Internship Hedge Fund in Sandell Asset Management Essay

Internship Hedge Fund in Sandell Asset Management - Essay Example Under this environment, many are the times that the day was fully packed with responsibilities but it is a phenomenon that I came to adjust to after my first month when all the tasks became familiar. The firm’s members of staff were quite helpful especially in the first months when I needed them most for guidance to work effectively and efficiently and this made me feel to be part of the firm just as they were (Sweitzer and  King 29-122). It is important to note that the aforementioned duties kept on being added to my in-tray as time went by and as I gained more and more experience of the various fund operations. The job was actually paid and I was earning $17 an hour which I considered fair enough being an intern. When enrolling for the internship I had clear goals and objectives that I aimed at achieving by the end of the period as an intern. The first was to take a test of myself in relation to the field and see whether it is the career line I am willing to take. I was al so aiming at applying the theory learned into practical experience and this was well fulfilled in the work environment. I wanted to learn and acquire work habits in relation to keeping time, enhance my interpersonal skills in a work environment and gain some sense of responsibility. I also endeavored to gain the much-needed experience in my field of study to support my awards and certificates. After an evaluation of the above goals, I realize that I achieved them well as expected. The main challenge that I faced was on handling all the aforementioned tasks within one day as it demanded a great deal of commitment and uprightness on my part. At one point I had just a few responsibilities when the manager in my department offered me the chance to explore more and added me four of the above-mentioned ones especially those that dealt with research and analysis of data and information. This is a line that facilitated a wide scope of knowledge acquisition (Sweitzer and  King 29-122).

Discrimination in the workforce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discrimination in the workforce - Essay Example 35). In education, dissemination affects not only the staff, but also teacher-student relations and interaction. Dissemination can take the form of iintentionally harmful actions or prescribed action which limit equal opportunities or humiliate an employee. Also, Elkins (1963) and Sowell (1971) suppose that discrimination was influenced by the period of slavery and racial inequalities (Taylor 1998). Barbara Bergmann (1974) argues that dissemination is a result of the market structure which consists of skilled and non-skilled workforce. Unskilled and low-paid workforce is usually presented by black and minority employees (Taylor 1998). Discrimination and an increase in out-migration of whites from neighborhoods as larger numbers of blacks arrive are the major explanations for black-white segregation. Prejudices and discrimination is due to misunderstandings about the significance of a biological sense of "race" and racist ideas transmitted across generations and based on 'lower biolog ical quality' of African populations. The main cause of segregation and racism is the cultural superiority of "whites" based on their cultural heritage and absence of 'white' slavery. Most Africa-Americans are seen as "lower" class people in contras to "elite" class of whites (Harvey and Allard 2004). Discrimination in the workplace has deep roots. Dissemination by race was eliminated in 1863 by 13th Amendment which made slavery illegal. In 1868, 14th Amendment announced equal protection of all citizens in all states. During the first half of the XX century, black people and racial minorities experienced discriminated in wages and work conditions; they were deprived a chance to receive good education and compete with white majority (Harvey and Allard 2004). Till the middle of the XX century, women occupied clerical jobs and were not promoted to administrative positions. Actions against discrimination go back to 1941 when F. Roosevelt "encouraged minority employment by ordering defence contractors to cease discriminatory hiring" (Yates, n.d.). Further, the policy of anti-discrimination was developed by Lyndon Johnson in 1965 when he "put teeth into minority hiring rules for government contractors' (Yates, n.d.). The next amendments took place under the presidency of J. Kennedy who introduced Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) "establishing to investigate contractors' practices, impose sanctions, collect employment statistics, and ensure compliance with government regulations" (Yates, n.d.). Pre-war period (immigration act was introduced in 1924) was marked by racial prejudices and stereotyping against Asian Americans. The main areas of discrimination were family, religion, criminal justice, education and job opportunities. WWII - 1965 marked a new stage in workforce relations. During this period of time, many low class people entered educational established and found high paid jobs. In response to the growing demand for equal rights, Congress enacted major pieces of modern civil rights legislation during the 1960s that have taken the country an enormous step closer to realizing the promises of the first Reconstruction. These modern statutes, protect racial minorities against most forms of public and private discrimination in employment,

