Business: Organise and report data Essay

Knowledge and Understanding Describe different ways of organising data that has been researchedData is a group of information that is used for lots of different purposes. Data reporting is when data is extracted form of source or many sources and then converted into a certain format which then can be used for a certain purpose. There are lots of different ways to organise data such as tables, charts, graphs, statistics or spread sheets. This data can be used to come to lots of conclusions and make important decisions in the business. So because the data is so important it must be produced in a clear way that meets the objectives and targets of the organisation. Describe different ways of reporting dataThere are lots of different ways of reporting data. Good examples of it being shown is in spread sheets, bar charts etc. When delivering data to other members of staff it can be done verbally or via emails or sit with them face to face and have a one to one meeting. In my work place I only work in the office with one other person (Tracy) so we talk all day and I update her on all my emails etc. Describe the purpose of presenting data to the agreed format and within the agreed timescaleWhen presenting data, it must be presented in a agreed format and must be also within the agreed timescale, this is so then the person that is waiting on it gets it the way that they would like it. For example they might need it in a spread sheet as they might not be able to see any other document. I do a e-shot list of all customers emails and I put them into a spread sheet format on Microsoft excel. I put all the names and emails of customers in a list and once I have completed this I check it over and send it via email over to our marketing manager Stewart. Who then will email all our customers our latest offers and deals.

Tom Shiftlet Was Happy with the Craters

O’Conner portrays Mr. Shiftlet very vaguely at the beginning of the story, but she tells readers a few facts about him that are vital to understanding who Tom really is. Mr. Shiftlet comes with an open heart to the Crater’s residence. He admires their home and is willing to work if they let him stay. This reveals that Tom is a hard working man. Although he seems to have an overly keen interest in their automobile, which seems suspicious, he makes an effort to make life easier for Lucynell Sr. and Jr. He even takes the time to Teach Lucynell Jr. a word. Up until this point he seems genuinely happy making them happy. Once Mrs. Crater starts trying to force tom to marry her daughter, he starts becoming uncomfortable with the situation. He even tries to go on as if nothing had happened and keep living as they were, but that does not work and Mrs. Crater keeps forcing it upon him. The most important fact that is revealed about Tom is that he is extremely unhappy with his life. Readers know that he ran away from his mother when he was younger and that he now regrets it very much. He also ends up running away from Mrs.  Crater when she started to try to control him. This suggests that Tom is not very fond of people controlling him. And although he continually runs away he is very unhappy with the decisions that he has made over the course of the years but instead of standing his ground and fixing his problems and himself, he runs away. Mr. Shiftlet introduces himself as a carpenter to Mrs. Carter and has a tin box to prove it. He seems, however, very hesitant to tell her anything else about himself since whenever she asked him a question, â€Å"he didn't answer† (977). He promptly proves his worth the next morning when â€Å"he began on the roof of the garden house† (978). â€Å"He had not been around a week before the change he had made was apparent. He had patched the front and back steps, built a new hog pen, and restored a fence† (978-9). The question most readers would ask is why would he go through all the trouble to fix all of these things? The literal answer may seem simple and functional: he wants to create a trusting atmosphere so he could lure Lucynell into somehow giving him the car. That is, after all what he seems to want. His eye are always â€Å"focused on part of the automobile† (978) and he was able to get it in the end, but it is clearly not what he really wants or needs since he still â€Å"became depressed in spite of the car† (982). What Tom really wanted was to feel loved and needed without being controlled. He wanted to be part of a family again, but under his terms. So he tried with all his might, and even went to the extent of teaching the deaf girl to speak, to make the situation work the way he wanted it to. What he quickly realized was that Lucynell Sr. had a plan for him. As the story progresses readers find that Mr. Shiftlet is quite unhappy with his past. He seems upset when Mrs. Crater calls him a â€Å"poor disabled friendless drifting man† (980). Although she is stating exactly who he is and what he presents himself to be, he does not approve and â€Å"the ugly words settled in his head a like a group of buzzards† (980). Later on in the conversation when Mrs. Crater accuses Tom of milking her, he is â€Å"deeply hurt by the word milk† (981). These two examples demonstrate how hard it is for Tom to deal with reality. Lucynell does nothing but state simple facts, yet he is still disturbed by them. This may mean that he wants to change, or it may mean that he wants to start over altogether. After he takes the car and leaves Lucynell Jr. at the Hot Spot â€Å"he was more depressed then ever as he drove on by himself† (982). This is very intriguing because he no longer has to care for Lucynell, he has money and a car, yet he is still unhappy, and maybe even more than before. Again this shows that all Tom wants is to be part of a family, like he once was. He wants another chance since he ruined the one he had with his mother long ago by running away. Taking into consideration Tom’s feelings and actions, readers can now see the real problem. Tom is a very insecure person, and he is not content with the person that he has become. He claims to have never â€Å"rued a day of his life like the one he rued when he left† (983) his mother. The events that take place after this obviously force him to think negatively of himself. He is not able to handle problems so he takes to running away from them. And like an addict, he keeps on running faster and faster, knowing full well that it is not the right thing to do. It seems as if he is unable to wrap his mind around the ides of someone telling him what to do. When he married Lucynell, he was â€Å"morose and bitter as if he had been insulted† (981). Although Tom is portrayed as a very strong character that takes charge of situations and achieves what he wants, it becomes quite clear as the story goes on that he is the complete opposite. Lucynell Sr. quickly takes control of his life and becomes a little greedy with her demands. It is not enough for her that Tom has made her and her daughter’s lives eons better, and that he has every intention of continuing to do so. She forces him to marry her daughter, and this proves to be too much for Tom. The only thing he knows how to do is to run away from anyone who tries to make decisions for him. He is very discontent with himself and is almost disgusted with what he is; a disabled, drifting, and friendless man. To get rid of some of the disgust, he runs away and tries to start over. This substitutes his inability to repair his own problems and the constant need to flee. In the end, it is safe to say that Tom T. Shiftlet has the desire to be good, and conquer his own problems, but has not found the courage or the ability to do so. He has the desire to be part of a family and be a proper man, but is unable to accept the fact that he cannot control everything all the time. For now he is still a carpenter, and that is as far as his ability to repair things will go.

