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Sunday, March 1, 2015

Policy Research Paper on Affordable Care Act




·         TOPIC: Affordable Care Act
·         Problem Identification: Describe the nature and extent of this public problem (lack of universal health care or issues with affordability and accessibility to health care). Why is this issue a public problem? What are the problematic conditions? What rationales(before intervention; which is enacting the health care act)— economic, moral and political (see below for definition and types)—are used to justify public intervention? In another words, what caused the government to come up with such a policy? What was their justification (economic, moral, political) for doing that?

Essay on Ethical Foundations of Sallie McFague




Instruction: Examine the ethical foundations of both Sallie McFague and Thich Nhat Hanh for Earthcare and fighting global warming. What is the ethical foundations for each author necessary to co-live responsibility with the Earth? What common ground do they share as a Christian and a Buddhist? You will need to read two books: "The World We Have" by Thich Nhat Hanh and also "A New Climate For Theology" by Sallie McFague. 


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Case Analysis Essay on Oyama v. California



Instructions: Case analysis journals ( Oyama v. California) you will provide an in­depth analysis of a particular court case. The best journals will discuss both the majority opinion and the dissent (if any) while attuned to the larger sociopolitical atmosphere in which the decisions were rendered.


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Essay on Engineering Ethics




Instructions: the paper should analyze the issue to see if is ethical or not, using the right test, justice test, utility test and virtue test if they are appropriate to the subject. 

SITUATION Many professional engineering societies and organizations publish journals, newsletters, or other collections of writing to inform their members of recent research and advances. One such organization is dedicating an upcoming issue of their monthly publication to ethical issues in your field within the context of the National Academy of Engineering's 14 "Grand Challenges" that face the engineering profession (http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/). Because college students represent the future of engineering practice, the editors of this publication seek papers from students that consider the realities of today's world and reflect on the continuing or evolving ethical responsibilities of engineers. Your department has received a call for position papers asking for student perspectives on ethics and engineering. 

ASSIGNMENT Part of the definition of ethics is "the science of the good and the nature of the right." Every engineer must constantly deal with the ethical responsibilities of his or her specific field of study. Each field has provided histories of and presents opportunities for dealing with ethical situations and issues. It is imperative that engineers in training begin to formulate ethical stances on issues relevant to their future work. In addition, engineering students must communicate with each other (in and out of their own disciplines) about their personal ethics in order to develop a professional ethical framework for dealing with problems as future colleagues and leaders. Also needed are the skills to communicate these beliefs to an international audience. 

Consider one of the Grand Challenges and write a 7-9 (double-spaced) page position paper on an ethical issue related to that topic. There will be various points of view to consider, so it would be you will need to consult several sources. You should include at least 2 visuals, and citations should be in IEEE format. You should locate a copy of your discipline's Code of Ethics. (You can find the NSPE Code or a discipline-specific code, such as IEEE.) Additionally, there are several handouts on Blackboard under Content describing various ethical paradigms that we will discuss in class; you should directly use some or all of these concepts in your essay. 

Consider the Purpose, Audience, and Structure associated with this assignment: Purpose: Your purpose is to inform and persuade the organization's membership (professional colleagues in your field) and, possibly, encourage them to take action on some level. You are to deal specifically with one area of engineering. This is a position paper on ethics, so be sure to emphasize your opinion. 

Audience: Your audience will be professional engineers. A big part of your challenge will be to make this examination of ethics relevant to your readers. You need to use an appropriate tone and provide the readers information they don't know already. 

Structure: The structure should support your main point with evidence in a clear order. There should be a logical progression to the paragraphs. The paper's emphasis will depend on the point you're defending, but you will need to include counter argument.

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Essay on Investigating the Indies




Instructions: Investigate a small, independent recording company (of which there are tens of thousands throughout the United States and the world). Visit its Web site, and/or e-mail or telephone the company. In your investigation, try to proceed through the five steps of the critical process: 

1. Description. What kind of music does this label specialize in? Is the label limited to only one genre? What are some of the groups that the label produces? Where and how does the label identify its musical artists? How does the label describe itself? How does the label distribute its recordings to consumers? 