The Future of Global Oil Production

The Future of Global Oil Production WORLD’S OIL PRODUCTION: HISTORICAL REFERENCE AND PROJECTIONS Background The level of the oil production is influenced by a wide variety of factors. Following a basic principle, the demand is the reference element against which production (i.e. supply) is always analyzed. Yet, apart from demand there are many other factors that influence, either directly or indirectly, the oil production. To quote only a few of such factors with direct influence one might mention: the fluctuating oil price, the socio-economic framework, the political stability, the fiscal and regulatory regime(s), the technological breakthroughs etc. On the axis listing the rather indirect factors, but also having a huge influence on the level of the world’s oil production, are other factors: sustainable investment environment, availability of financial resources, evolution of the transportation sector, environmental concerns etc. For sure, not even a small portion of all factors with influence on the level of production has been exhausted. In order to deal with such broad variety of factors (each having potentially substantial influence on the oil production and some of them having an intrinsic fluctuating nature) private companies, organizations (e.g. Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries), international bodies (e.g. International Energy Agency) or national monitoring bodies (e.g. US Energy Information Administration) put forward scenarios which are ultimately used for creating mid-term/ long-term strategies and/ or for making investment decisions in the dynamic arena of the oil and gas activity. Oil demand to 2035 As in most of the current scenario planning methods, in the 2014 IEA’s World Energy Outlook (â€Å"WEO-2014†) several scenarios are envisaged (i.e. New Policies Scenario[1] which is the central scenario to WEO-2014, the Current Policies Scenario[2] and the 450 Scenario[3]). During the 13 November 2014 Conference held in Vienna for promoting the release of the WEO-2014, IEA’s Chief Economist Fatih Birol mentioned that one of the key questions analysts are trying to answer is whether oil production will keep up in the future with the oil demand. The reason for analyzing this aspect in great detail lies in the fact that the energy demand is estimated to grow with a staggering 37% till 2040 (compared against the year of 2012)[4]. Within the energy mix, oil demand is supposed to rise from 90.1 mb/d in 2013[5] to 102.8 mb/d in 2035[6] and even to 103.9 mb/d till 2040 in the New Policies Scenario. In the Current Policies Scenario the oil demand increase is even more drastic: in 2040 the world demand will reach 116 mb/d! Both scenarios mentioned do not envisage a peak in the oil demand by 2040 which means that the mankind will actually need more oil to cover its needs in the years to follow after 2040. Only the 450 Scenario envisages a peak in the oil de mand already by around 2020[7] as the efficiency on the CO2 emissions is supposed to exhibit its effects by then; following said period the oil demand will decline and revert to the 1990s levels. Illustrating once more that the mankind’s faith lies actually in our hands, more specifically, in the policies to be implemented (or not) by 2040, it is worthwhile highlighting the deviations in energy demand (so not just oil demand) from the reference scenario (i.e. New Policies Scenario): in the Current Policies Scenario, the total energy demand will be higher with 10% (i.e. +1.746 Mtoe) than in the New Policies Scenario, while the 450 Scenario envisages a lower energy demand by 15% (i.e. -2.663 Mtoe) compared to the New Policies Scenario. In the energy mix envisaged in 2040, each of the three fossil fuels (i.e. oil, gas, coal) and the renewable sources play an equal role (i.e. each getting approx. a quarter), but with oil retaining its position as the largest single fuel in the global energy mix[8]. Similarly to IEA, OPEC’s 2014 World Oil Outlook (â€Å"WOO†) makes its own forecast, but the figures are slightly higher as it is envisaged in the reference case a steeper increase in the oil demand which is forecasted to reach 108 mb/ in 2035 and even 111 mb/d in 2040[9] (i.e. slightly lower – with 0.5 mb/d than forecasted in the WOO 2013). The figures provided by IEA WEO 2014, in terms of oil demand for the reference case are similar to the ones provided by OPEC’s WOO 2014 for the lower economic growth