Housing & Development Board Analysis Essay Example for Free

Housing Development Board Analysis Essay This is the highest rate of increase this year compared to the 0. 1-per cent drop in the first quarter and the 0. 4-per cent increase in the second quarter. It was also higher than the flash estimate of 0. 5 per cent released earlier this month. Meanwhile, resale prices of Housing Development Board (HDB) flats in Singapore hit a record high. HDBs Resale Price Index (RPI) rose from 194 in the second quarter of this year to 197. 9 in the third quarter. This represents an increase of two per cent over the previous quarter, the same as that of the flash estimate released on October 1. – Evidence for an increase demand for resale flats  But with a bumper crop of 27,000 Build-to-Order flats being rolled out this year, analysts said the resale market may be showing signs of moderating. Growth for the first three-quarters of this year is 3. 9 per cent. This is lower than the annual RPI growth of 14. 1 per cent in 2010, and 10. 7 per cent last year. Donald Han, special advisor at HSR Property Consultants, said: Buyers who are able to wait for the product to be completed in 24 to 36 months are getting better value proposition in terms of cheaper prices, and perhaps better amenities compared to one whos buying a resale flat. The volume of resale transactions also fell for the first time in 12 months. Resale transactions also fell by about six per cent from 7,011 cases in second quarter to 6,560 cases in the third. – Number of buyers dropped The last fall in resale transactions was in the third quarter of last year when transactions fell from 6,581 in the second quarter, to 5,903 in the third. Analysts said that this might not be because buyers are staying away, but because there is a short supply of resale flats in the market. – Reason for the decrease in the demand (Isnt this is for supply? The number of sellers in market. ) They added that this has pushed the median cash-over-valuation (COV) up by S$4,000 to S$5,000 compared to the last quarter. According to real estate firm Propnex, COVs hovered between S$25,000 and $28,000 in the first two quarters, before rising to $30,000 in Q3. This means a 20 per cent increase quarter-on-quarter. Chris Koh, director of Chris International, said: Regardless of whether there are BTO flats, if private property prices are too high, many are unable to afford private property. So they turn to a resale market to buy a flat instead. So you still see a strong demand from those not eligible to buy brand new flats, those who cant afford private property and have to buy a resale flat. Reason for the increase in the demand. (Price of related good) Theres one more group, I call them the downgraders. They have cashed out their private property, thats why they dont mind paying a premium for some of these resale flats. In the rental market, subletting transactions rose by about four per cent. The number of cases increased from 6,891 in the second quarter to 7,142 cases in the third quarter. The total number of HDB flats approved for subletting also rose to 42,920 units in the third quarter, compared to 41,814 units in the second. Mr Han said: In the last five years, prices have not gone south. In fact, prices have grown by 92 to 93 per cent since five years ago So, a lot of the able sellers are keeping it for hopefully higher capital returns for the next 12 months. (supply) If you look into a rental proposition, HDB rental flats if you look at average four-room or five-room, youre looking at roughly about S$2,000 to S$2,500 per month. It provides a very good fertile ground support for tenants out in the market looking for cheap accommodation. The yield coming from HDB apartments is fairly attractive as well, compared to other classes of residential property. Were looking at yields of 4. 5 to five per cent, compared to private properties which would be about 2. 5 to about 3. 5 per cent. Mr Koh added: Im not sure if theres a co-relation, but I wont deny that if prices of resale flats are too high, some would not be able to afford it. So the next best option will be to rent and wait for prices to come down. - Reason for decrease in demand when price rise. (Taste and preference? ) The HDB said it introduced a new e-service on Monday to enable the public to search for the market rentals of entire HDB flats rented out by owners. It is hoped that this will allow better transparency in the subletting market, and help potential tenants and flat owners make informed decisions.

