What have you learned about society this week?

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Read, and answer, Rhythm 0: Abramovic

I’d like you to think about the power of statuses and roles.

Every day in our lives, we move in and out of a variety of social statuses and roles.  Maybe in any given day you’re a student, employee (or boss), son, mother, friend, and so on.  Right this very moment, you are being a role.  Your status/role of ‘student’ is having a significant impact on your behavior.  You’re sitting at the screen, reading these words, concentrating and focusing on what you need to learn in sociology.  These behaviors certainly aren’t your ‘personality’ or the ‘real you.’  These behaviors reflect the expectations of the student role; students are SUPPOSED to do the readings and study.  That’s why you’re doing these things now.  The student role (which you didn’t create, but society did) tells you that you need to do these things.  And so you do them.  Maybe earlier today, while at work, you acted a certain way in front of your co-workers or customers because your job EXPECTS that kind of behavior from you.  I remember working in retail and wanting to completely curse out an annoying customer or yell at my boss for being a jerk.  I didn’t do these things, though, even when I really wanted to.  I acted a way that was not reflective of me, my thoughts, or my desires.  All of us do this, probably much more often than we consciously realize.  I think about my role as ‘mother’ and how sometimes I act differently in front of my child than what my personality tells me.  Just a few months ago, my three-year-old daughter was chugging a glass of orange juice.  After she drank the whole cup, she emphatically placed it on the table and passionately declared, “That orange juice was fucking awesome!”  My husband and I couldn’t believe our ears.  My first inclination, and you may be shocked to hear this, was to laugh.  She didn’t mean anything bad by it – she just meant that the orange juice was really, really good.  She didn’t use the word in a mean or cruel way.  She used it in the perfect context.  But in the role of ‘mother,’ I knew that I probably shouldn’t laugh because my laughter might encourage her to say it all the time (and before you know it, she’d be running around preschool dropping f-bombs!).  So I *wanted* to laugh, but I didn’t.  The role (or social expectations) of ‘mother’ kind of overrode my personal reaction. Other times, I notice that the social role of ‘female’ can profoundly shape how I behave – how I cross my legs when I sit, hide my burps from others, smile more often at strangers, and so on.  Statuses and roles profoundly impact us all.

Sometimes (or maybe a lot of times) people do things as a result of their statuses or roles that they wouldn’t otherwise do, and sometimes this can have tragic results.  Researchers think that perhaps gang rapes are an example of this.  The seminar reading for this week is probably another an example of such a thing; it’s about a group of American soldiers who committed atrocities and massacres during the Vietnam War, in part because of their status/roles and group membership.  The Stanford Prison Experiment also looks at the power of a status or role to shape our behavior.  So this leads us to ask…if we are many different statuses and roles throughout any given day, are we living our lives being ‘ourselves’ or are we just being our statuses and roles?  Do our roles define who we are, or are we more than our roles?

I’d like you to click on the link below, and watch the video provided for you there.  It’s about a piece of performance art that was done in Italy in 1974.  The artist is Marina Abramovic and the piece is called “Rhythm 0.”  While you watch this piece, please think about the statuses and roles that are at play here.  How are the statuses and roles of the people in this clip shaping their behavior?  How is the social context of the situation enabling people to do things that they might not otherwise do?  It is a powerful piece.  You have the option of doing an extra credit assignment about this video, so look for that in the module.  (And, by the way, the artist is referring to semen near the end of the clip when she talks about her hair.)

https://vimeo.com/71952791 

 

 

  • Were you surprised by the Abramovic “Rhythm 0” piece?  Why/why not?
  • If this performance art were performed in modern day America, what do you think would happen?
  • Consider the statuses and roles that are at play in “Rhythm 0.”  How are the statuses and roles of the people in the clip shaping their behavior?
  • How is the social situation enabling people to do things that they might not otherwise do?  Explain.
  • Can you think of any other social situations in which people might do things (even “bad” things) that they wouldn’t have otherwise done?  What does this teach us about the power of social groups and the pressure to conform?
  • What have you learned about society this week?  What have you learned about yourself?

Assignment 2 Improving Corrections Facilities – The Maryland

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Go to the Department of Corrections’ Website for your state, and research two (2) of your state’s correctional facilities. Next, use the Internet and Strayer Library to research the budgetary constraints that correctional officials must adhere to in order to operate correctional facilities.

