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After observing this performance by Ravi Shankar, discuss the musical elements of pitch, melody, rhythm. What makes these elements unique compared to music of other cultures that we have experienced thus far?

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India (sitar and tabla)

(Minimum 150-word response – double spaced – Times New Roman 12 point)

After observing this performance by Ravi Shankar, discuss the musical elements of pitch, melody, rhythm. What makes these elements unique compared to music of other cultures that we have experienced thus far?

Prepare an academic analysis (3,500 words) answering the question, “Why is ‘character’ central to contemporary leadership practices?”

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Leadership in Practice: “Why is ‘character’ central to contemporary leadership practices?”

Prepare an academic analysis (3,500 words) answering the question, “Why is ‘character’ central to contemporary leadership practices?” (check document ‘BRIEF – Academic Masters Analysis – Why is ‘Character’ central to contemporary leadership practices’

Do Fintech technologies help the financial institutions to enhance the efficiency of services and customer satisfaction? How do Fintech systems impact on the current business banking models? What are the risks associated with the adoption of the Fintech IT systems

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Quantitative Research Methods for Finance

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the manner in which the Fintech industry impact on the banking business models .The examination was done in terms of revenue generated by the banking industry through transactional fee, offering financial advice, and interests as a result of influence from Fintech industry. Moreover, the study also focused in making a review of the increasing theoretical as well as the empirical studies that have strived to make an examination of the range as well as the magnitude in which the Fintech industry impact on the banking business models.

The study utilized the casual research design. The target population of the study was the 40 commercial banks in the US. Secondary sources was also employed in the collection of the data relating to the transactions involving the mobile payment, total financial assets, earnings before tax, and the number of account users on the registered mobile payment.

The analysis on the unit period as well as the longitudinal study was on quarterly basis. The data collection was on 20 quarters beginning from 2015 July to 2020, December. Multiple linear regression equation as well as the correlation analysis was applied with the employment of the ordinary least squares as the estimation technique. The main reason for utilizing these techniques was to find out the relationship of the Fintech Industry and the banking business models.

The study revealed that there is a positive relationship between the predictor variables included in the research and the return on assets of the banking models after the conduction of the correlation analysis with a 0.0000 significance value. The significance value between these variables was 0.000 which was greater than 0.05 which is the critical value (alpha).The variables also had a t-value of 4.556 which is out of range of the T test critical value of ± 2.05423.The obtained coefficient was the implication of the fact that every unit increase of the registered account users on mobile payment would lead the increase in the performance by the banks by about 1.205.The study therefore, came to conclusion that the increased mobile payments uptake would result to an increased financial performance by the banking business models and therefore, existence of the positive relationship.

Moreover, the study concluded that the Federal Reserve System should recognize the role played by the Fintech Industry in the banking sector and incorporate it in the financial system if possible while at the same time setting the regulatory framework of the same.

The additional recommendation include the fact that the managers of the banking institutions should utilize the findings in this study to create a proper connection between the services offered by the Fintech Industry and the specific banking institutions in order to make sure that the banking sector will not lose the market share. Moreover, the investors are encouraged to increase their investment in the banking stock as this would aid to push the financial performance of the banks upwards with the aid of the Fintech Industry.

Introduction

The intensity of the effect of the Fintech industry to the business banking models has largely been felt for the last five years. The study therefore, intends to find out their development and growth and their effect on the business banking models. Fintech industry manifests high welfare-supplementing abilities to business firms and individuals but can be disruptive to the banking sector if adequate regulation is not put in place to ensure that the new technology outcomes are attained with no interference to the financial stability of the banking firms.