Marketing Final Exam :: brand image for country

Q1. Asian nations are beginning to brand themselves. Considering the country you researched this semester, propose a strategy to create a brand image for the particular country. Based on your knowledge about the country, what might be the biggest three challenges of executing your strategy and how might they be addressed? Brand Image: Sri Lanka – The Southern Asian Dynamic This brand image for Sri Lanka would be an accurate depiction because of the increase in change the country is always experiencing. Sri Lanka has plans in place for future national development to help better the country, with the help and use of humanitarian support from ally countries. Their national development plan also includes Sri Lanka is also known for their quality in exported goods. The quality of goods exported from Sri Lanka tends to be of a higher quality. Above all, Sri Lanka has a great human development rate, which means that the labor force has the potential to be powerful. A strategy I would use to create this brand image would be to promote and advertise the quality of the goods produced in their home country. Promotion for planned national development would also be carried out. The advertising and promotions would take place to target countries that would benefit from importing goods from Sri Lanka. The brands or goods that are exported promote the country and contribute to creating the desired brand. The country (its’ government) needs to promote the brands of goods being exported also. While Sri Lanka has the potential to be powerful, challenges could stand in the way of executing a marketing strategy. Building a brand for a product is not the same as building a brand for a country. A country would need to leverage all of their unique and positive qualities in order to be able to successfully promote themselves the way they plan to. If the government places strict laws on exporting goods, this could hurt the marketing strategy of promoting the country as a brand as well. Another challenge would be that the political violence in Sri Lanka could hurt the creation of the brand image. Countries who would like to import goods from Sri Lanka may see the political violence as an issue that they would prefer to steer clear of. Q2. In which category of innovations do microwaves fall in India? As VP of White Appliances, how would you use the knowledge about the five characteristics of innovations to facilitate quicker diffusion of the product?

Darwin and Wallace Island Finch Evolution Lab Experiment

Evolution and Natural Selection have been a recurring focus of biology throughout the years. This Particular experiment is based on Charles Darwin’s observations of finches made in the Galapagos Islands. He noted that different neighboring islands in the Galapagos had distinctly different types of finches. He theorized that this was caused by natural selection, where the environment determined the characteristics of the species in it. In the Evolution Lab Experiment, I looked at how beak size and population numbers for two hypothetical populations of finches on two different islands evolved in response to factors that I manipulated by changing environmental conditions. The specific environmental conditions that I chose to manipulate were the precipitation in the environment and the variance of the finches. However I only manipulated the precipitation and variance on Darwin Island and not on Wallace Island. I thought that if Darwin Island finches had less variance and less precipitation than Wallace Island Finches, that Darwin Island finches would be unable to effectively adapt in order to easily consume the type of seed that was a result of the lesser amount of precipitation. MATERIALS The materials required for me to complete this experiment were my laptop and my University of Phoenix Student Website. Once I accessed the University of Phoenix Student Website, I was able to access the Evolution Lab, which is the final required material. An optional material that I chose to use was a pen and paper to take notes. PROCEDURES In order for me to accurately test my hypothesis, I needed to first get to the Evolution Lab. Once I logged onto my University of Phoenix Student Website, I went to the classroom tab and clicked on Evolution Lab, which is found in week three. Once I pulled up the Evolution Lab window, I chose the button labeled â€Å"Change Inputs†. Once I arrived at the screen with the seven variables on the left and the pictures of the finches on the right, I clicked on the tab labeled â€Å"Variance†. The next step is to change the Darwin Island Finch Variance to 0. 50. I did not change the Wallace Island Finch Variance. After the Variance was set, I clicked on the tab labeled â€Å"Precipitation†. I changed the precipitation on Darwin Island to 10 centimeters and left Wallace Island Precipitation at 20 Centimeters. Since I only changed two variables in an attempt to pinpoint the cause of the results, the next step was to click the tab labeled â€Å"Done†. After I chose whether I wanted to look at the results over 100, 200, or 300 years, I clicked the tab labeled â€Å"Run Experiment†. At this point, I was ready to analyze the results and take notes if I needed to. Lastly, if I needed to extend the time the results were recorded, all I needed to do was click the tab labeled â€Å"Revise Expt. †. Then I clicked the pull down tab and changed the range from 100 to 200 or 300. DATA DISCUSSION As seen in this experiment, when the Variance was lowered along with the Precipitation on Darwin Island, the population was on average, half of that of Wallace Island where the numbers were left in the default status. I made the hypothesis that if I decreased the variance and precipitation on Darwin Island, that the finches there would be less able to adapt their beaks to accommodate the larger size of seeds and would eventually all die off. Since the graphs produced from the Evolution Lab program did not depict the species of finches on Darwin Island falling to zero, my hypothesis did not turn out to be correct. I believe that with the variance lowered to . 5 and not all the way to zero, the finches were still able to evolve, but not as rapidly as the finches on Wallace Island. In addition, since only a small amount of evolution was necessary for the finches on Darwin Island to be able to consume the larger seeds produced from a decreased amount of rain; I believe they could have survived with an even smaller amount of variance. The reason I feel that a smaller amount of variance would have sufficed is that, not only did the finches in my experiment not go extinct, but they only remained below their initial population for the first fifty years after the parameters were put into place. One aspect of the experiment that I feel could be improved upon is the lack of information on how many times a new generation was produced. I was wondering how many times the finches would have to produce offspring in order to observe evolution. I can see that it took the finches on Darwin Island fifty years to regain their initial population of 200, but I would like to know how many times in that fifty years new generations were produced so that I could connect rise in population with a number of generations so that I might be able to predict future evolution. An additional way that the experiment could have been improved would if I had given the Wallace Island finches an increased number of variance and same amount of precipitation. This would have allowed me to not only see what would have happened when the finches had a higher likelihood of evolution to the decreased amount of rain and therefore a solidified cause for the resulting population, but it would have allowed me to analyze the reverse effect and possibly predict trends. CONCLUSION Overall, I tested the effect of lowered variance and lowered precipitation of one population of finches while leaving another population of finches as the control group. I predicted that the finches with the lowered variance and lowered precipitation would become extinct. Even though my hypothesis was rejected at the end of the experiment, I learned that even with an increase in the size of their food as a result of lowered precipitation and a lowered ability to evolve, the finches on Darwin Island rebounded quite quickly.