2. Analysis. Look at the variety of groups that the label produces. What kind of fan is the label trying to target? How does this label promote its artists and get a recording to the consumer? What obstacles does the label face in popularizing its artists? Is the label fiercely independent, or is its goal to sell to a major label? Is the label struggling, or is it financially viable? 

3. Interpretation. From what you've gathered so far from your research, what major problems do independent recording labels face? Do you see independent labels overcoming these problems? How? 

4. Evaluation. What is the value of small independent recording companies to the entire recording industry? What would be different about the recording industry as a whole if small independent labels didn't exist? Add other questions and information as you go along. 

5. Engagement. Now that you know about indies, give some a try. 

Sample independent label artists on Web sites such as http://wiki.etree.org (all music is free and legal to download and trade). Better yet, buy some music, and request that local radio stations play quality local independent artists so that other people can hear them. (This will be more effective if several people make requests over a sustained period of time.) You might also talk with retailers about carrying local independent music CDs if they don't already do so. *** For the purpose of this assignment, this is not a requirement that you do any of these things. Engagement is step 5 of the critical process. You may think through how you might engage with music after completing this assignment. For example, you could discuss how someone could decide to purchase music from an independent label. For this step, you may write about how someone could engage.


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Ethics Essay on Subprime Mortagaes



The Subprime Mortgage Market Meltdown: How Did It Happen?
The U.S. economy appeared strong throughout the first half of 2007, but many observers saw clouds on the horizon in the form of trouble brewing in the subprime home mortgage market. Fear of the coming storm had been intensifying as housing prices dropped, home foreclosures increased, major subprime mortgage lenders filed for bankruptcy, and investors took losses on mortgage-backed securities. By the end of the year, many were predicting a serious economic downturn.
“It's not like a bottle of water,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer, chairman of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. “It's much more like a pond where ripples start and can spread quickly. … The subprime ripple leads to another ripple of lower housing prices and a credit crunch for banks and financial markets. Another ripple driven by consumer anxiety causes lower consumer spending, which makes up nearly two-thirds of our economic growth, and leads to an even larger ripple that may end up causing a recession.”1
What Are Subprime Mortgages?
The subprime mortgages at the center of all this turmoil were made to borrowers who had poor credit histories or who were considered high credit risks for other reasons. Subprime mortgages are a relatively recent phenomenon because, prior to the 1980s, usury laws limited the ability of lenders to charge interest rates that adequately compensated them for the risks associated with these loans. As a result, subprime mortgage loans were simply not made before the usury laws were relaxed.
Several new federal laws were passed in the 1980s that, among other things, eliminated interest rate caps and made it possible for high-risk borrowers to obtain home mortgages. The subprime market experienced ups and downs in the 1990s, but by the early 2000s it had become an important part of the broader mortgage market. Loans originated in the subprime market made up less than 5 percent of mortgage loans in 1994 but increased to 13 percent in 2000 and to more than 20 percent in 2005 and 2006.2 The increase after 2000 accompanied a rapid rise in home prices in many real estate markets throughout the United States. Higher prices resulted in larger mortgage loans, which in turn increased the average risk of new loans, because incomes were not rising as quickly as home prices.
The emergence of the subprime market was accompanied by a number of changes in the structure of mortgage lending. Traditionally, a person who wanted a mortgage loan dealt with a bank or a savings and loan institution, which granted the loan (or refused to grant it), financed the loan with deposits, collected the payments, and foreclosed on the property if the payments weren't made. Today, these activities are much more likely to be carried out by separate institutions. For example, a majority of subprime mortgages are originated by mortgage brokers—intermediaries that earn a fee by bringing borrowers and lenders together. Once the loans are made, the lenders often resell the resulting mortgages.
Beginning in the 1990s, the securitization of mortgage loans became quite popular. This practice involves bundling groups of loans with similar characteristics and selling claims on the cash flows from these bundles, called mortgage-backed securities (MBSs). Most commonly, MBSs are sold to institutional investors by investment banks. Investors in mortgage-backed securities include insurance companies, mutual funds, pension funds, and hedge funds, among others. The securitization of subprime loans increased from about 32 percent of all such loans in 1994 to about 78 percent in 2006.3 This development meant that much of the relatively high risk associated with subprime loans was spread among a large number of investors, rather than a relatively small number of lending institutions.
Over the same period a number of new kinds of mortgages were developed to supplement the traditional fixed-rate mortgage. Especially important in the subprime market are various kinds of adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). The interest rate in an ARM changes (resets) at regular intervals—once a year, for example—in response to changes in some index, such as the prime rate. Many subprime ARMs are hybrids that start with low “teaser” rates that remain constant for a certain period, typically two or three years. After that period is over, the mortgage “resets.” Thereafter, it is adjusted periodically.
In addition, no-documentation loans appeared in the early 2000s as housing prices began their rapid rise. With these loans, lenders do not even ask for verification of the borrower's income.
What Went Wrong?
Many observers touted the benefits of subprime loans in enabling previously disadvantaged groups, such as those living in poor or minority neighborhoods, to become homeowners. In addition, lenders initially earned large profits by charging these borrowers high interest rates and, because so many of the mortgages were securitized, a relatively large number of investors earned high returns.