According to Frost (2020), Fintech may be defined as the financial services automation with the utilization of the innovative news as well as the coming up of new business models due to the use of the big data that has given the Fintech the scope of interrupting the already existing financial intermediaries such as banks. The big data could be connected with the algorithms of the Artificial Intelligence that derives power from computing .The utilization of the new techniques often results in outcomes such as lower financial intermediation costs and the improvements of the products for the consumers (Frost, 2020)

In spite of the high banking adoption into the digital era, Fintech firms are slowly infiltrating into their past forms of business. The possible benefits of the Fintech Industry is their capacity of utilizing the current rigidity of the bank millennial by offering the digital services that attract the youth. Traditionally, banks were interested in the products as compared to the Fintech industry that is more interested in what they offer to the customers (Hari Krishna and Arun Kumar, 2020).

The role of the Fintech industry in enhancing the financial performance through the utilization of the digital platforms cannot be underestimated .Fintech firms uses the new technology while competing with the financial institutions such as banks as they act as intermediaries in delivering of the financial services. The US market has demonstrated that it has all the necessary requirements for developing financial systems through the growth of the Fintech industry. In this case the financial systems include the business banking models. Fintech firms enjoy cost effective operations and therefore have a competitive edge as they have fewer regulations as compared to the banks and can therefore, stretch to enhance the performance of the business banking models.

The venturing in of the Fintech firms in the US financial market was due to the untapped financial market by the US banks. Fintech industry has therefore brought about increased competition in the banking sector therefore, causing the improved performance of the business banking models.

This study will therefore, examine the effects of the Fintech industry on the banking models while answering the following research questions;

  1. Do Fintech technologies help the financial institutions to enhance the efficiency of services and customer satisfaction?
  2. How do Fintech systems impact on the current business banking models?
  3. What are the risks associated with the adoption of the Fintech IT systems

Determine which of the ratios provide the most key insights into the firm’s current level of performance. How can you assess whether the results of your calculations are positive or negative? Explain which of the ratios give you reason to be concerned with the organization’s current strategy and why.

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Benchmark – Financial Analysis

The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate the financial condition and performance Southwest Airlines

Refer to Tables A-1 through A-5 in Appendix II of the text for the operational definitions of and formulas for numerous common financial ratios, including profitability, liquidity, leverage, activity, and shareholders’ return. Using these formulas, complete at least one ratio from each of the five categories, though you may apply as many of the ratios for which you can find the required information in the firm’s financial reports. On your calculations page, specify for which formulas you are solving.

In an assessment of approximately 750 words, address the following:

Determine which of the ratios provide the most key insights into the firm’s current level of performance. How can you assess whether the results of your calculations are positive or negative? Explain which of the ratios give you reason to be concerned with the organization’s current strategy and why.

The Organizational and Operational Plans assignment references the possible benefits and risks of forming a strategic alliance. What would be the risks of forming a strategic alliance in terms of the firm’s profitability ratios? Which of those five ratios is most likely to reveal immediate information for analysis of the alliance’s effectiveness?

Considering today’s financial climate, how likely is it that the organization could acquire the capital necessary to support an aggressive value-enhancement strategy? From where would that capital originate? Compared to current interest rates, what do you believe is a realistic interest rate the firm might incur? Which of the liquidity ratios will be impacted by the influx of capital, if borrowed?

Write a short humor piece that takes the format of either a satirical monologue or letter. Discuss different examples of this type of piece, but it is essentially a fictional imagined speech or letter.

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Satirical monologue

For this assignment, you will write a short humor piece that takes the format of either a satirical monologue or letter. We will discuss different examples of this type of piece, but it is essentially a fictional imagined speech or letter. This should not be a nonfiction personal essay from your point of view, but will instead be a fictional speech or letter from a character. Sometimes the character can be an inanimate object (e.g. Trader Joes’ parking lot or it can be an imagined character like a man in an REI ad).

What is an economic system? What are the basic problems of an economic system? What are the features of a mixed economic system? Explain the role of government in solving problems that arise from different economic systems. Define privatization and trace the history of privatization. Explain the different routes of privatization.