scenario which refers to a 102 mb/d oil demand in 2035 and 104.2 mb/d in 2040[10]. The higher economic growth scenario envisaged by WOO 2014 exhibits an oil demand of 112 mb/d in 2035 and almost 116 mb/d in 2040[11]. The main driving forces behind such steep demand increase are stemming from the developing economies (particularly China, India and Middle East[12]). In OECD countries, it is envisaged that the energy efficiency policies will come into play with a more significant impact than so far and, consequently, OECD oil demand will drop by almost 25% from 41 mb/d in 2013 to 31 mb/d in 2040 (OECD oil demand peaked already in 2005) with the US seeing the largest fall in absolute terms. Will oil production peak? After looking at the estimations of what oil quantities the world will need in the following decades, can it be stated that the production will keep up with such high demand? The good news is that the remaining technically recoverable resources of oil are sufficient to meet anticipated demand in all three scenarios[13]. The 2013 registered oil production was of 89.4 mb/d[14], according to IEA. As a significant milestone, all scenarios highlight the period around the 2020s when the North American unconventional production peaks (and subsequently it starts to decline). Yet, in the New Policies Scenario, the oil production growth will be supported mainly by the Middle East countries (i.e. OPEC’s quota raises from 36.8 mb/d in 2013 to 49.5 mb/d in 2040 when it will account for 49% of the total output) as well as by Canada and Brazil. Only the 450 Secenario, similar to the demand related projection, shows a production that will peak around 2020s when it will reach 93.4 mb/d[15]. By 2040, the 450 Scenario reflects an oil production declined up to 71.9 mb/d. OPEC’s WOO 2014[16] projects an oil production growth up to 108 mb/d by 2035 and even 111 mb/d by 2040. In its projection released on 9 September 2014, the US Energy Information Administration forecasts, in its reference case, an overall oil output increase reaching 99.1 mb/d[17] by 2040 (rather close to IEA’s 2014 New Policies Scenario). Conclusion All scenarios show that on a mid-term perspective oil supply and demand will both grow. All scenarios (except the 450 Scenario) show that on a long term oil supply and demand will grow. The 450 Scenario envisages a peak demand and supply around the 2020s. Some elements present high uncertainty (e.g. US tight oil, Brazil deepwater development, Canadian oil sands, Middle East stability etc) and their evolution over the next decades will be of utmost interest. Another heavy weight factor for the interdependency with the oil production supply and demand will be the evolution of the oil price. And another element which may produce positive surprises which will be worth following are the technological breakthroughs (if any). Therefore, the world’s business community will have to closely monitor all these elements and will have to factor them into the strategic business decisions to be made in the following years! [1] The New Policies Scenario takes into consideration the policies and implementing measures that have been adopted as of mid 2014 as well as the implementation of the policy proposals (even if they are yet to be formally approved). [2] The Current Policies Scenario takes into consideration only the policies enacted until mid 2014. [3] The 450 Scenario is not purely a scenario, but it rather sets a final target (i.e. limiting the temperature increase over the next years to only 2 degrees Celsius) and works out backwards to identify the decisions/ actions that have to be accomplished in order to meet this threshold. [4] World Energy Outlook 2014, page 55 [5] Idem, page 98 [6] Ibidem [7] Idem, page 97 [8] IEA WEO 2014, page 96 [9] OPEC World Oil Outlook 2014, page 72, available at http://www.opec.org/opec_web/static_files_project/media/downloads/publications/WOO_2014.pdf [10] Idem, page174 [11] Ibidem. [12] See Figure 3.2 in the IAE’s WEO 2014, page 100 [13] IEA, WEO 2014, page 110 [14] Idem, page 115. The OPEC WOO 2014 refers (under page 79) to an oil production of 90 mb/d. In both cases, the â€Å"oil production† includes, apart from the crude oil production, the NGL as well as the unconventional oil production. [15] IEA, WEO 2014, page 115. [16] WOO 2014, page 82 [17] See â€Å"Table A5. World crude and lease condensate production by region and country† available at http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/ieo/ieo_tables.cfm

The Orgins Of Atomic Theory :: essays research papers fc

