...A Behavioural Finance view of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster of 2010 INTRODUCTION The Deepwater Horizon disaster of 2010 was the largest accidental marine oil spill the oil industry has ever seen. It claimed 11 lives and caused huge environmental damage on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico by discharging circa 4.9 million barrels of oil. There have been numerous enquiries and studies into the accident to try to understand what happened, the goal of the enquiries was to establish where the fault and therefore guilt lay in order to ascertain compensation. This report attempts to apply key concepts from behavioural finance with a view to understanding the thought processes behind the decisions that were made. In the last decades there have been a lot of studies documenting the impact of psychological traits on the decisions made by managers. This report while touching on them, will not go into detail regarding the various technical difficulties encountered on the Deepwater Horizon and will instead focus on understanding the thought process of the various players involved. We will also briefly cover BP’s historical safety record as this will help us understand some of the behavioural factors in play within the organization. While BP was the principal on the Deepwater Horizon rig there were also other parties like Transocean , the rig operator, Halliburton, who operated in a consultancy position, Anadarko and Schlumberger. These companies played a part in the crisis and their...
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...Interdependence and Conflict: An Introduction Edward D. Mansfield and Brian M. Pollins Over the past few decades, there has been a surge of interest in the relationship between economic interdependence and political con›ict. One view that has gained considerable popularity and empirical support is that heightened interdependence fosters cooperative political relations. Voiced with increasing regularity in both academic and policy circles, this claim has been used to help justify the formation of the European Economic Community, Richard Nixon’s opening to China, Willy Brandt’s Ostpolitik, and Henry Kissinger’s conception of détente with the Soviet Union. Nonetheless, critics of this argument have not been stilled. Some observers maintain that, rather than fostering cooperation, increased interdependence generates political discord. Even more widespread is the argument that economic exchange has no strong bearing on the high politics of national security. This debate is hardly new. For centuries, the nature and strength of the links between interdependence and con›ict have been the subject of heated disagreement. Until lately, however, these links remained the subject of remarkably little systematic scrutiny. In recent years, a growing number of studies have attempted to ‹ll this gap in the literature, but they have yet to resolve various crucial questions. Most important, how and to what extent does interdependence in›uence political antagonism? What are the causal...
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...Crime, Corruption and Cover-ups in the Chicago Police Department Anti-Corruption Report Number 7 January 17, 2013 Authored by: John Hagedorn Bart Kmiecik Dick Simpson Thomas J. Gradel Melissa Mouritsen Zmuda David Sterrett With Ivana Savic Justin Escamilla Magdalena Waluszko Dalibor Jurisic Tricia Chebat Published by University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Political Science 1 The Chicago Police Department has a legacy of both heroism and corruption. On the one hand, the department’s officers risk their lives on a daily basis to enforce the law, protect the public and preserve the peace. On the other hand, Chicago has a checkered history of police scandals and an embarrassingly long list of police officers who have crossed the line to engage in brutality, corruption and criminal activity. An analysis of five decades of news reports reveals that since 1960, a total of 295 Chicago Police officers have been convicted of serious crimes, such as drug dealing, beatings of civilians, destroying evidence, protecting mobsters, theft and murder. Moreover, the listing of police convicted of crimes undoubtedly underestimates the problem of corruption in the Chicago Police Department (CPD). The list does not include undetected and unreported illegal activity, serious misconduct resulting in internal disciplinary action, and officers who retire rather than face charges. Our analysis of police corruption in Chicago yields four major findings. First, corruption has long persisted...
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...Cross-Cultural Communication Theory and Practice Barry Tomalin; Brian J. Hurn ISBN: 9780230391147 DOI: 10.1057/9780230391147 Palgrave Macmillan Please respect intellectual property rights This material is copyright and its use is restricted by our standard site license terms and conditions (see palgraveconnect.com/pc/connect/info/terms_conditions.html). If you plan to copy, distribute or share in any format, including, for the avoidance of doubt, posting on websites, you need the express prior permission of Palgrave Macmillan. To request permission please contact rights@palgrave.com. Cross-Cultural Communication 10.1057/9780230391147 - Cross-Cultural Communication, Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to Griffith University - PalgraveConnect - 2014-04-12 This page intentionally left blank 10.1057/9780230391147 - Cross-Cultural Communication, Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to Griffith University - PalgraveConnect - 2014-04-12 Cross-Cultural Communication Theory and Practice Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to Griffith University - PalgraveConnect - 2014-04-12 10.1057/9780230391147 - Cross-Cultural Communication, Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin © Brian J. Hurn and Barry Tomalin 2013 Foreword © Jack Spence 2013 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this...