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China’s Global Economic Impact

China offers an interesting picture of a political and business environment. Its economic presence heavily depends on manufacturing and its inexpensive labor resources. As a result, this dependence has led to over-investment and overcapacity in certain industry segments such as oil, steel and cement. Also, China’s socialist banking tactic has complicated an already intense economy. As a result, the country’s veracious economic growth has sent inflationary and deflationary impacts across the world by raising prices of the globally traded commodities like oil, cement, steel and other metals. China’s old growth model, driven by infrastructure investment and driven by cheap credit, has run out of steam.
China has made leaps and bounds in the economic landscape of the global economy. Changes in policies enabled private sector and global competition that were previously monitored by the government to pick up steam as new laws in place to increase the number of children household to one plus and lastly, Xi Jinping’s (the leader of China) announcement to support a more sustainable consumer driven expansion in China (Silverstein, 2013). China’s mission in the era of Jinping is to have a technology driven economy high in quality and productivity performance. Their goal is to be the number one Superpower.
It has taken time to reboot the ideology of the political system which has provided optimism for economic growth. According to Fox (2013) China’s goal is not be a revolutionary power, yet, a revisionist power. Revisionists want more for themselves, whereas, revolutionists want to overturn the government.
As of 2018, there are 120 Chinese corporations on the Fortune Global 500 list. As far as brand recognition, the number is very low. To sustain a competitive advantage product branding in this region is a high priority. Huawei established in 1987 made its 2019 100 Best Global Brands debut, at sixty-eight. Huawei is a basic research organization focusing mainly on technological innovations and solutions that is fully owned by its employees.
It has been an uphill road for China to overcome the stigma of its production quality. To address a poor reputation, several areas must be addressed: having a more culturally diverse organization would help their leaders understand global needs and open channels of communication; China must shift from low quality, low value to high quality, high value; lastly, China must address country related political issues including cyberespionage, xenophobia and increased tariffs.
Historically, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) has shifted from the public sector to the private sector. This has enabled joint ventures which facilitates a smoother transfer of global communication, technological knowledge and cultural acceptance which is needed for growth. Studies posit China’s growth is largely due to its labor force (Yueh, 2015). China has been a high growth economy for over thirty years reaping a double-digit growth (Mangus. 2018). Today, the rate has slowed down to about six percent in the next twenty years.
Issues facing China today according to Mangus (2018) are: China needs to improve its financial misbehavior over the last twenty years; China also seeks to be a more prominent player in the global monetary system; also, there is a significant aging population and middle-income trap.
Looking at China, we can suggest that economic conditions, economic policies and the economic systems are the significant external factors that constitutes the economic environment of a business. The economic conditions of a country for example, the nature of the economy, the stage of development of the economy, economic resources, the level of income, the distribution of income and assets are very important determinants of business strategies. Because there is no universal strategy for all industries, only those strategies that are tailored to an industry and to the skills and assets of a firm succeed.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is an economic system? What are the basic problems of an economic system?

2. What are the features of a mixed economic system?

3. Explain the role of government in solving problems that arise from different economic systems.

4. Define privatization and trace the history of privatization.

5. Explain the different routes of privatization.

6. Give your arguments for and against privatization.

7. Why is China’s privatization different?

8. Bring out the nature and causes for globalization of business.

9. Explain the stages involved in the economic transition of globalization.

10. Evaluate the impact of globalization on China’s economy.

11. List the strategies used for globalizing a business.

12. Natural resources are the wealth of a country’s economy. Discuss China’s key resources.

13. Evaluate China’s government policies towards management of their natural resources.

14. Evaluate the impact of economic development on environmental issues.

Write half a page long text in which you reflect on the readings, the lecture, the discussions and your own work for the theme.

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Reflective journal

Write half a page long text in which you reflect on the readings, the lecture, the discussions and your own work for the theme. The text should be personally reflective, but also analytical (i. e. do not just describe the literature and the lecture but try to discuss what you learned, which concepts you see as being connected, what the discussion led you to reconsider, how the literature made you realize certain things).

What are the key concepts you wish to investigate? What are the relationships (if any) that you want to explore between or among your key concepts? What is your target population?