Planting Roots in Shallow Ground - How Identity Is Shaped in Lois-Ann Yamanakas Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers Free Essay Example, 4250 words

One indication of Lovey s economic class can be found in the early introduction of Lovey s father s wage-earning weekends, which are not all confined to weekend activities. While his job is never mentioned, his various schemes to earn more money for the family to spend on small necessities receive a great deal of attention. The first of these indicates the subsistence level of Mr Nariyoshi s regular earnings as the tremendous effort involved in trying to earn extra money becomes emphasized by the very small amount of money that must have been required. The last Family Money Pot was spent on a portable heater from Sears for the kitchen in the winter. All those weekends of odd jobs or sitting in the garage full of junk for the weekly garage sale for the dinky heater (Wild Meat, 33). Other schemes that emerge through the book include growing flowers for the lei stand that Lovey and her mother string, raising livestock and hunting for food and breeding rabbits for fur. Lovey s neighbou rs participate in similar activities as a means of gaining the money necessary for basic living needs while her schoolmates demonstrate much more affluent lifestyles. We will write a custom essay sample on Planting Roots in Shallow Ground - How Identity Is Shaped in Lois-Ann Yamanakas Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Say something about her mother, who works in the macadamia nut factory with the little white kerchief on her head and white gloves and waves to the tourists Say something about her father, who is the part-time custodian at Uncle Ed s school, who mops the kindergarten and vacuums the library carpet

The Autobiography of Jeffery Culverson Jr - 976 Words

The autobiography of Jeffery Culverson Jr Ever since I was a little boy, I had dreams of becoming someone great in life. I always imagined myself doing wonderous things and traveling the world. I was born Jeffery Lawrence Culverson Jr on July 29th, 1980 to Tammy Collins and Jeffery Culverson in Las Vegas, Nevada. All though I had big aspirations as a little boy, I learned quickly in life that what you want is not always what you get. My parents had three children; two girls and myself, but they were never together while I was growing up. I was taught the violin and other musical instruments at an early age, but because my mother moved around a lot I went to many schools, and eventually lost touch with my musical side. I never†¦show more content†¦My first experience in Florida was pretty bad. I was called racist words and treated badly because of my color of skin. I began to hate myself and others. I almost lost my wife because how my anger took over my life. I went back to Nevada to clear my head and my wife s tayed behind in Florida, while there, I realized that I was a couple credits from receiving my high school diploma and was really upset, because I had always thought I graduated. My wife thought I should stay and finish my credits to get my diploma and she moved back with me while I struggled with the school work. I hadnt been in school for so long and it seemed so much harder facing the curriculum at my age then. I struggled and failed, but I kept getting back up and trying again and I did pass and received my high school diploma. This was very important to me because I didnt want to be just another bum on the street that didnt do anything with my life. I had big dreams and all though I had left them on the back burner for a while, they were still there inside me, just waiting for a chance to make them happen. After receiving my diploma, my wife and I decided to try a different area of Florida and we ended up in Daytona Beach. All though there was still racism around us, I realiz ed I couldnt control other peoples ideals and decided to focus on my own. My wife and I have always wanted to own our own restaurant and I decided to go back to