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...Derivatives Debacles Case Studies of Large Losses in Derivatives Markets Anatoli Kuprianov To avoid all mistakes in the conduct of great enterprises is beyond man’s powers. Plutarch, Lives: Fabius. ecent years have witnessed numerous accounts of derivatives-related losses on the part of established and reputable firms. These episodes have precipitated concern, and even alarm, over the recent rapid growth of derivatives markets and the dangers posed by the widespread use of such instruments. What lessons do these events hold for policymakers? Do they indicate the need for stricter government supervision of derivatives markets, or for new laws and regulations to limit the use of these instruments? A better understanding of the events surrounding recent derivatives debacles can help to answer such questions. This article presents accounts of two of the costliest and most highly publicized derivatives-related losses to date. The episodes examined involve the firms of Metallgesellschaft AG and Barings PLC. Each account begins with a review of the events leading to the derivatives-related loss in question, followed by an analysis of the factors responsible for the debacle. Both incidents raise a number of public policy questions: Can government intervention stop such incidents from happening again? Is it appropriate for the government even to try? And if so, what reforms are indicated? These issues are addressed at the end of each case study, where the lessons and public policy...
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...Implementation and Development of Vehicle Tracking and Immobilization Technologies MTI Report 09-04 MINETA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE The Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies (MTI) was established by Congress as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. Reauthorized in 1998, MTI was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation through a competitive process in 2002 as a national “Center of Excellence.” The Institute is funded by Congress through the United States Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, the California Legislature through the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and by private grants and donations. The Institute receives oversight from an internationally respected Board of Trustees whose members represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI’s focus on policy and management resulted from a Board assessment of the industry’s unmet needs and led directly to the choice of the San José State University College of Business as the Institute’s home. The Board provides policy direction, assists with needs assessment, and connects the Institute and its programs with the international transportation community. MTI’s transportation policy work is centered on three primary responsibilities: Research MTI works to provide policy-oriented research for all levels of government and the private sector to foster the development of optimum surface...
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...M A G A Z I N E FA L L 2 0 0 2 Volume 20 Number 2 SPANNING THE GLOBE Duke Leads the Way in International Law Teaching and Scholarship inside plus Duke admits smaller, exceptionally well-qualified class Duke’s Global Capital Markets Center to launch new Directors’ Education Institute from the dean Dear Alumni and Friends, It is not possible, these days, for a top law school to be anything other than an international one. At Duke Law, we no longer think of “international” as a separate category. Virtually everything we do has some international dimension, whether it concerns international treaties and protocols, commercial transactions across national borders, international child custody disputes, criminal behavior that violates international human rights law, international sports competitions, global environmental regulation, international terrorism, or any number of other topics. And, of course, there is little that we do at Duke that does not involve scholars and students from other countries, who are entirely integrated with U.S. scholars and students. Students enrolled in our joint JD/LLM program in international and comparative law receive an in-depth education in both the public and private aspects of international and comparative law, enriched by the ubiquitous presence of foreign students; likewise, the foreign lawyers who enroll in our one-year LLM program in American law enroll in the same courses, attend the same conferences...
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...Ethical Dilemma Week 8 The Death of Freddie Gray By Hope Schwegler May 4, 2015 Phil 2003 Principles of Ethics Professor Margaret De Alminana ‘On April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray, a 25 year old African American male, was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department. He had a known unethical character and had been involved in twenty criminal court cases, five of which were still active at the time of his death. He was due in court on a possession charge on April 24, 2015. Freddie Gray died on April 19, 2015, due to injuries to his spinal cord. On April 21, 2015, pending an investigation of incident, six Baltimore police officers were temporarily suspended with pay. On May 1, 2015, state prosecutors in Baltimore received a medical examiner’s report ruling Gray’s death as a homicide. Was it foul play that was intentional, gross negligence, or inflicted self harm by the prisoner? We identified “Rae’s first step in making a moral decision is to gather the facts.” Much of the other information had conflicting reports and statements. So what are the “ethical issues that Rae has for level two” in the model for making moral decisions? The formal charge filed by Office Garrett Miller accused Gray of violating statute 19 59 22, “unlawfully carry, possess, and sell a knife commonly called a switch blade knife, with an automatic spring or other device for opening and/or closing the blade within the limits of Baltimore City.” The prosecutor alleged that Gray’s arrest was unlawful...