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

  1. Determine whether diversion programs are only beneficial to offenders charged with misdemeanors and non-violent felonies or whether they are also beneficial to offenders charged with felonies and violent crimes. Recommend whether or not the two (2) correctional facilities that you researched would benefit from diversion programs. Provide a rationale for your response.
  2. Take a position as to whether or not privatized correctional facilities are better alternatives to public correctional facilities. Support your position with one (1) successful example what you believe to be the better alternative.
  3. Examine the budgetary constraints that correctional officials work with as they operate correctional facilities. Determine the major trade-offs made between the policy for proper funding and the practice of proper funding to prevent recidivism. Provide a rationale for your response.
  4. Use at least four (4) peer-reviewed sources. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
  • Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Recommend improvements to selected areas of corrections.
  • Analyze various issues in corrections, including effective community corrections programs, probation and parole, and reentry strategies.
  • Analyze the operational components of prisons, jails, and alternative correctional placements.
  • Propose specific components of an institutional facility model based on effective management policies and procedures for a specified group of inmates.
  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in correctional facility policies.
  • Write clearly and concisely about correctional facility policies using proper writing mechanics.

Financial Reporting – Horizontal & Vertical Analysis

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For this assignment, due in Module Four, you will submit both a horizontal and vertical analysis of Starbucks’ accounts receivable, fixed assets, and debt financing. Use basic financial analysis to examine any horizontal and any vertical changes in Starbucks’ accounts receivable, fixed assets, and debt financing balances over time. Be sure also to discuss how Starbucks’ methods for accounting for receivables and evaluating uncollectible receivables, purchase of fixed assets, and methods of debt financing impact the recording process and presentation of financial statements (Critical Element II). In other words, what are this company’s methods for accounting for receivables and evaluating uncollectible receivables? What types of fixed assets are acquired, and what methods are preferred for debt financing? How do those affect how financial information is communicated?

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

 

 

 

II. Horizontal and Vertical Analysis: In this section, you will conduct horizontal and vertical analyses for the balance sheet and income statement accounts and report any significant observations for a two-year period. You should include a table of your calculations as an appendix to your analysis. Include all calculations in an Excel document. Specifically discuss the following categories:

 

 

  1. Accounts Receivable:
    1. Use basic financial analysis to examine any horizontal changes in Starbucks’ accounts receivable balances over time.
    2. Use basic financial analysis to examine any vertical changes in Starbucks’ accounts receivable balances over time.
    3. Analyze how Starbucks’ methods for accounting for receivables and evaluating uncollectible receivables impact the recording process and

      presentation of financial statements. In other words, what are this company’s methods for accounting for receivables and evaluating

      uncollectible receivables, and how do those affect how financial information is communicated?

  2. Asset Acquisition, Depreciation, and Amortization:
    1. Use basic financial analysis to examine any horizontal changes in Starbucks’ fixed assets, intangible assets, depreciation, and amortization over time.
    2. Use basic financial analysis to examine any vertical changes in Starbucks’ fixed assets, intangible assets, depreciation, and amortization over time.
    3. Analyze Starbucks’ methods for fixed asset and intangible asset acquisitions as well as depreciation and amortization, including asset categorization. How do these methods affect the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows?
  3. Debt Financing
    1. Use basic financial analysis to examine any horizontal changes in Starbucks’ short- and long-term debt over time.
    2. Use basic financial analysis to examine any vertical changes in Starbucks’ short- and long-term debt over time.
    3. Analyze Starbucks’ method of debt financing. In your analysis, you should address both current and long-term liabilities, including the

      issuance of bonds.

The _____ Is The Price At Which A Bank Or Financial

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Question

The _____ is the price at which a bank or financial services firm is willing to buy a specific currency.

Question 1 options:

1) exchange rate

2) foreign exchange

3) bid

4) ask

5) spread

Question 2 (1 point)

Which of the following is true for the term “spot exchange rate”?

Question 2 options:

1) It refers to the technique of protecting against the potential losses that result from adverse changes in exchange rates.

2) It refers to the simultaneous and instantaneous purchase and sale of a currency for a profit.

3) It refers to the exchange rates that require immediate settlement with delivery of the traded currency.

4) It refers to the practice of buying and selling a currency with the expectation that the value will change and result in a profit.

5) It refers to the exchange rate between two currencies, neither of which is the official currency in the country in which the quote is provided.

Question 3 (1 point)

A currency swap helps a firm to reduce its foreign exchange rate risk by simultaneously locking into the price for two transactions of a currency.