The Orgins of Atomic Theory There is an eternal human compulsion to unlock the mysteries of our lives and our world. This search for knowledge has guided us to many beneficial new understandings. It has lead us into this new age where information is its own reward, an age where enlightenment is an end, not simply a means to an end. Enlightenment has been the aim of many great people. It has inspired many scientists and artists to construct articles of infinite beauty and value. At times this quest for understanding has been embraced by entire civilizations, and when an entire society commits to one noble cause only good can come from it. In Ancient Greece there was such a civilization, and even today we use their theories to initiate our scientific and artistic endeavors. All western thought can find its roots in the philosophy and science of the Greeks, even the way we see the world is influenced by the ideologies of Ancient Greece. The Greeks were the first to seek a greater understanding of the world, to know "why" we are not just "what" we are. The Greeks invented science and explored it in its truest form, philosophy. Through the years we have developed tools that we hope can prove or disprove various hypothesizes, to further our understanding of any number of things. We divide science into categories and then sub-divide it even farther, until we can hide the connections and pretend that they really are separate. The difference between psychology and physics is not as extreme as one would believe if they were to read their definitions. Though the means are different the goal is the same for all science: to increase our understanding of our earthly domain, and to improve ourselves. The Greeks created this guiding principle more than two thousand years ago. Greek atomic theory was not the work of a single person, in fact it was a product of many great minds. There were many fundamental ideas that formed the basis for their theory on the make up of the universe. One-hundred and forty years before Socrates there was a lesser-known scholar named Thales, and he was the Father of Philosophy. Thales was from a part of Greece called Miletus, and it was for his skill as an engineer, not as a philosopher, that he was recognized during his life. Before his time, the Greeks had no clear concept of matter, and did not use science to broaden their understanding of the universe. Because of the focus on the practical that was prevalent during that time, it was not until years later that

Sleep Disorders

People are getting less sleep in today's society than they did 80 years ago (Myers 54). Although not every person needs to sleep the standard number of 8 hours a night, everyone has a set number they need to meet in order to function optimally. About 20% of Americans are reporting that they are getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night (Davis). Modern inventions like computers, television, and social diversions are making this hard to achieve (Myers 53). Many people have the misconception that they can skimp on sleep now and later pay off their â€Å"sleep debt† with extra long sleep sessions, however, this is an untrue statement.The human brain keeps track and remembers the amount of sleep we are getting/not getting for at least two weeks at a time (Myers 54). It will take a lot more than a single slumberous weekend to get the body back on track. Sleep depravation has many effects, ranging from seemingly harmless to more prominent and severe. People who sleep less tend to ex perience higher rates of obesity, high blood pressure, memory impairment, irritability, slowed work performance, and impaired communication and concentration (Myers 54).The nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl and the Exxon Valdez oil spill have been linked to insufficient sleep (Coren). Data from a study on traffic incidents across Canada after daylight savings time, in which people lose one hour of sleep, showed a significant increase in the number of accidents than before the time change (Coren). Sleep depravation can weaken the body's immune system, which fights off viral diseases and other harmful illnesses like cancer (Myers 54). Psychologists believe there are a few explanations on why getting sufficient sleep is important.One reason is that sleep helps our body and brain repair damaged tissue. When sleeping, the neutrons in a person's body are also at rest and focus on repairing themselves (Myers 55). Another reason is that sleeping helps people remember. During sleep, bodies bring back and reconstruct memories of daily experiences (Myers 55). It has been found that people who are trained on certain tasks and have a restful night of sleep can recall them better than others who do not (Myers 55). Some groups of people are sleep deprived because they suffer from sleep isorders. These disorders, such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy (Myers 55-56), prevent individuals from receiving an adequate amount of sleep and can result in undesirable symptoms. Works Cited Coren, Stanley. â€Å"Daylight Savings Time and Traffic Accidents. † New England Journal of Medicine. Massachusetts Medical Society. , 04 Apr 1996. Web. 26 Jan 2012. Davis, Jeanie Meow. â€Å"Sleep Deprivation in America. † WebMD. com, n. p. 29 Nov 2011. Web. 26 Jan 2012. Myers, David G. Psychology in Everyday Life. New York: Worth Publishers, 2009. Print.