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...M A G A Z I N E FA L L 2 0 0 2 Volume 20 Number 2 SPANNING THE GLOBE Duke Leads the Way in International Law Teaching and Scholarship inside plus Duke admits smaller, exceptionally well-qualified class Duke’s Global Capital Markets Center to launch new Directors’ Education Institute from the dean Dear Alumni and Friends, It is not possible, these days, for a top law school to be anything other than an international one. At Duke Law, we no longer think of “international” as a separate category. Virtually everything we do has some international dimension, whether it concerns international treaties and protocols, commercial transactions across national borders, international child custody disputes, criminal behavior that violates international human rights law, international sports competitions, global environmental regulation, international terrorism, or any number of other topics. And, of course, there is little that we do at Duke that does not involve scholars and students from other countries, who are entirely integrated with U.S. scholars and students. Students enrolled in our joint JD/LLM program in international and comparative law receive an in-depth education in both the public and private aspects of international and comparative law, enriched by the ubiquitous presence of foreign students; likewise, the foreign lawyers who enroll in our one-year LLM program in American law enroll in the same courses, attend the same conferences...
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...ISSN: 0730-5748 JOURNAL OF UFO STUDIES New Series, Vol. 6 1995/1996 CONTENTS ARTICLES Editorial ..................... ......................... ............................................................ Stuart Appelle Psychotherapy for the UFO Abduction Experience ..... ..... .......... ........ David A. Gotlib The Abduction Experience: A Critical Evaluation of Theory and Evidence ............... .. .............................. ........... ............ ...... ............... ........................ Stuart Appelle Anomalous Images on Videotape from Space Shuttle Flight STS-48: Examination of the Ice-Particle Explanation ................... ............. ......... Jack Kasher The University of Colorado UFO Project: The "Scientific Study of UFOs" ... .......................................................... ....... .......... Michael D. Swords A Reference Guide for the Condon Report ..... .. ... ............... ......................... Willy Smith Donald E. Keyhoe and the Pentagon: The Rise of Interest in the UFO Phenomenon and What the Government Really Knew .............. ................... ........ .......... .. .... ... ........... ....... ..... Michael D. Swords Fewer Sightings in the National Press: A Content Analysis of UFO News Coverage in The New York Times, 1947-1995 .......... ................ John C. Hickman, E. Dale McConkey II, and Matthew A. Barrett COMMENTS AND RESPONSES Robert R. Young, John S. Carpenter ...... ............... ... ......... .......
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...emeraldinsight.com/1352-2752.htm YouTube: an opportunity for consumer narrative analysis? Stefano Pace ` Universita Bocconi, Milano, Italy Abstract Purpose – The aim of the paper is to discuss a possible extension of narrative analysis to a new medium of expression of consumer behaviour, specifically YouTube. Design/methodology/approach – Marketing and consumer behaviour studies often apply narrative analysis to understand consumption. The consumer is a source of introspective narratives that are studied by scholars. However, consumption has a narrative nature in itself and consumers are also storytellers. YouTube is a new context in which subjects tell stories to an audience through self-made videos and re-edited TV programs. After defining the pros and cons of different approaches to the study of YouTube, narrative analysis is presented as a possible means of understanding YouTube. Findings – Some preliminary evidence is presented by discussing several YouTube videos. These indicate that YouTube content can be better understood as stories, rather than example of other approaches, such as visual analysis, media studies, videography, and others. Research limitations/implications – From the analysis conducted, preliminary managerial implications can be drawn. It seems unlikely that normal TV broadcasters will be substituted by YouTube videos. For the most part, YouTube content draws its sense and shared meaning from the major TV shows and series. The discursive nature of YouTube is also...