Question 3 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 4 (1 point)

An organization makes use of the spot rate for making an immediate payment. The organization does not face the risk of the currency increasing or decreasing in value.

Question 4 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 5 (1 point)

Non-finance companies prefer currency arbitrage and speculation while making investments, as they are not a risk and there are high gain methods of earning profits.

Question 5 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 6 (1 point)

Which of the following is true for futures contracts?

Question 6 options:

1) They do not have standardized terms.

2) They have clearinghouses that guarantee the transactions.

3) They are private contracts between two parties.

4) The parties have a higher risk of defaulting on a contract.

5)The settlement of a futures contract occurs at the end of the contract.

Question 7 (1 point)

The only reason a saver puts his cash at risk in the capital market is if the returns on the investment are greater than returns on holding risk-free assets.

Question 7 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 8 (1 point)

A company operating globally must deal in foreign currencies, as it has to pay suppliers in other countries with a currency different from its home country’s currency.

Question 8 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 9 (1 point)

In the forward markets, foreign exchange is always quoted against the U.S. dollar.

Question 9 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 10 (1 point)

A _____ is a system in which people, companies, and governments with an excess of funds transfer those funds to people, companies, and governments that have a shortage of funds.

Question 10 options:

1) forward contract

2) currency swap

3) currency conversion

4) capital market

Question 11 (1 point)

If a European company opts to buy shirts from India with payment due in 60 days, it would be able to access the forward market to enter into a contract to lock in a future price for its payment. This would enable the European firm to protect itself against depreciation of the euro, which would require more euros to buy one Indian rupee. This contract is referred to as a(n):

Question 11 options:

1) option contract.

2) forward contract.

3) implicit contract.

4) voidable contract.

5) quasi-contract.

Question 12 (1 point)

VCs are characterized primarily by their investments in smaller, high-growth firms that are considered riskier than traditional investments.

Question 12 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 13 (1 point)

A movie production house makes a gross profit of $10 million from a movie release. If the company spends $4 million, including taxes and all expenses, then it has $6 million in profits. The company can invest the $6 million in the bonds of a company. Making such an investment is riskier than keeping the $6 million in a savings account. The financial officer hopes that over the long term, the investment will yield greater returns than cash holdings or interest on a savings account. This is an example of a form of:

Question 13 options:

1) direct finance.

2) indirect finance.

3) currency swap.

4) currency conversion.

5) cross rate.

Question 14 (1 point)

Currency arbitrage refers to the:

Question 14 options:

1) conversion of one currency into another.

2) technique of protecting against the potential losses that result from adverse changes in exchange rates.

3) simultaneous and instantaneous purchase and sale of a currency for a profit.

4) price at which a bank or a financial services firm is willing to sell a currency.

5) practice of buying and selling a currency with the expectation that the value will change and result in a profit.

Question 15 (1 point)

The indirect quote method follows the American terms for noting the base and quoted currency.

Question 15 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 16 (1 point)

Companies use hedging as a way to protect themselves if there is a time lag between when they bill and receive payment from a customer.

Question 16 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 17 (1 point)

Which of the following is true of equity securities?

Question 17 options:

1) It refers to the technique of protecting against the potential losses that result from adverse changes in exchange rates.

2) It refers to a loan from the investor to a company or government entity.

3) It refers to the simultaneous and instantaneous purchase and sale of a currency for a profit.

4) It refers to the ownership of a part of a company.

Question 18 (1 point)

_____ refers to the money of one country denominated in the currency of another country or a group of countries.

Question 18 options:

1) Forward rate

2) Foreign exchange

3) Stock exchange

4) Equity swap

5) Loan

Question 19 (1 point)

A _____ is a simultaneous buy and sell of a currency for two different dates.

Question 19 options:

1) spot rate

2) currency conversion

3) currency futures contract

4) currency swap

5) currency option

Question 20 (1 point)

Speculators, who bet on the direction in which a currency’s price will move, frequently employ:

Question 20 options:

1) forward contracts.

2) a bid.

3) an ask.

4) currency futures contracts.

5) a cross rate.

Question 21 (1 point)

In an indirect quote, the domestic currency is a variable amount and the foreign currency is fixed at one unit.

Question 21 options:

1) True

2) False

Question 22 (1 point)

Suppose we quote the number of Indian rupees required to purchase 1 U.S. dollar as INR 45 / USD 1. In this case, INR is referred to as:

Question 22 options:

1) currency hedging.

2) base currency.

3) currency speculation.

4) currency arbitrage.

5) quoted currency.