Death as a Main Theme of Philip Larkin’s Aubade

Aubade is the last poem by Philip Larkin. This poem became the culmination of his life and work and contains basic ideas of Larkin’s philosophical and literary credo. This poem became Larkin’s profound and personal investigation of the theme of death. Published in the Times Literary Supplement for the first time, this poem became a characteristic feature of his literary work. The poem is full of symbolism. The very title, Audabe, or Morning Serenade, creates anticipations in the minds of the readers and Larkin uses contrast in order to deliver his message to the readers. His aubade turns to be anti-aubade and this sad irony only underlines contrast and irony, used by the author. He uses a popular romantic title for his poem in order to underline the loss of innocence in the perception of the world.The very first lines of the poem describe typical day of routine life of the person, who does not see any sense in his life and spends dull days and sleepless nights thinking about inevitable death.Till then I see what’s really always there: Unresting death, a whole day nearer now, Making all thought impossible but how And where and when I shall myself die (Larkin 69).The theme of death and depression is typical for the works of Larkin. The theme of death and fear of dying goes through the entire poem. Scepticism and pragmatic view on religion give special shades of meaning to the theme of death. He speaks about it without idealization and pathos but, at the same time, he does not hide his feelings of fear and despair in front of this phenomenon. His pessimistic and gloomy mood makes the poem sound accordingly. As famous Donald Hall wrote about Philip Larkin in his article, â€Å"This is the man who famously said that deprivation was for him what daffodils were for Wordsworth. Yet surely the results of this life, in the shape of his poems, are gifts, not deprivations† (Hall 117).Larkin got the reputation of a melancholy poet. His light sorr ow and gloomy intonations became a visit card of all his literary works. Mixture of wit, humour and sad irony add special zest to sad motifs of Aubade.Dread of death creates a dark background of the poem. The author thinks about things he did not accomplish yet and describes gradual extinction and the most terrible thing.The sure extinction that we travel to And shall be lost in always. Not to be here, Not to be anywhere, And soon; nothing more terrible, nothing more true (Larkin 69).He can not stop thinking about state of non-being, which will naturally become a final destination for everybody. Being away from pathetic feelings he looks for a distinct place, which would become the house for humans after death and does not find such a place. This though deprives him of sleep and fulfills all his thoughts.His vision of death is determined by his philosophical credo and religious beliefs. All Western tradition regards death as an eternal rest and, if not to turn to religious explanati ons, the death appears as a final termination of the human existence.  Ã‚  Larkin rejects this view, calling the death â€Å"unresting†. This word combination makes and oxymoron as the term â€Å"death† itself assumes rest and calmness (Webster's New World College Dictionary).   Ã‚  Finally, the theme of death as an unresting thing, which does not bring pleasure and calm, becomes one of the main themes of the poem. He also uses unresting in another shade of the meaning. He turns to the word unresting in order to show that death is a phenomenon which can not be escaped or avoided by anybody. Nobody can escape death and all people are equal in front of it. As he states in the poem, â€Å"Most things may never happen: this one will†Ã‚  (Larkin 69).The very structure of the poem serves in order to help the author to deliver this message to the readers. Somewhat unusual structure of the poem does not make logical pauses at the end of the stanzas. The parts of the poem are connected so closely that they turn to each other as a continuous process, where motion does not stop for a single second. Sentences do not end at the end of the lines. Larkin uses long sentences, which rest for several lines and even when they end, it usually happens in the middle of the line, so that the next sentence starts immediately. For example, â€Å"no sight, no sound, / No touch or taste or smell, nothing to think with, / Nothing to love or link with†Ã‚  (Larkin 69). Such structure does not let the reader rest and make poses.It reminds the readers about the flowing nature of life, when people can not stop and have a rest haunted by the unresting death. Even in the cases when there are poses at the end of the lines the sentences are not completed, and the reader can not keep long poses, since the line does not contain a terminated thought and next lines continue ideas from the previous ones. Making