Globalisation Leads to the Homogenization of Cultures

After World War II, some ambitious leaders advocated the establishment of an effective mechanism to stabilize the world order. One of the ways to maintain the international order is to prevent the disintegration of the world economy (Seitz, 1995, p. 26). Under such a background, the World Trade Organization (WTO) was founded, and then accelerated the development of economic globalization. As there is an inseparable relationship between economy and culture, the more the trend of economic globalization accelerates, the faster the trend of various culture globalization blends (Seitz, 1995, p. 7). Collisions between various cultures may have different consequences. Some scholars think that the long-term results of culture clash might lead to homogenization of cultures, which means people become the same as the dominant culture, such as sharing the same education structures, music, beliefs, and consumer values (Berry, 2008, p. 328). This essay will examine the degree to which globalizatio n assimilates the cultures in different ethnical groups. Culture is constantly changing and developmental, which is influenced by two factors, the natural environment and the social environment.The natural environment with a limited and gradual impact on culture is relatively stable. Social changes are the most direct and frequent factor leading to the changes in trends or conditions. For example, the West Indies, which under the colonial rule of European for a long time, and the religions and values were both effected by dominative groups that means mainstream cultures (Berry, 2008, p. 330). In the time of peace, investing or trading with different countries, touring or studying in various places, can manifest the phenomenon of cultural transmission.With the deepening of economic globalization, these activities become more frequent, different cultures also have a higher and deeper level of mutual contacts. Therefore, a complex situation might be formed, which means there is likely to form four possible consequences, assimilation, integration, separation and marginalization (Berry, 2008, p. 332). One of the possibilities is that the cultural homogenization might be formed owing to the expansion of globalization (Berry, 2008, p. 332).The phenomenon refers to one culture, which is under the penetration of another culture, and then gradually lost its original characteristics to assimilate to the dominant culture. Assimilative culture often seems as an advanced culture or a strong culture; conversely, another culture that is assimilated by the advantaged one might be called a backward culture or a weak culture. An example can be seen in this case, the Soviet Union, which was one of the largest and most powerful nation states, and played a significant role in the movement of globalization.The language, social structure, religious values and economic policies of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (which were merged by Soviet Union) were highly influenced and dominated by Russian cultural features. However, nearly 15 years later, the politics, culture and economy of Estonia resurged (Berry, 2008, pp. 332-333). It can be said that globalization leads to the cultural homogenization to some extent. Even if under the rule of the powerful nation, the indigenous culture might still be back after the independence.Another possibility is the integration of different cultures, which is a diversified phenomenon by participating fully into the dominant society that may lead to some shared values and features, while keeping their own distinctive cultures (Berry, 2008, p. 332). For example, McDonald's, which is one of the most successful international food service organizations, has fully realized that it is essential to adapt to the local cultures and obtain understanding and recognition of local consumers to survive in foreign markets (Peng, 2009, p. 19).In particular, McDonald’s in China has promoted special Chicken Nuggets and Chinese rice catering to local dietary habits of consumers. It seems that the taste of the food in McDonald’s is nearly the same around the world, no matter in America, Spain or China. The difference is the various cultures in different countries. McDonald's will introduce new products in some certain areas according to different national consumer taste, preference and legal, religious and local habits of customs (Watson, 2000, p. 125-132). What is more, this phenomenon enriches the connotation of the culture, and increases the diversity of people's consumer choice.Integration of cultures might be the most beneficial to the improvement of countries. The combination of two different societies is likely to create a new culture, which may absorb the advantages of traditional culture and foreign cultures, thus it will bring the innovation and development of societies. The last two possibilities that exist in the process of globalization are called separation and marginalization. Separation means that the non-dominant groups retain their original conditions and refuse to converge with other dominant cultures.Marginalization refers to a process of being outside the dominant society and meanwhile losing their own cultures (Berry, 2008, p. 332). There is an example that comes from a survey about immigrant youth, which was conducted by Berry, Phinney, Sam and Veder in 2006. There is 7997 adolescents (5366 immigrant youth and 2631 national youth respectively) in this survey, the statistics indicated that 975 adolescents showed a strong sense of consciousness to support their own ethnic group by using their own ethnic language fluently, keeping in touch with ethnic peers, and holding a high ethnic identity.These behaviours reflect that the adolescents are not likely to involve into the major society, as they hold an attitude separate to the dominant culture (Berry, 2008, p. 334). On the contrary, the other 973 youth who were in the status of marginalization showed low ethnic identity, low fluency in ethnic language, and fewer contacts with the national peers. However, they endorsed the acculturation attitudes of assimilation, marginalization and separation, which were contradictory.Although these youth tend to join into the dominant society, they lack some necessary abilities to communicate with dominative people (Berry, 2008, p. 335). It might be said that they are lost in the two or more different societies, a certain direction could be effective so that they can feel a sense of presence. In conclusion, according to Berry (2008), globalization may have four possible consequences: assimilation, integration, separation and marginalization. These four outcomes are likely to influence the process of societies between different countries.Social change and development may not lead to the destruction of ethnic or local culture completely. Even when the different cultures integrate, new culture also can retain features of traditional or ethnic culture to a certain degree. But, these changes do not imply the assimilation of cultures influenced by globalization to a great extent. Conversely, as time goes on, cultural differences between various ethnic groups will be gradually reduced, but will not disappear. Therefore, globalization may bring homogenization to cultures to a small extent, but the non-dominative cultures still might be preserved.