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Population and Sample

Research Topic Template

Using this template, you will write your first draft of the research topic you would like to develop into a dissertation topic. The template will guide you step by step in doing so.

Step 1: Starting Out—Getting It on Paper

In each of the following spaces, write the elements of your research topic as directed. A successful research topic:

 

  • Names the key concepts to be investigated.
  • Describes the relationship (if any) between them.
  • Identifies the target population of interest.
  • Is sufficiently narrow and focused to permit research.
  • Is a phrase, not a complete sentence.

 

  • What are the key concepts you wish to investigate? Use terminology appropriate to your specialization and discipline

 

  • What are the relationships (if any) that you want to explore between or among your key concepts?

 

  • What is your target population? Be as specific and descriptive as you can.

 

  • Good work. Now, combine all three elements into a single phrase. Write it as carefully as you can and do not hesitate to rewrite it as often as needed. Your phrase should be clear, well worded, and articulate the topic statement.

 

Step 2: Narrowing and Focusing the Topic

Here you will use an exercise to narrow your topic’s key concepts and population at least four times. A helpful resource for this exercise is keyword searching. You can reach out to a librarian for help with keyword searches.

As you try to focus your concepts more tightly, using keyword searching or subject searching in the library databases will help you find alternative concept words. For instance, if you search on a key concept term such as “management,” finding an article on management will also provide you some new keywords used by that author or journal.

Please realize that once you get deeply into the literature and begin doing the multiple searches you will ultimately carry out, your key concepts will become increasingly focused and powerful. You may easily change them many more times, as you grow toward mastery of your topical and methodological literature. For now, four iterations of the exercise will get you to a fairly focused place and will prepare you for your initial literature searches.

Complete the steps in sequential order as you follow these instructions:

Analysis, Findings, Discussion, and Ethics

  • Enter the first concept from your research topic in 1.4 in the first left-hand cell of the grid. Enter the second key concept in the second cell. Continue entering all your key concepts (if you need additional rows, click in the last cell and then press the Tab key to add new rows).
  • For each concept, fill in the second column with a narrower term for that concept. Ask yourself what you mean by the broad term and try to find a term that is more focused. For example, if your concept is learning, do you mean rote learning (learning by memorization) or adaptation (learning by trial and error) or some specific kind such as learning to read or learning to drive a car? If a concept is educational instruction, do you mean a level of instruction (such as high school), a modality of instruction (such as lecture or audiovisual), or some particular approach to instruction (such as experiential learning)? Do not rush yourself. Keep reflecting on what you really mean and want to know. Push yourself to be as specific as possible.
  • Move to the third column when you are satisfied with the second column. For this iteration, we recommend that you visit the library and start searching using the terms in the second column. Do not link them; just search as broadly as you can on the single term. For instance, if in the second column your key concept is now experiential learning, search just on that term, and look for keywords or subjects. This will probably provide you with some new terms from the literature, and you can browse them and decide which term will allow you to further focus and narrow your key concept.
  • Lastly, when you are satisfied with the third column, go through the process a fourth time. Once again, use the library and search on the term in the third column. Here, you may want to make use of the database’s thesaurus or controlled vocabulary list. When you obtain a variety of new terms, reflect carefully on them. Choose the term that takes you where you want to go and clearly expresses the key concept that you wish to investigate.
  • Enter the Target Population in the “2.5 Target Population” rows.

 

Refining Key Concepts

 

Step 2.1

Broad Term

 Step 2.2

Narrow

 Step 2.3

More Narrow

 Step 2.4

Most Narrow
Behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression  
Major depressive disorder Major depressive disorder treatment Depression symptom treatments  
Antidepressants Antidepressants and depression Antidepressants versus psychotherapy  
       
       
       

 

2.5 Target Population
Adults with major depressive disorder

 

Step 3: Writing the New Research Topic

In the following space, write your research topic as a single phrase, using the words in the fourth column. Leave out extra words, omit any verbs (unless they are key concepts), and use no modifiers. Work to craft a clean, concise, and very clear phrase. Even if it is in quite specific terminology used by your discipline, it should be immediately understandable to a member of your specialization.