a pause between the lines and having a rest becomes same im possible, as having a pause in one’s life and taking time to think over important things and finish things, which are not finished.Special structure of sentences is not the only means used by Larkin in order to attract the readers’ attention to the unresting nature and inevitable character of death. Gloomy and depressive tones of the poem show this very nature of death. The author uses sad irony and light sorrow in order to show naivety of people, who try to escape thoughts about death and pretend that this will never happen to them, even despite they are surrounded by death every day of their lives. People seek for stability and guarantees but finally it turns out that death can be the only stable thing in this world.The second stanza illustrates the author’s attitude to religion. Larkin does not believe in the pictures of afterlife, created by different religious doctrines.   His pessimistic attitude towards religions does not let him accept any kind of non- rational explanation of the life after death. â€Å"Larkin’s last major poem, Aubade is to conclude his religious poetic oeuvre with an internal argument of the poetic persona on religion and what remains after death† (Lerner 183). The author spends sleepless nights thinking about death. He spends hours trying to imagine the state, where all the senses cease their existence and a person looses all connections with the existence. Larkin goes further than just philosophical reflections about the death, he thinks about physical experience of â€Å"no-being†. As he states, â€Å"This is what we fear—no sight, no sound, / No touch or taste or smell, nothing to think with, / Nothing to love or link with† ( Larkin 69).Physical nature of death becomes the focus of Larkin’s attention. Such an attitude reduces human life to physical existence and that is the reason the author becomes so desperate to find any explanations of things, which will happen t o him after death.   As states Adam Stainer, â€Å"His inability to palliate his mind’s sense of panic mirrors the other figure depicted as unresting in the poem—death itself†   (Stainer 16). And even her unresting nature of death is obvious. Looking for a possible description of the state of non-living, Larkin can not escape a thought that this state will last forever. He regards the death not as a single event, which causes transformation, but rather as a continuous process of perpetual anaesthesia, where people stay forever.Larkin uses irony to show how eternal state of nothingness can be the most terrible thing, which brings neither calm nor peace.   What is notable, even during short period of life people can not get rid of the threat of death. It surrounds them whatever they do and the author does his best to show this state of living under constant threat in his poem. Ceaseless nothingness appears to be the biggest Larkin’s fear and this thou ght does not let him fall asleep at nights and deprives him of calm and happiness when he is awake.In the next stanza he speaks about courage, which turns to be useless in the face of death. Merciless nature of death makes no distinctions between those, who are afraid of it and who are not.The last lines of the poem contain a deep metaphor, making a contrast between routing life and death, which he can not forget about even for a minute.Meanwhile telephones crouch, getting ready   to ring In locked-up offices, and all the uncaring Intricate rented world begins to rouse. The sky is white as clay, with no sun. Work has to be done. Postmen like doctors go from house to house (Larkin 69).Postmen, walking from one house to another, symbolize for Larkin inevitable approaching of the dawn, which, in its turn, symbolizes an inevitable approach of death. He compares them to doctors, who must save people’s lives but constantly fail, as nobody can overcome death. Careless world wakes up in order to make one step towards death. For Larkin this is a phenomenon he can neither escape, nor forget.  The author does not separate thoughts about his own death from the general philosophical questions. This underlines Larkin’s perception of the death as the most private and the most common and public event at the same time.Works CitedAgnes, Michael, ed. in chief, Webster's New World College Dictionary, fourth edition, MacMillan, 1999.Hall,   The New Criterion Vol. 4, No. 6, February 1986.Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2007.Larkin, Philip. Collected Poems,   Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1989.Lerner, Laurence: Philip Larkin. In Writers and Their Works series.   Plymouth: Northcote House Publishers Ltd., Plymbridge House, 1997.Steiner, Adam. Honors British Literature. Dr. Fraser. Concepts of Rest and Unrest in â€Å"Aubade†, 2005.Salwak, Dale ed. Philip Larkin: The Man and H is Work. London: MacMillan, 1989.