The illiad of homer, translated by richard lattimore Essay

The illiad of homer, translated by richard lattimore - Essay Example He refers to the priest as an old man and warns him never to loiter again in his compound in claim of his daughter. â€Å"Let me not find thee ,old man at the hollow barks, either now loitering, or hereafter returning, lest the staff and fillet of the god avail thee not† (Homer & Buckley 1). Agamemnon curses the priest and wishes him doom. He condemns the priest and even goes ahead to tell him he is not worthy scepter god’s protection. Agamemnon swears not to release the maiden till old age, and even at that time, he adamantly swears to take her in his Argive home for her to make his couch. The standoff between Agamemnon and the priest has worked to bring out the character of Agamemnon; as a ruthless and cunning person who won’t allow anything to stand his way towards his personal interests. It is however out of these characteristics that Agamemnon gains his popularity. It is funny how people get determined to acquire wealth. Hector is no exceptional. He proposes to end the war by a duel between Menelaus, the loved of Mars, and Paris, who is a woman-follower and seducer according to Hector. â€Å"The lyre and the gifts of Aphrodite would not be of use to you, and your combed hair and beauty, when you mingle in the dust† (Schein 54). The victor of th e war is to be awarded the beauty Hellen, the fairest of Priam’s daughters, and all her wealth (Leaf 135). Hector portrays Paris as an enemy of the people. He despises him as a useless person who did not even deserve to be born. In Hector’s eyes, Paris is a coward, a scandal, and scorn to all those who set their eyes on him. â€Å"There is no strength in your heart and there is not any valor.† (Schein 45). The family has not been left behind in the contribution of a certain behavior of the characters in the Illiad of homer. A good example is the family of Chryses, a priest who offers ransom to Agamemnon for the

Character analysis of Christian Darling in The Eighty-Yard Run short Essay - 1

Character analysis of Christian Darling in The Eighty-Yard Run short story - Essay Example from them, watching the other backs heading him off toward the sideline, the whole picture, the men closing in on him, the blockers fighting for position, the ground he had to cross, all suddenly clear in his head, for the first time in his life not a meaningless confusion of men, sounds, speed. He smiled a little to himself as he ran, holding the ball lightly in front of him with his two hands, his knees pumping high, his hips twisting in the almost girlish run of a back in a broken field. The first halfback came at him and he fed him his leg, then swung at the last moment, took the shock of the mans shoulders without breaking stride, ran right through him, his cleats biting securely into the turf. There was only the safety man now, coming warily at him, his arms crooked, hands spread. Darling tucked the ball in, spurted at him, driving hard, hurling himself along, all two hundred pounds bunched into controlled attack. He was sure he was going to get past the safety man. Without tho ught, his arms and legs working beautifully together, he headed right for the safety man, stiff-armed him, feeling blood spurt instantaneously from the mans nose onto his hand, seeing his face go awry, head turned, mouth pulled to one side. He pivoted away, keeping the arm locked, dropping the safety man as he ran easily toward the goal line, with the drumming of cleats diminishing behind him. How long ago? It was autumn then, and the ground was getting hard because the nights were cold and leaves from the maples around the stadium blew across the practice fields in gusts of wind, and the girls were beginning to put polo coats over their sweaters when they came to watch practice in the afternoon. . . . Fifteen years. Darling walked slowly over the same ground in the spring twilight, in his neat shoes, a man of thirty-five dressed in a double breasted suit, ten pounds heavier in the fifteen years, but not fat, with the years between 1925 and 1940 showing in his face. The coach was

Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Buddhism - Essay Example cess, went into a long period of contemplative meditation, received enlightenment and from thence came to be called The Buddha or the enlightened one. He passed on the knowledge to his followers through teachings based on four major tenets. The Buddha taught the four noble truths as i) the world is full of sorrow ii) desires are the main reason for sorrow iii) sorrow can be overcome by killing desires and iv) desires can be killed by following the eight-fold righteous path (Rahula, p.45). In this way the Buddha taught us the means to overcome sorrow, lead blissful life and ultimately attain Nirvana. The principle of righteous living differentiated Buddhism from the other major contemporary religions in the Indian subcontinent viz., Hinduism and Jainism, and impresses me as the most important of the Buddha teachings. The concept of middle path or magga taught by the Buddha as the most appropriate path to overcome sorrows has relevance for everyone and all times. It negates the other two extreme paths (of seeking worldly pleasures or practicing penance) since both have failed to eliminate sorrow from life on the one hand and can not stand the test of scrutiny as the solution for humanity’s problems (Rahula, p.92). The Buddha taught us to follow the middle path by practicing the eight-fold righteous living viz., right understanding (belief), right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness (recollection), and right concentration (meditation). As Rahula mentions in his book, ‘†¦they are all linked together and should be practiced simultaneously according to a person’s capacity’ (p.46). Together they constitute the essence of ethical and moral conduct. The context for conduct arises out of one’s day-to-day life and the never ending hankering after desires. Continuity of life or existence is termed as Samsara in the Buddhist tradition (pp. 48 & 60) and Samsaracakra as the cycle of life, death and rebirth,

Intercultural management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intercultural management - Essay Example Then different types of corruption and its effects on the MNCs will be evaluated. Finally, probable solutions or measures will be analyzed which the government, regulatory bodies, or organizations are adopting to curb corruption and deal with such situations (Wei, 2000, p. 5). There are various forms of corruption: bribery, fraud, embezzlement, etc. In this work we will only include the issue of corruption which affects operational investment costs. According to Macrae (1982), corruption is an arrangement involving a private exchange between two or more parties. It also influences the resource allocation and makes people neglect their responsibilities. In case of FDI, the foreign investors have to pay extra cost in form of bribes for getting licenses or the permit from the government. Therefore, corruption in the countries has also raised the cost of investment there. These unnecessary costs have also reduced the margin of profitability of the investment being done. It has also been noticed that corruption adversely affects the economic performance of a country. Since the 1980s, debts have fuelled the consumption of the US and drove the global economy and its growth. However, in 2008 this economic paradigm collapsed and resulted in an economic breakdown. The government shortage expenditure, backed with paper money formation, has been replaced by debt-funded confidential expenditure as a major source of global development. The US came out of depression of $4 trillion because of Federal Reserves’ support of $2 trillion. These issues will be discussed in detail later in this study. Types of Corruption In this section we will discuss various types or forms of corruption that prevail in the global market: a) petty corruption, b) gifts, c) big corruption. It can be said that quantitative distinction can be drawn between big and small corruption and a qualitative distinction can be made between the illicit and legal aspects of these kinds of corruption. Petty c orruption means small corruption such as taking small bribes, etc. In poor countries, petty corruption prevails in every level of society. Gifts given as signs of gratitude for some official favor can be considered as petty corruption. Giving gifts is offering goods or services of some value to a person or organization with a view to some benefit from this person or organization. Various organizations have clearly specified guidelines regarding acceptance of gifts from clients. When those guidelines are overlooked, it is considered a case of corruption. Lastly, money laundering cases can be the examples of big corruption, as well as taking bribes from MNCs who wanted to invest in the country, tax evasion, etc. Corruption was also responsible for the global economic crisis of 2008. Even unnecessarily inflating the prices of products and services for earning supernormal profits is also a form of huge corruption. Effects of Corruption on MNCs The types of corruption have been mentioned in the section above. In this section the effects of such corruption on the MNCs will be discussed. The kinds of corruptions are being explained in the sequence of their entry modes. In case of forming joint ventures vs. wholly owned subsidiaries, most of the firms face the corruption of bribes from the state officials. In cases of franchising or master franchising,

Organizational Behavior and the Individual Essay

Organizational Behavior and the Individual - Essay Example Porter and Lawler’s theoretical model on individual motivation is largely based on this theory, and identifies expectancy, instrumentality and valence as the critical elements of motivation. These elements are related to extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors which include praise, recognition, incentives, etc and intrinsic factors are associated with an individual’s psychological values associated with work, leaders and the self (Isaac, Zerbe & Pitt, 2001). This theory has been expressed through the MARS model by McShane and Glinow (2006, 2008) who describes individual behavior as a resultant of motivation, ability, role-perception and situational factors. Motivational activities at Verizon may be related to the critical elements of expectancy theory and heed to individuals’ material motivation in the form of external compensation and benefits; achievement motivation through internal rewards and recognition, and emotional motivation through a great work place for the employees. These in turn influence individual performance shaped by extensive training involving simulation, classroom instruction, and on-the-job training that define individuals’ role-perception, create ability and cover situational factors such as product knowledge, soft skills, time and budget, facilities etc (McShane & Glinow, 2008). Verizon’s training plays a significant role in attaining high customer satisfaction scores (Noe, 2008). McShane and Glinow quote, â€Å"people rely on their ethical values do determine ‘the right thing to do’† (2006, p.33). For this, they attribute utilitarianism, individual rights, and distributive justice as the main requirements to foster ethics in organization (2006, 2008). At an organizational level, its culture is one of the main spheres where business ethics can have a significant impact on organizational

