The Baltics - Banking crises observed

The authors compare the banking crises experienced in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, examining the causes, effects, and policy responses. Estonia and Lithuania reconstituted the specialized Soviet banks as national state banks and began to privatize them. Latvia, by contrast, reconstituted the savings bank, then privatized branches of the remaining banks. In the early stages the three private banking systems were similar and grew rapidly. All three have had liberal policies toward licensing new commercial banks, believing that more banks would generate the competition needed to drive down deposit and lending rates, and provide the capital needed to support the emerging private sector. Little though was given at first to the implications of this policy for banking safety and supervision. The following conclusions, drawn by the authors, may have implications for banking reform in other former Soviet republics, especially the smaller ones: 1) some banking distress is inevitable; 2) banking distress may be desirable; 3) banking crises die down relatively quickly; 4) when crises arise, authorities should respond firmly and promptly; 5) corruption and weakness should never be rewarded; 6) banking crises should be prepared for; and 7) supervisors should send strong signals to bankers about appropriate banking behavior.Banks&Banking Reform,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Financial Intermediation,Banking Law,Banking Law,Municipal Financial Management,Banks&Banking Reform,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Financial Intermediation

Functional diversity and life history traits of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in disturbed soils

Relative effectiveness of ten species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi native to a revegetated coal strip mine site was tested on red clover against a non-mycorrhizal control and against inocula of two commercial isolates. Most (70%) of the isolated species in a native fungal community were as effective at promoting growth as commercial isolates. The net benefit of native colonizing fungi likely was positive, since the majority of the fungi colonizing two-year-old apple and grape in the field also were effective symbionts. The relationship between colonization and sporulation was compared among one Acaulospora , two Glomus, one Gigaspora, and one Scutellospora species on red clover. Threshold levels of colonization at which sporulation was initiated ranged from 10% ( G. etunicatum) to a maximum of 30% (Gi. gigantea, S. heterogama )

Case studies to enhance online student evaluation: Central Queensland University – The big red button

Student feedback is imperative to the improvement of courses and teaching. As stated by Harvey, “to make an effective contribution to internal improvement processes, views of students need to be integrated into a regular and continuous cycle of analysis, reporting, action and feedback”(2003, p. 4). Thus students are critical stakeholders in course evaluations, and can act as a mechanism to providing meaningful feedback about their experience, leading to improvements in learning and teaching

Case studies to enhance online student evaluation: University of Western Australia – A journey towards greater engagement through closing-the-loop

Feedback from students has shown time and again to be useful indicators of what is happening in the teaching and learning environments. Such feedback from students, pivot around the actions that are taken. This implementation of actions expresses to students that their voice is being heard in higher education institutions. To achive such utility of feedback provided by student, it is essential to ‘close the loop’ and constitutes; the collection of qualitative and quantitative feedback from all cohorts of students; triangulating the data from various sources to identify areas of good practice and areasneeding improvement; communicating the results and actions of the feedback with students and staff; implementing improvements in consultation with stakeholders; and monitoring the impact of actions in future student survey results. Such a framework would constitute effective quality assurances of the student feedback systems in higher education institutions

Suggested Planning Guides for Homemaking Teachers

Home Economics Educatio

Hollywood Undead: The Posthumous Star as Commercial and Consumer Product

Posthumous star theory today, following scholar Gilbert B. Rodman (1996), continues a focus on a singular star's continued presence within a fan culture and/or a star's political resonance. This thesis, however, analyses the commercial exploitation of a posthumous star and exposes a hierarchical structure in the "after-market". Specifically, I examine the tropes and changes of four posthumous stars within advertising. I have chosen Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Audrey Hepburn to be the focus of this work due to their proven longevity in a consumer market. Advertising is a rich site for exploring star brands and consumer messaging, and is particularly important in reference to the preferred reading of a posthumous star as dictated and approved by a star's estate. Consumer behaviour and interests are identifiable through the highly controlled renditions of a posthumous star, and thus, further exposes stardom as a way in which to guide and encourage the construction of identity through consumer goods. Expanding on recent work on star brands, I analyse reoccurring methods which pervade these stars' images and which attempt to heighten relevancy and relatability. Comparison between these posthumous stars affords insight into what enables both continued legacy and marketability. The thesis also sheds light on the Fifties' prevalence in consumer culture and the nostalgia market, suggesting the success of these case study stars is in part due to a modern conception of a past era

Cambios dialectales e idiosincrasias en la enseñanza del segundo idioma a estudiantes minoritarios a través de la poesía Afrocubana

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Cotidianamente los profesores se hacen esta pregunta: ¿cómo pueden relacionarse mis estudiantes con la lección? Saben que si los estudiantes pudieran acoplarse con el contenido de la lección, entenderían y aprenderían con gran eficacia. En la mayoría de los distritos escolares urbanos de Indianapolis, Estados Unidos hay muchos estudiantes afroamericanos que están en clases de lengua extranjera que piensan que no existen atributos de conexión --como tradiciones y costumbres-- que tienen aspectos en común con sus propias culturas. Por otro lado, hay estudiantes afrolatinos que son nativos de esas lenguas pero a quienes no se les expone a elementos que pertenecen a su cultura o herencia. Esta investigación se enfocará en cómo los profesores pueden utilizar la poesía para enseñar una lengua extranjera; específicamente, cómo se puede utilizar la poesía afrocubana para vincular la lección a los estudiantes minoritarios y su cultura