Persuasive Essay On Gun Control - 1930 Words

â€Å"In 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nation had more than 33,000 firearms deaths: 70 percent of all homicides (11,208), more than half of all suicides (21,175), and hundreds of accidental and unsolved deaths,† which brings me to my question, what is gun control? (Perez-Pena) This is a wide term that covers any sort of restriction on what kinds of firearms can be sold and bought. Who can possess or sell them, where and how they can be stored or carried, what duties a seller has to vet a buyer, and what obligations both the buyer and the seller have to report transactions to the government. Would it be nice if all firearm deaths were cut in half or maybe to a quarter of the present amount? This topic get†¦show more content†¦This source was a good way to get an insight, and a better understanding of what is gun control, the state of gun control today, American public stand of gun control, and the arguments that are with and aga inst gun control. Perez-Pena mentions while some states have thorough background checks, some do not. Most states do not even require a license or permit to own a gun. Even in states where background checks are required, a loophole still exist that allow buyers to purchase firearms from gun shows without a background check. There needs to be a national effort because the loophole will continue to exist that allow people from states with stricter background checks to purchase firearms from states that have less gun control laws. This is not about denying people of their Second Amendment right, but it is about accountability, making sure there is a national database that tracks the purchases and sales of all firearms, ensures that proper background checks are performed, not limited to criminal history, but also mental health history. Perez-Pena raise a lot of issues in his article. For example, background checks and stricter regulations for small businesses and gun show sellers. Background checks are very important to selling and buying guns, it should not be limited to only criminal checks, but also their mental health history should be checked as well for all gun purchases. For the most part, a criminal background check is done through the FBIShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay : Gun Control798 Words   |  4 PagesPersuasive Essay Did you know that in the United States almost 100,000 people are shot or killed with a gun in one year? 10,527 people die a year in handgun related incidents in the United States. This number, by far, outweighs the number of gun related deaths in countries such as Sweden, Great Britain, and Japan, which number 13, 22, and 87, respectively. What is the reason for such drastic differences in numbers? Sweden, Great Britain, and Japan are all countries that have stricter gun controlRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control1753 Words   |  8 PagesPersuasive Essay Rough Draft The United States of America has a problem that is growing worse every day. American laws are not protecting its citizens from injury or death. You may think the mass shootings in America the guns used were bought illegally, but â€Å"since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass shooter carried out with firearms across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii. Of the 139 guns possessed by the killers, more than three quarters wereRead More Persuasive Articles on Gun Control Essays607 Words   |  3 PagesPersuasive Articles on Gun Control Persuading an audience can be done in several different fashions, one of which is Hugh Rank’s Model of Persuasion. Rank’s model states that two major strategies are used to achieve the particular goal of persuasion. These strategies are nicely set into two main schemas; the first method is to exaggerate an aspect of something, known as â€Å"intensify.† While the second is to discredit it, which is referred to as â€Å"downplay.† Al Franken, Jeffrey SnyderRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control1018 Words   |  5 PagesImagine, an America where no citizen, law abiding or not, has the legal ability to own guns. Three gunmen with fully automatic rifles walk into a crowded city and begin firing. No law abiding citizen can defend themselves. It’s hopeless. This future can only be prevented if Americans continue to keep the second amendment. We should keep the current gun control laws, but revise them to make them even better. Most gun own ers are responsible under the current laws, however, I think some laws need to beRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control1245 Words   |  5 Pagesand time again. Due to recent tragedies involving firearms, the view of guns and peoples rights to own and operate firearms have been frowned upon and viewed in a bad light due to Media. News sources have cherrypicked pictures of tragedies and stories about bad instances of gun usage in order to fight for Gun Control and the suppression of Americans rights. Due to the recent Vegas shooting, the argument for Gun Control has never been more intense, and Media outlets are having a field day onRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control915 Words   |  4 PagesHistorically guns haven’t been a national issue. It is not until relatively recently that an overwhelming amount of people have been in favor of placing stricter laws on the owning of a fire arm. The call for gun control has become more prevalent in the eyes of the government and the people; the gun laws that are also often proposed are irrational and ineffective. One could not simply ban guns, it is comparable to banning a certain genre of music; it’s unachievable and would be a fruitless pursuitRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control1745 Words   |  7 Pagescruelty to animals, and yet he was able to buy four guns legally (Rosenberg). That is the most recent example of why Americans need more gun control laws. Guns are not cool or makes you look good, they are a da ngerous piece of machinery that Americans take advantage of. The average American in the right mindset should not want to own anything more than one handgun or rifle for hunting or protecting their household. Gun control reform that limits gun ownership, enforces mandatory background checks, andRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control1439 Words   |  6 Pagesreason why Americans own so many guns is because of the Second Amendment, which states, â€Å"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.† (Rauch) This amendment guarantees U.S. citizens the right to have firearms. Since this amendment is relatively vague, it is up for interpretation, and is often used by gun advocates to argue for lenient gun laws. Hence, gun control is a frequently discussed controversialRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control967 Words   |  4 Pagessaid gun violence has gotten out of hand. This do esn’t mean that the second amendment is the cause of it. Gun Violence has become such a big part of the Second Amendment since they both play a major part of the gun industry. Guns have become such a powerful source to many individuals. With the second amendment placed, this means we have gun control, which are rules that regulate, the manufacture, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. There should be a stricter law on gun controlRead MorePersuasive Essay On Gun Control1634 Words   |  7 PagesOver the recents years, there have been many arguments about the issue of gun control at the state and national level. In California, there have been a variety of enacted laws within recent years to address the issue of growing gun violence around the country and ways to prevent terrorist attacks. California s new enacted laws about gun control in the state range from abolishing certain features on weapons to restricting certain handguns or other firearms a person might buy. The legislative branch

