching principle is followed here. Expenses and revenues have to be matched if it becomes reasonable to do so. Expenses should be recognized when a particular work or product contributes to revenue. It is not when the work is done or when the product is produced. Income is recognized the same way with the expenses whether it is earned, incurred and received or spent. Consistency is enhanced through this principle. f) Land purchased 15 years ago for $40500 and now worth $346 000 is still carried in the books at $40500 on the basis of the historical cost principle. Land is a long term asset and should be reported in the balance sheet at its purchase cost rather than its current market value. This principle is based It should be based on the cost of acqusation. The information provided by this principle is reliable although lacks relevance and that the reason why Debts and Securities are now being reported at their market values. g) Zero corporation reports the possible loss of $1 million after it was sued for breach of contract in accordance with the principle of full disclosure. This principle ensures that all the important financial information is fully included in financial statements. This principle is important since it ensures that a company reflects even negative information and also highlighting positive impacts (Gibson, 2008). When the financial statements are audited, an opinion is expressed, the opinion of the auditor should be expressed on the opinion that generally accepted accounting principles are followed and applied on the basis of consistency as they were applied in the preceding year (Ramos, 2006). Unqualified opinion –this type of an opinion has no financial statements

Cyberspace and War Essay Example for Free

Cyberspace and War Essay Reading the highly interesting essay entitled â€Å"Navigating the Cyberspaces of Virtual War† presents to us the reasons why movies like The Terminator movie series are no longer works of fiction as written by an over active imagination. The reality is that science and computer technology have reached that point in the evolution of the systems that both the real and imagined reality of everyday lives, problems, and in this case, world wars, can now seamlessly interact and allow human beings to become active participants in the situations without really posing any physical dangers to the themselves. We have to admit that violence is an inborn characteristic of humans regardless of age, gender, and capability. But, man is afraid of the real repercussions stemming from any act of violence. Nobody in his right mind would put his own life on the line if he can find a way around it. This is the problem that presented itself to the public the day that man found a way to involve themselves in virtual war games. It is true that soldiers must be well trained and versed in handling their weapons and be so familiar with their combat zone that they can patrol the area blindfolded. For the military, the applications of virtual war is endless and a fantastic training tool that limit’s the number of casualties in the field. The problem is that the virtual war games were commercialized and sold to the public for home entertainment. The end result of the virtual gaming world was the desensitizing of mankind. Virtual Reality turned into an actual reality for some wherein nobody ever actually got hurt or died. It redefined violence for the participants and made it seem alright to blow each other up because â€Å"It’s just a game†. However, the developers of such games neglected to consider the psychological effect of the game on an ordinary person. A soldier would eventually have to deal with the reality of his virtual training and deal with actual loss of lives from both friendly and enemy fire. For the common man who merely plays the game and does not need to experience the actual loss, it instead gives him a thrill that sometimes pushes him to emulate the game in a real life setting. Early on, I mentioned that the Terminator movie series has now turned into a reality. This is a truth that can be seen because of the way cyberspace and war have turned battles into situations fought by remote control from the comfort of the soldier’s home base using highly intelligent computer systems that are capable of deciding upon what kind of weapons to use depending upon what their sensors data transmits to the onboard computer. But, what if the onboard computer develops a problem that causes the machine to turn upon its remote operators? What if Artificial Intelligence turns into Real Computer Intelligence? Are we prepared for such repercussions? Our computer developers and scientists have turned computers into almost fully independent machines that can function and decide its own actions in times of war. Good for the soldier because he won’t have to risk his life on the battlefront. Bad news for the rest of us because cyberspace is filled with computer hackers who would love to be able to gain the bragging rights to being that one person who took down a whole satellite system or took virtual / cyberspace enabled control of a real online defense system thereby gaining control of the military fighting machines for his own whims. Cyborgs are not that far off in development either. A perfect fighting machine, no feelings or logic, just a follower designed to eliminate the enemy as per preloaded mission objectives. The question is, how prepared are we to unleash such forces into reality? What safeguards are in place within cyberspace to protect us from the potential disasters cyber wars and technological advancements in cyberspace could bring upon mankind? The internet, online war gaming, television, and newspapers all present us with the realities of war while we are still far removed from the actual situation. I believe that if the world is to know any sort of peace, such virtual technologies should be limited to only military applications and not be allowed for commercial purposes. There is no need to feed the violent tendencies of man. Instead, a separate virtual reality should be developed for the common folk where we can practice solving political tensions through discussion and treaties instead. Leave the virtual fighting to those who are trained to really handle such situations. Cyberspace and war do not have to become any sort of reality for mankind simply because all it will bring about is our own self destruction in both virtual and actual reality.