Unit 2 Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unit 2 Individual Project - Essay Example n influences others, is obeyed by, works hard in a crisis situation and has a clear idea of what the company wants to achieve and why it wants to achieve this. Leadership models that have been used for long include the four main categories: trait, behavioral, contingency and transformational. There is McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y, McGregor made two basic assumptions about employee behavior and categorized it as X and Y. Theory X workers are not hard-working and dislike work while Theory Y workers are the opposite. A research done at The Ohio State University states that successful leaders have two behavioral dimensions: initiating structure and consideration. The research at the University of Michigan is somewhat similar; they said that leaders are either employee oriented or production oriented. The Leadership Grid gives an idea of how the five types of leadership styles are segmented across two factors which is either concern for people or concern for production. The continuum of leadership describes two types of leadership: boss-centered and employee-centered. This model is on the basis of choices managers make regarding subordinated involvement in the decision making process. Whenever problems such as those faced by companies such as Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and ImClone are encountered most of the responsibility falls upon the CEO’s shoulders and she is the one who is held accountable. The CEO holds a lot of formal power through the virtue of his position; this power is measured by duality with the Chairman of the Board position. Informal power comes from the prestige factor of the job. The power of the CEO is more immediate than the Board, as the Board does not meet on a regular basis. Day to day handling of the company is done by the CEO. The Board elects the CEO and trusts him to carry out her job to the best of his abilities. The CEO has power to set the agenda and assemble the meetings for the board. The CEO is responsible for setting the aims and

Social Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social Networking - Essay Example Not everyone in this kind of social community would be a good member and follow the ethical rules of the online community. And as the interaction is not physical in nature but virtual, people start making negative use of this fact and break the moral and ethical values and boundaries of the social networking community and society as a general. Brief Definition and Description of Social Networking Social interaction taking place over the internet is called social networking and the platforms that support this activity are the social networking websites. These websites’ main purpose is to create an online community consisting of internet users who are free from the issues of distance, time and cultural differences and interact with each other and share all kinds of information from personal experiences to general opinions. Through these websites, users usually establish an online connection with known persons like their family members, friends, office colleagues and many more. B ut they may also get connected to unknown persons who may be different from them in terms of race, religion, nationality and the like but became friends due to common interest. (Reynolds, 2009, p. 304). Currently there are many websites catering the purpose of social networking. One such website is called Facebook.com and it is the website which has been ranked first as the total minutes per month spent by users on this website exceeds 14 billion. There are other popular websites also such as: MySpace.com, LinkedIn.com and Twitter, each one catering the interests of users in their own particular ways. (Reynolds, 2009, p. 305). General Ethical Issues Social networking gives rise to the following ethical issues: 1. Cyberbullying: Social networking websites allow cyberbullying to occur in the easiest manner. This kind of activity is usually done by females who are students in their mid- teens. Cyberbullying is an harassment in which a person or a group mentally tortures other persons o r groups, and humiliates them or threatens them by putting online any private or embarrassing or threatening information that may harm them. Statistics show that the major negative effect of cyberbullying is that the victim may commit suicide as it may give him severe mental torture. 2. Cyberstalking: This activity is the adult version of cyberbullying in which similar activities of sending threatening emails, stalking each others information and then misusing it online. Research reveals that there are 50 to 500 requests per day for help from victims of cyberstalking. 3. Uploading of Inappropriate Material: Videos and images that depict violence or vulgarity are not permitted by many social networking websites through their policies. The terms and policies of the website also state that any user violating the policies and terms would get his account deleted or deactivated by the website owner. But still these policies are not enough to stop people from uploading such content as webs ites do not have enough resources to monitor the millions of activities of millions of users. Uploading of such content harm the persons who are subject of the content. (Reynolds, 2009, p. 310-313). Business and Social Networking Apart from social interaction and playing games, social networking is also one of the cheapest ways to advertise oneself and his business and all the services and products it offers at a very low cost or totally free. When companies saw the widespread use of social networking websites, it attracted them and they thought of improving their productivity and communication among workers through the use of social net

Diversity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Diversity - Assignment Example The idea of diversity involves respect and recognition. This means one needs to know that every individual is exceptional, and identifying our separate changes. In addition, it can be an aspect of race, origin, gender, sexual placement, socio-economic status, age, corporal capabilities, spiritual opinions, political opinions, and other philosophies. This can be stated as a survey of these alterations in a harmless, confident and developing situation. Moreover, it is all about getting along with one another and moving through unassuming open-mindedness taking on and socializing with the unlikely magnitudes of diversity limited inside every individual. In the area of nursing practice, the building of diverse relationships can help to provide global and optimal health care for all people. There are so many things that people do not realize on the issue of diversity and one of the issues is that diversity covers much more than outwardly observable variances. It is necessary to understand that for the purpose of promoting diversity in nursing practice people should remember that diversity creates an opportunity to support a big variety of cultural distinctiveness and nursing excellence using not only personal and professional development, but also inclusivity and stimulation to think in different ways and percept people with all their specific characteristics.