Renaissance and Baroque comparison

Renaissance and Baroque comparison These two historical periods had many similarities, yet also differences in which made the historical periods very unique. The Renaissance period had many characteristics that were not common with any other historical period in history. Italian scholars and artists started re-examining the use of art and sculptures and were reawakened by the ideals of Roman and Greek times (Renaissance Art, 2013). The Renaissance art was distinctive in its style of paintings and sculptures. New techniques were developed such as introduction of oil nettings, linear perspective, aerial perspective, and chiaroscuro (The Renaissance, 2013). There were many great artists of this period, but three great masters were Leonardo dad Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael who dominated the period known as High Renaissance (Renaissance Art, 2013). Leonardo best known works include the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Michelangelo was known for his many sculptures and paintings which included the decoration of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican (Renaissance, 2013). Raphael, who learned and was influenced by both Leonardo dad Vinci and Michelangelo, painted most notably The School of Athens which expressed classical ideals of beauty. The Catholic Church was a huge influence with the Renaissance art period as many arts had depicted religious images, such as the Virgin Mary (Renaissance Art, 2013). The Baroque period began around the 17th century in Rome. It was a period of new discoveries of science, exploration, and broader art diversity. During the Reformation movement, the Roman Catholic Church believed that art was to serve as a means of extending the publics faith in the church. The Baroque style that evolved from this movement was to convey an impression of sensual and spiritual, yet naturalistic to the religious images and paintings. Accuracy and Carving, two Italian painters whose styles of paintings arouse into Rome, started the decoration and the monumental painted ceilings of many churches. This started many artists of that time to use vivid colors and luxurious materials to evoke sensual delight (Baroque . In Baroque paintings, the touch was on the dramatic style and use to contrasting light and shadow for deep colors. In all the visual arts, there was a distinctive use on harmony and unity often using religious themes and stories (Baroque Art, 2013). There are similarities and differences in both the Renaissance and Baroque periods and are both unique in different respects. The Baroque period is said to have been generated at the end of the Renaissance era, which progressed to a dramatic and sophisticated form of art. The techniques of the Baroque art period united the techniques and advances used from the Renaissance along with the emotion, intensity and drama of the High Renaissance. The Baroque period continued from the Renaissance with the use of light and color, the focus on realism, strong perspective effects, and religious themes (Baroque period, n. D. ). Two pieces of art that show similarities and differences of the Renaissance and Baroque periods are The Mona Lisa by Leonardo dad Vinci and The Straw Hat by Peter Paul Rueben. Both paintings illustrate a young lady in almost identical poses with a slight grin on their face. The backgrounds of both paintings are mysterious and foggy. The background of the Mona Lisa is different from that of The Straw Hat due to Leonardo dad Vines precise details. His use of colors, dramatics, and intensity in the painting is illustrated from that of the Renaissance Era (Dad Vinci, 1504). In The Straw Hat, Rueben uses no distinct background, and Just focuses on the main subject. The color schemes are differentiated from the deep, dark colors of the Mona Lisa to the bold, daring color tones of The Straw Hat from the Baroque area that makes the image stand out (Rueben, 1625). The Renaissance and Baroque periods were both influential in generating the greatest masterpieces that the art world has seen.