Cognitive behavioral therapy as a treatment for depression symptoms, on its own or as an adjunct treatment with antidepressants.

 

 

 

Step 4: Develop Your Literature Search Question

Once you’ve completed several iterations of the research topic and narrowed down your topic, it’s time to develop a literature search question (LSQ). Your LSQ will guide your literature search: the LSQ accommodates a structured way of mining the databases for scholarly literature related to your research topic.

 

Your LSQ needs to represent the topic; therefore:

  1. Choose an appropriate topic or issue that interests you and can be researched.
  2. Brainstorm a list of questions related to the topic that you would like answered.
  3. Select the question that is clear and not too broad or narrow.

 

LSQ examples:

  • What does the literature in psychology tell us about the utility of cognitive behavioral therapy for the prevention of poor mental health outcomes in children ages 9–12 who are living in shelters with their mothers as a result of partner violence?
  • What does the literature in psychology tell us about the best practices for teaching parents of preschool boys with autism how to use sign language when communicating with the older siblings as well as their autistic son?
  • What does the literature in psychology tell us about the value of combining synchronous and asynchronous labyrinth walking with traditional cognitive behavioral therapies for adults ages 20–35 with moderate depression as defined by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)?

 

What does the literature tell us about the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy, on its own or when combined with antidepressants, in the treatment of depression symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder?

 

 

 

Now that you have a research topic and a literature search question, it is time to conduct a literature search. It is helpful to use a literature matrix or literature map to organize the literature. For the final research concept paper, you’ll need a total of 20 empirical research sources. At this point, 5–10 sources will be helpful for practical purposes and for feedback.

 

Save your completed template! Be sure to keep your topic handy. You may need to continue referring to your topic and your LSQ as you review the literature.

Provide a socio-historical context for their entrance into English (i.e. during what period of English were they borrowed? In what domain? Was this type of borrowing typical of the period?).

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Data analysis and commentary

Using a good etymological dictionary (e.g. OED), find the etymology of the underlined words in the following passage:

Hint: in the case of loanwords, provide a socio-historical context for their entrance into English (i.e. during what period of English were they borrowed? In what domain? Was this type of borrowing typical of the period?). For example, xxx might have been borrowed from French during the ME period. You might have a date for this, so go ahead and give it e.g. 1252 It might belong to the domain of government or law and you can probably now see that is was typical of the period.

There were flowers: delphiniums, sweet peas, bunches of lilac; and carnations. There were roses; there were irises. Ah yes-so she breathed in the earthy-garden sweet smell as she stood talking to Miss Pym who owed her help, and thought her kind, for kind she had been years ago; very kind, but she looked older, this year, turning her head from side to side among the irises and roses and nodding tufts of lilac with her eyes half closed, snuffing in, after the street uproar, the delicious scent, the exquisite coolness. And then, opening her eyes, how fresh, like frilled linen clean from a laundry laid in wicker trays, the roses looked; and dark and prim the red carnations, holding their heads up; and all the sweet peas spreading in their bowls tinged violet, snow white, pale-as if it were the evening and girls in muslin frocks came out to pick sweet peas and roses after the superb summer’s day, with its almost blue-black sky, its delphiniums, its carnations, its arum lilies, was over and it was the moment between six and seven when every flower-roses, carnations, irises, lilac-glows; white, violet, red, deep orange; every flower seems to burn by itself, softly, purely in the misty beds; and how she loved the grey white moths spinning in and out, over the cherry pie, over the evening primroses!From Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, 1925)

This passage was first published in 1925 and its author, Virginia Woolf, died in 1941.

a.Give 20 words which have been borrowed into English between 1940 and the present day.

b.In each case, state in which decade the word was borrowed and which language it was borrowed from. NB American English does not count. Your borrowings must come from languages such as French, Japanese, Yoruba etc.