Argumentative essay Essay Example for Free

Argumentative essay Essay The notion of marriage as an institution which necessarily preserves the vital social values of stability, continuity and propriety, only at the cost of brutally suppressing equally powerful individual needs, naturally comes under scrutiny. During the XX century, there have been heated discussions concerning romantic love and its impact on long-lasting relations. Some people suppose that pre-arranged marriage ensures long-lasting relations based on trust and financial gain, but it is also profoundly dangerous precisely because it can release and feed as many urges as it satisfies. They state that romantic love is not a good basis for marriage. Thesis Romantic love is a good basis for marriage because it ensures warm and friendly relations between spouses; it has a positive impact on human relations and their development, and ensures loving and friendly relations with children as â€Å"product† of love. Help with Argumentative Essay. â€Å"Romantic love is not a good basis for marriage† Help with Argumentative essay. â€Å"Romantic love is not a good basis for marriage† Warm and friendly relations between spouses are the core of successful marriage and trust. When people meet an â€Å"ideal person† their mind has perceived that the situation calls for some emotional reaction. From the psychological point of view love is caused by the feeling of personal freedom and self-realization. Sexual attractiveness is closely connected with an ideal image created by a person, while the desire to have children reflects sexual affection. It is possible to say that fools fall in love because they need sexual satisfaction with an ideal person to give birth to their offspring. Marriage â€Å"is about staying in love and staying together for a lifetime despite the fact that both partners are individuals who change over time† (Marriage is Forever, 2006). The common ground between the sexes, therefore, is getting smaller, and the institution of marriage is beginning to fall to pieces if people do not understand and value each other. A woman when she marries ‘is cut off from men’s society in all but the most formal and intermittent ways. For this reason, love and friendly relations are crucial for successful marriage and happiness. Romantic love has a positive impact on human relations and their further development when love disappears. It is not a secret that many couples. Some researchers underline that love therapy is a useful tool to create or restore positive relations and family happiness. Jennifer Chalmers comments that â€Å"The topic of creating and sustaining the feeling of love was  never discussed in any of the marriage-related workshops that I attended, but the issues [discussed] were not intended to help couples create the feeling of love† (Chalmers, 2006). The author gives special detailed attention to the difficulty which can follow elderly couples, but she underlines that love can be recreated in order to save marriage. In this case, love comes from overcoming the barrier by sharing feelings and comforts. Also, when love disappears, people still bond to each other leaving no space for anger and despair (Wilding, 2003). Divorce is the institution, the ‘custom’, which enables private life to adjust to the pressures of the market, and divorce is the ideal solution for pre-arranged couples without love (Knapp, Stearns, 1993). On the hand, there is little research which could help to indicate that love actually produce real, live marriages among the poor. Romantic love is the main power which forces people to have a family and give birth. To give birth and to become a parent is a natural wish of nearly every person. For this reason, a male or female chooses a healthy and strong, beautiful and successful person for reproduc ­tion. It is an instruct feeling to choose a partner, but it causes falling in love. Every person wants to have good children, and for this reason he/she chooses a â€Å"special† person. Bonding comes with the shared activity afterward, in which people learn about each other through co-operation. Trust emerges not just with sex, but also with shared activity through which people bond by learning to trust each other. Romantic love is a good basis for marriage because it supports an instinct or desire to give birth. It is based on the evolutionary success of pair bonding as a reproduc ­tive strategy. This cause is closely connected with sexual attractiveness, but it has different stimuli (Sternberg, Barnes, 1989). Love as care does not refer to an emotion or a state of mind so much as to a human faculty of identification with others, sympathy with all beings. Also, love is a basis for intimate relations and sexuality. Following O’Sullivan love â€Å"enhances our well-being, improves the quality of our lives, and helps us to prevail over difficult times. Those living without intimate relationships are at risk† (O’Sullivan, 2004, p. 71). In addition, for most couples, sympathetic and compassionate relations help to overcome life grievances and troubles they face. The most appealing feature of romantic love is firm personal standards applied to everything around people. Love is  eternal value which can lead to sufferings, but it does not influence the essence of human existence.

Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank Of The Philippines

Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank Of The Philippines Republic Act No. 6848, otherwise known as The Charter of the Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines outlines that the primary purpose of the Islamic bank is to promote and accelerate the socio-economic development of the Autonomous Region by performing banking, financing and investment operations and to establish and participate in agricultural, commercial and industrial ventures based on the Islamic concept of banking. In addition to allowing the bank to act as a universal bank capable of offering both conventional and Islamic banking products and services, the Sections No. 10 11 of the charter respectively provide incentives in the form of investor protection, and grant the bank the ability to accept grants and donations (Congress of the Philippines, 1989). Dimapunong (2006) provides background information and commentary on the rules and regulations governing the Al-Amanah Islamic Bank. A founding chairman of the bank, the author also wrote about the role of former senator Mamintal A. Tamanos role in the establishment of the original Philippine Amanah Bank, the precursor of the current Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines. A rare representative from Muslim Mindanao, the late senator was supposedly the first to envision a Muslim bank in the Philippines, at a time when modern Islamic banking was at its infancy. According to the author, the original PAB was not properly Shariah-compliant leading Ulama counsels to complain about the institution misleading the public. By 1988 it had been deemed a complete failure having already gone bankrupt (Dimapunong A. A.). Sandra Isnaji (2003) conducted a SWOT (Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat) analysis of the Amanah Bank and prescribes a rehabilitation plan for the institution involving infusions of capital from the government in order to get rid of the banks debt and to invest in new infrastructure. Her paper was aimed at answering three questions with regard to the beleaguered banks status: (1) Where are we now? (2) Where do we want to be? and (3) How do we get there? To that extent, Isnaji looked at the state of Islamic banking industry as a whole, the state of the Philippine financial system, and the state of the Amanah bank itself. With regard to the Amanah Banks operations, Isnaji (2003) states that (at the time of writing) it operates on a two-window system in which it offers both Islamic and conventional financial products and services. And while the institution faced no competition from other Islamic banks, it faced stiff competition from the countrys conventional financial institutions, both formal and informal. With regard to the Philippine banking sector, the author used Porters Five Forces framework to analyze the ABs competition within it. The author findings are as follows: (1) With regard to the bargaining power of suppliers: the tight control of the Bangko Sentral affords it high bargaining power, to the advantage of state-owned banks such as the Amanah Bank; the bargaining power of multilateral and bilateral aid organizations(USTDA, WB, ADB, JBIC) is high due to their involvement with micro-finance and development banks; the large size and unorganized nature of the labor sector affords it little ba rgaining power; bargaining power among depositors is highly skewed towards the higher income deciles whos deposits account for 88.3% of the savings in banks, with the lower deciles having nor bargaining power. (2) With regard to the bargaining power of buyers, the higher income deciles belonging to the middle and upper classes resided and/or did business in the National Capital Region (NCR) and demand services such as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦electronic banking, payroll services, and bill payments.; The power portions of the population find it difficult to obtain financing from formal banks due to their situation, and thus do not have much bargaining power, but their sheer numbers offer a potentially large market. (3) With regard to the threat of new entrants, any new Islamic banks allowed by the BSP could actually benefit the Amanah Bank by providing much needed visibility for the beleaguered Philippine Islamic banking sector. (4) With regard to the threat of substitute, notable alternatives that customers may opt for are informal financial institutions, employers that provide loan programs, or complete abstinence from banking entirely. Another threat is the outflow of capital from the country. (5) With regard to rivalry among existing players, the tendency of banks to be large tends to lead them to avoid small borrowers and savers, as such the government has had to develop the banking system so as to include such institutions as thrift and rural banks which cater to the needs of small borrowers and savers who would otherwise resort to informal institutions. In order to counter the threat of oligopoly the government competes in the financial sector via the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP). (Isnaji, 2003) As a requirement of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) acquisition of the Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines (AAIIBP), the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) required the DBP to submit a 5-year rehabilitation plan for the bank. The initial plan, submitted on 23 April 2008, was deemed inadequate by the BSP. As such a draft of the revised plan was submitted on 18 March 2009. The revised plan was divided into four parts: (1) a brief background elaborating on the institutions legal basis, purpose, and present situation, (2) a summary of its business plans, (3) details on the implementation of said business plans, (4) and five-year financial projections. (Panganiban, 2009) The revised rehabilitation plan of the Amanah Bank centers around 4Rs, specifically: Recapitalization via capital infusions from the DBP and domestic and foreign investors; this is aimed at covering the expenses of the banks rehabilitation Restoration of financial viability focused on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦aggressive marketing efforts to introduce AAIIBPs new products and services, liquidation of non-performing assets and the sourcing of contingent fundsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Reorganization focused on building up institutional capacity, particularly with regard to Sharia compliance; involves organizational restructuring, relocation and refurbishing of bank offices, expansion and automation. Reforms institutionalization involves strengthening of corporate culture and governance, monitoring system, risk management and audit system, and review of product and operating manuals. Particular emphasis has been given to the recapitalization strategy which would provide the funds needed for the other three