So how did this evidently great idea turn into an economic disaster? Remember that subprime borrowers are risky borrowers—they're considered more likely to default on their loans. And that's just what happened. Beginning in 2006, more and more subprime borrowers fell behind on their loan payments, and many of them ended up defaulting. This began a long upward trend in foreclosures that showed little sign of slowing even by the end of 2010. Several economic conditions contributed to the high rate of defaults. For one thing, the prime rate of interest, which had been declining or holding steady since 2001, began to rise in 2004, affecting the rate to which interest on ARMs was reset. To further complicate the situation, housing prices, which had been increasing steadily, began to drop in 2006, leaving some buyers owing more than the current value of their homes.
As a result of the large number of defaults, subprime lenders found themselves in deep financial trouble, and some top lenders filed for bankruptcy. Lenders were originating fewer loans and were finding it difficult to sell those that they had originated. Investment bankers who had purchased loans and securitized them, also suffered. In order to get the highest possible prices, they had retained some exposure to the riskiest parts of the loan bundles that they sold. As the default rates on loans underlying MBSs increased, the investment bankers suffered losses, as did the investors who bought the securities.
As investors in other types of fixed-income securities saw what was happening to the values of securitized subprime mortgages, they became concerned about the values of similar securitized debt instruments, such as collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). CLOs are securitized business loans, which included business loans that had been used to fund leveraged buyouts and were therefore also quite risky. Investors' concerns caused prices for CLOs to decline rapidly. In addition, banks and other lenders began to tighten their credit standards, which made it more difficult for businesses and individuals to get loans, further contributing to a general weakening of the economy.
Who's to Blame?
Inevitably, observers looked around for someone to blame for the subprime crisis. And they came up with a long list of candidates, from the homebuyers themselves (who should have been more prudent) to the SEC and the Federal Reserve (who should have been paying closer attention). Few disagree, though, that those promoting subprime mortgages—such as mortgage brokers and lenders—must bear at least a part of the blame.
Motivated by the potential to earn a lot of money in a rapidly expanding market, many of these players turned their backs on ethical standards. “In the feeding frenzy for housing loans,” according to one writer, “basic quality controls were ignored in the mortgage business, while the big Wall Street investment banks that backed these firms looked the other way.”4 Problems existed at many levels, as a few examples show:
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Mortgage lenders did not adequately monitor what the mortgage brokers were doing. In fact, some allege that they were willing to make virtually any loan that brokers sent their way. With little oversight, the brokers did not have a strong incentive to carefully evaluate the ability of borrowers to repay the mortgages. They filled out the loan paperwork that they submitted to the lenders without verifying all of the information and, it has been alleged, in some cases actually misrepresented the facts.
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Appraisers inflated the market value of houses, causing consumers to take out mortgages that did not reflect their houses' true value. According to several national studies, lenders commonly pressured appraisers to value a property at whatever amount was needed to allow a high-priced sale to close.5 Willingness to inflate appraisals also made some appraisers attractive to unscrupulous mortgage brokers, who were an important source of their business. The attorneys general of several states filed suit against mortgage and appraisal firms, claiming that they engaged in this practice.
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Mortgage companies lured buyers with teaser rates and other loan terms that appeared favorable but, in the longer run, were not. (Some have called these terms “toxic.”) Mortgage agreements often included prepayment penalties that would make it very expensive for buyers to refinance later. Many subprime buyers weren't experienced or sophisticated enough to fully understand the terms, but lenders and brokers were interested in pushing through the loans—not in explaining the loan terms.
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Many subprime mortgages were “no-doc” loans, which required little or no documentation of income. These loans, claimed one observer, “were available to anyone with a pulse.” Opportunities for abuse are obvious—and not restricted to borrowers. A former employee of Ameriquest Mortgage Corp. stated that it was “a common and open practice at Ameriquest for account executives to forge or alter borrower information or loan documents. … I saw account executives openly engage in conduct such as altering borrowers' W-2 forms or pay stubs, photocopying borrower signatures and copying them onto other, unsigned documents, and similar conduct.”6
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As bonds backed by subprime mortgages became more popular and profitable, investment banks—eager to bundle more mortgages—loosened their standards. The quality of the loans being bundled began to slide as the popularity of subprime mortgages grew, according to the consultants (called due-diligence firms) hired by the bankers to evaluate loan quality. However, many investment banking firms overlooked the problem—and, as a result, passed ever-higher risk along to the investors who bought their mortgage-backed securities.
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Investors in the MBSs did not fully understand the risks associated with them. The way in which the mortgages were bundled made it difficult for investors to value the MBSs. They were so complex that many investors apparently relied on investment bankers to tell them what they were worth. The investment bankers apparently did not understand or simply failed to inform investors of all the risks. Some investors probably also got a bit greedy.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS


7.1  
What were the responsibilities of the mortgage brokers to borrowers? To lenders? To investors? How well did they fulfill their responsibilities? Why?
7.2  
Did some subprime lenders behave unethically? If so, how? Whose interests did the subprime lenders have a responsibility to represent? Did they adequately represent those interests?

7.3  
What motivated the investment bankers to get involved in the subprime market? Did they behave appropriately? Why or why not?
7.4  
Should the borrowers (homeowners) share in the blame? If so, how?


7.5  
What about the investors in MBSs? What could they have done differently?
7.6  
What can be done to prevent future blowups like the one that occurred in the subprime market?


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Essay on Orientalism




Topic:

Read Chapter 6 of our text and Edward Said's "Orientalism Reconsidered" posted on Moodle. Summarize 2 of Said's main points IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Next, use Said's critical perspective to discuss 2 Orientalist paintings by Gerome and Ingres reproduced in Chapter 6 of our text or 2 others by Gerome and Ingres. Identify each painting with the artist, title, and date. Describe each painting carefully. What aspects of each painting is Orientalist? How do the paintings illustrate Said's argument? Conclude your essay with a discussion of how you see Orientalism operating in our country today. Identify at least 2 film or television images that embody Orientalist perspectives.


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History Essay on Manifest Destiny



Instruction:  Utilizing Rodolfo Acuna's Occupied America, Lisbeth Haas, Saint and Citizens the film Foreigners in their Own Land and lecture notes, consider the impact of the Monroe Doctrine, Manifest Destiny, diplomatic attempts to purchase parts of Mexico, and ultimately the Mexican American War.  Write an essay in which you address the following points.

a.  Address the Significance and consequences of 19th Century US Foreign Policy and early diplomatic and legislative attempts by the US government to expand westward and throughout the hemisphere. What, if anything, does this tell us about the US design for western hemisphere?

b.  Discuss the functions of Social Constructs, Legal Constructs and Social Positionality as they pertain to legislative and judicial rulings in the 19th Century California.  Compare these to the US conquest and colonization of one of the following states: Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona.  Identify and discuss key patterns of similarity and key items of difference  as they relate to the themes of conquest and responses to it.

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Essay on Religious Study





Instructions: Answer the following: 1) How true is Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward's statement: "Sexual justice Is the most trivialized, feared, and postponed dimensions of social justice in western society, and possibly the world"? 2) In the above religious declarations on sexual morality, which declaration most fits Leonardo Boff's principles of hospitality, co-living, respect, and tolerance. 3) Define the terms: (you may use the internet) Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Heterosexism, Abilism. 4) In The Bible Tells Me So, which story of a person has had a significant impact upon yourself? Why? 5) Which document do you feel comfortable: The Manhattan Declaration or the Declaration on Sexuality, Justice, and Healing? I need you to answer these questions as detailed as possible. Here are the sources you need to use:http://www.religiousinstitute.org/religious-declaration-on-sexual-morality-justice-and-healingThe Manhattan Declaration: http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/the-declaration/read.aspx