Guidance

For part 1, it is very important that you try to find a date (where possible) when a word was borrowed into English. However, if the word can be traced back to OE, then you should treat this as ‘an original’. So, you are looking for ‘originals’ and ‘borrowings’.

If the word was borrowed, it is essential that you indicate the donor language. For example, it may be clear that a word was borrowed from Latin in 1566. It is very common to find that a word was borrowed from French in 1400s, for example, but came originally from Latin. Sometimes you will be told that it is not certain which European language was the immediate donor (it could have been French, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian), but the word came from Persian via Arabic. This kind of language detail is vital and you must record it in your answer.

You do not need to focus on meaning. The examiners are not interested to hear that the word has something to do with the shape of a toucan’s bill. Fascinating though that may be, it is not going to help you get a good mark.

For part 2, it is essential to state the donor language and the decade during which it was borrowed into English. The decade can be from the 1940s onwards and you must not include any words borrowed prior to this date. If you give 20 words borrowed during an earlier period of history,

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Referencing: All secondary sources used should be referenced within the body of your work and at the end provide a full bibliographical reference. This is a dictionary based assessment but it is unacc

Understand the relevant rules and issues governing the relationship with the client in the context of the principles relating to confidentiality. Identify the necessary steps to be taken to avoid liability in confidentiality matters. Demonstrate the ability to write in a clear and unambiguous manner using correct terminology.

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Client Care Skills

Assessment brief and instructions

You should address the following question:

“As law firms have grown in size and reach, and as institutional clients have adopted the practice of engaging lawyers from a variety of firms on a case-by-case rather than a general retainer basis, the rule has become increasingly out-of-touch with the realities of modern law practice”.

Daniel Bussel, ‘No Conflict,’ Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics (2012)

Critically assess whether the law relating to conflict of interest needs to be amended.

Assessment brief and instructions

You should address the following question:

“As law firms have grown in size and reach, and as institutional clients have adopted the practice of engaging lawyers from a variety of firms on a case-by-case rather than a general retainer basis, the rule has become increasingly out-of-touch with the realities of modern law practice”.

Daniel Bussel, ‘No Conflict,’ Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics (2012)

Critically assess whether the law relating to conflict of interest needs to be amended.

Points to note:

  • • Note that higher marks are awarded for depth of analysis;
  • • You will need to consider the historical basis of the rule the current law with any relevant case law and whether the law maintains the correct balance between lawyer and client;
  • • There is no right or wrong answer. It is the quality of your analysis which will generate the higher marks.
  • • You must include a word count with your work. The bibliography is NOT included within the word count. However, footnotes ARE INCLUDED within the word count. The word count is 2000. There is a 10% leeway permitted if needed, thus you may exceed the word count within said 10% without incurring a penalty. For the avoidance of doubt this amounts to NO MORE than 2200 total words.
  • • In addition please also note that any false misrepresentation of the assessment word count within the required coversheet will amount to academic misconduct, and thus subject to the University academic misconduct procedure which can be found via the following link: .pdf

Assessed intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able:

Knowledge and Understanding

1. To understand the relevant rules and issues governing the relationship with the client in the context of the principles relating to confidentiality.

2. To understand more of the relevant professional requirements of client care communications.

3. To demonstrate a knowledge of the dangers facing lawyers who breach confidentiality principles.

Practical, Professional or Subject Specific Skills

1. To be able to apply the duties relating to confidentiality in practice in a legal context.

2. To recognise the risk for lawyers in potential, practical confidentiality situations.

3. To identify the necessary steps to be taken to avoid liability in confidentiality matters.

Transferable Skills and other Attributes

1. To demonstrate the ability to write in a clear and unambiguous manner using correct terminology.

2. Structure opinions on client care issues in a legal environment that are objective and ethical.

3. Ability to write a concise and comprehensive report on a key issue facing organisations.

4. Analytical and problem-solving abilities.