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...ENTERTAINMENT LTD / ENVISION ENTERTAINMENT / HERRICK ENTERTAINMENT / BOOM! STUDIOS A BALTASAR KORMÁKUR Film PAULA PATTON BILL PAXTON JAMES MARSDEN FRED WARD and EDWARD JAMES OLMOS Executive Producers BRANDT ANDERSEN JEFFREY STOTT MOTAZ M. NABULSI JOSHUA SKURLA MARK DAMON Produced by MARC PLATT RANDALL EMMETT NORTON HERRICK ADAM SIEGEL GEORGE FURLA ROSS RICHIE ANDREW COSBY Based on the BOOM! Studios Graphic Novels by STEVEN GRANT Screenplay by BLAKE MASTERS Directed by BALTASAR KORMÁKUR –1– CAST Waitress Margie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LINDSEY GORT Roughneck #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HILLEL M. SHARMAN Robert “Bobby” Trench . . . . . . . . . DENZEL WASHINGTON Roughneck #3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AARON ZELL Marcus “Stig” Stigman . . . . . . . . . . . . MARK WAHLBERG Roughneck #4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HENRY PENZI Deb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAULA PATTON CREW Earl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BILL PAXTON Admiral Tuwey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRED J. WARD Quince . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JAMES MARSDEN Directed by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BALTASAR KORMÁKUR Papi Greco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EDWARD JAMES OLMOS Screenplay by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BLAKE MASTERS Jessup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROBERT JOHN BURKE Based on...
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...http://www.historytoday.com/jerome-de-groot/signposts-historical-fiction These were some of the questions raised at a recent conference at the Institute of Historical Research at which History Today Editor, Paul Lay, hosted a discussion between Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall, and the Tudor historian David Loades. Historians often describe themselves as detectives, seeking out a kind of truth among the conflicting evidence of the past. There is, furthermore, a large and growing subgenre of historical crime fiction. From C.J. Sansom to Philip Pullman, from Orhan Pamuk to Walter Mosley, from Ellis Peters to Boris Akunin, novelists have been keen to use the past as a backdrop for their stories of detection and mystery. The most famous historical detective might be Brother William of Baskerville in Umberto Eco’s peerless The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa, 1980). Recently we have seen a flowering of historical crime fiction as the subgenre attains maturity and becomes increasingly popular and innovative. Jason Goodwin, Philip Kerr and Susan Hill were all shortlisted for the prestigious Crime Writers Association Dagger this year (recent historical winners include Arianna Franklin, Jake Arnott and Craig Russell). Clearly the combination of thriller, crime and historical detail is compelling. Anne Perry’s new Inspector Pitt novel, Betrayal at Lisson Grove (out in paperback from Headline this year) is a pacy, twisting thriller. It is 1895 and Pitt is up against a conspiracy...
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...http://cactus.eas.asu.edu/partha/Columns/04-16-AccidentInvention.htm Innovation through Accident Audrey was born in October 2000. Audrey was conceived with a lot of fanfare, much ado and of blue blood. She was well planned and conceived with high hopes. She had everything going for her—looks, money, fame, fortune, power, hype, high expectations and a perfect incubation. A scant six month later, Audrey died. Her parents wanted it to be a quiet affair, but it was not. The death of Audrey sent shock waves through the community. How can such a tragedy happen? In case you did not get to know or love Audrey, she was not human. She was a much-hyped breed of gadget called the Internet Appliance. A sleek looking thingamajig with a touch sensitive screen that wanted to adorn your kitchen counter. It is basically a stunted computer. It can surf the web, do basic Email, get stock quotes, check up on the weather, and some limited word processing all for a lot of money ($500 to get started, $22 per month henceforth). Alex was going on a vacation, to take time off from his job of growing bacterial cultures in little Petri dishes. He was studying the effects of mucus on Staph cultures in a somewhat grungy laboratory in London. He forgot to wash up his last batch before he went off, and when he came back two weeks later, he saw an amazing sight. A mold was all over the dish, but all the bacteria were dead. To cut a long story short, Alex, or rather Dr. Alexander Fleming, found...
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...Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies Information Security and Identity Management Committee (ISIMC) Network and Infrastructure Security Subcommittee (NISSC) Web 2.0 Security Working Group (W20SWG) Version 1.0 September 2009 This document is publicly releasable Intended Audience This document is intended as guidance for any federal agency that uses social media services to collaborate and communicate among employees, partners, other federal agencies, and the public. Note: The Federal CIO Council does not endorse the use or imply preference for any vendor commercial products or services mentioned in this document. Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies Page 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTENDED AUDIENCE............................................................................................................................................2 REVISION HISTORY ................................................................................................................................................4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .........................................................................................................................................6 RISKS ......................................................
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