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Accounting Essay on Artists' Rights and the Lady Tramp



ARTISTS' RIGHTS AND LADY AND THE TRAMP


In 1952, singer Peggy Lee entered an agreement with Disney to work on the animated film Lady and the Tramp. Peggy Lee wrote six songs, sang three, and was the voice for four characters in the 1955 film.  Lee was paid $3,500 for her participation.  Disney retained all rights to revenues earned from distributing the movie to theatres and television broadcasting companies in domestic and foreign markets. Lee retained the right to residual payments at 12.5% for such items as phonographic recordings sold to the public.

Specifically, the contract gave Disney the right to distribute the film including the rights to “any other technology yet to be invented,” but § 12(b) of the agreement provided that

Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, it is agreed that nothing in this agreement contained shall be construed as granting to us (Disney) the right to make phonograph recordings and/or transcriptions for sale to the public, wherein results or proceeds of your services hereunder are used.

In 1987 Disney began distributing videocassettes of the film. Lee sued in March 1988, claiming she was entitled to $9 million.  Specifically she claimed that she was entitled to 12.5% of the profits Disney generated from the sales of videocassettes of Lady and the Tramp on the basis that the distribution of the videocassettes was not authorized by the 1952 contract. Disney countered that the distribution of the videocassettes was authorized in the contract and that Lee was therefore entitled only to residual payments for her songs and voice performances, which would be capped (under union rules) at $381,000.

Disney introduced evidence that it was their “custom, practice and usage” not to allow profit participation deals for voice performers in animated movies, a policy which “evolved,” according to the testimony of Roy Disney, “from the notion of absolute ownership, no strings attached…It stems from bad experiences Dad and Walt had in the ’20s.” Further, there was testimony from Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid (released in 1989), and Cheech Marin, a voice in Oliver & Co. (released in 1988), who each testified that Disney did not give voice actors profit participation deals. 2



Assume that Lee prevails in the lawsuit; calculate the amount of Lee's damages based on 12.5% of profits. Support your calculation with an explanation of your logic.
croon:
Exhibit 1 Lady & the Tramp Project Income Statement *
For the year ended 12/31/87

Sales  $      72,236,000
Cost of Goods Sold 31,963,480
Marketing Expenses 3,487,316
General & Administrative 9,545,460
Profit before Tax  $      27,239,744

*These are fictitious statements and do not represent the actual results that Disney received from Lady and the Tramp.

Notes:
• Cost of Goods Sold includes the costs to produce the videocassettes for sale to the public.
• Marketing Expenses include the direct expenses of marketing and distributing these videocassettes to the public.
• General and Administrative expenses are the indirect costs of running Buena Vista Home Video.  They are allocated to each project of Buena Vista based on a formula.  The formula is each project's sales revenue divided by total sales revenue generated by all projects multiplied by the total general and administrative costs of Buena Vista.
• Individual projects of Buena Vista are not charged income tax expense since taxes are determined on Disney's worldwide operations.


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An Empirical Investigation on the Portfolio Performance of Different Equity Investment Styles


Topic: An Empirical Investigation on the Portfolio Performance of Different Equity Investment Styles






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Finance Paper - Greenwich Corporation




You have been hired as a management consultant by Greenwich Corporation to evaluate whether it has an appropriate amount of debt (the company is worried about a leveraged buyout).  You have collected the following information on Greenwich current position.
There are 200,000 shares outstanding at $15/share.  The stock has a beta of 1.15. The company has $300,000 in long-term debt outstanding and its currently rated ‘BBB.’  The current market interest rate is 7.5% on BBB bonds and 3.75% on T. Bills. 
The company’s marginal tax rate is 18%
You proceed to collect the data on what increasing debt will do to the company’s ratings:

Additional Debt*                              New Rating                         Interest Rate
$200,000                                              BB                                                           8.5%
$400,000                                              B                                                             9.5%
$600,000                                              B                                                             11.0%
$800,000                                              C                                                             12.5%

*In addition to the existing debt of $300,000
a. How much additional debt should the company take on?
b. What will the price per share be after the company’ takes on new debt?
c. What is the weighted average cost of capital before and after the additional debt?