points of the rehabilitation. (Development Bank of the Philippines, March 2009) Islamic Banking Chong and Liu (2006) attempted to determine how different Islamic banking is from conventional banking by examining Islamic banking practice in Malaysia using the Engle-Granger error-correction methodology. In their study they find that despite being theoretically different, in practice Islamic banking in Malaysia is not very different from conventional banking. According to their study, only a negligible portion of Islamic bank financing in Malaysia is based on the profit-and-loss (PLS) sharing paradigm and that Islamic deposits are not interest-free, but are based on non-PLS modes that are permitted under Sharia law, but ignore the spirit of the usury prohibition. This parallels Islamic banking experience in other countries. The authors conclude that Islamic banking practices cannot differ too greatly from conventional banking practice due to stiff competition that makes interest-free Islamic deposits closely pegged to conventional deposits. This conclusion can have implications fo r the brand is Islamic banking, particularly with regard to its often touted non-interest-based character. However, it also has analytical and regulatory implications; the similarity of Islamic banking practices to conventional banking practices would simplify the task of both studying and regulating Islamic banking. The findings of this study mirror an earlier paper by Movassaghi and Zamans (2002). In it, they attempt to re-examine the concept of riba in light of Islamic jurisprudence. In that paper they compare Islamic banking practices with conventional banking practices in order to highlight that neither all conventional practices are usurious, nor are modern Islamic banking practices significantly different from those of conventional banks. They also assert that many differences between the profit/loss sharing paradigm of Islamic banking and conventional interest-based merely superficial. In addition to questions of practice, Chong and Lius study also asked the question of whether or not the growth of Islamic banking over the past several years was due to the comparative advantages of the Islamic banking paradigm, or to the Islamic resurgence that began in the 1960s. Based on their findings, the authors are inclined to adopt the latter view. This view is also compatible with the findings of a study cited by Isnaji (2003), done by the Meezan Bank of Pakistan which identified several key success factors in the experience of Islamic banks in other countries: (1) strong religious consciousness among the Muslim population, (2) support from the government in the form of financial infrastructure and favorable regulations, (3) promotion, (4) [increases] in individual wealth, and (5) a wide variety of financial products and services. Public Enterprises/Public Enterprise Reform Basu (2005) gives an overview of the background and concept of public enterprise, highlighting the particular experience of India in this matter. distinguishing it from the broader term public sector by adopting the definition adopted by the International Centre of Public Enterprises (ICPE): Any commercial, financial, industrial, agricultural or promotional undertaking owned by public authority, either wholly or through majority share holding which is engaged in the sale of goods and services and whose affairs are capable of being recorded in balance sheets and profit and loss accounts. Such undertakings may have diverse legal and corporate forms, such as departmental undertakings, public corporations, statutory agencies, established by Acts of Parliament or Joint Stock Companies registered under the Company Law. The author then goes on to elaborate these three categories. Basu further elaborates on the theory of public enterprises by elaborating on four types of economic activity based on the concept of remuneration as well as that of natural monopoly. (Basu, 2005) Basu highlights the equal importance of accountability and efficiency in the management of public enterprises, stating the important role of institutional arrangements in this matter. The author then elaborates on the creation of public enterprises with regard to government policy in terms of the strategies of nationalization or introduction of a new activity and states that most post-independence cases consisted of the latter. Basu emphasizes the idea that neither the state nor the market is immune to failure and that current emphasis should be on the idea of public-private synergy, and that attention should be put on both on public-private partnership and competition to achieve the objectives of efficiency and welfare. He then highlights the link between public finance and public enterprise, stating that shortsighted approaches of several developing countries including India to reduce fiscal deficit by selling public enterprises- which follow from inadequacies of public finance man agement could be disastrous in the long run (Basu, 2005). Stiglitz (2000) identifies two major categories in which public enterprises may systematically be more inefficient than private enterprises: organizational and individual. Under the former are sub-categories regarding organizational incentives, personnel restrictions, procurement restrictions, and budget restrictions. These pertain to public enterprises organizational rules and procedures which may hamper those enterprises efficiency and performance. The nature of public firms can mean that they may not necessarily need worry about incurring losses in their operations since any such losses may be covered by public funding. The bureaucratic nature of these enterprises may also entail strict procedures with regard to the hiring and firing of employees and the appropriation of needed materials, increasing transaction costs for both the demanding firm and possible suppliers (private forms and individuals). Lastly, there is the issue of budget restrictions due to governments having to all ocate limited financial resources among various agencies and projects. (Stiglitz, 2000) The latter category pertains to the behavior of individual bureaucrats under the incentive structure of public enterprises. Low wages and security of tenure may provide disincentives for bureaucrats to perform efficiently. Bureaucrats are also argued to be budget maximizers in that they seek to maximize the size of their bureaucracies by encouraging increased expenditures on their respective agencies. Stiglitz cites Niskanen with regard to principal-agent problems in bureaucracies wherein government bureaucrats act in their own interests and not necessarily in the interests of the citizens whom they are supposed to serve. (Stiglitz, 2000) Chang (2007) presents a discussion of the issue of state enterprise reform. Chang argues that theoretically there is no clear case with for or against state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by citing arguments for (natural monopoly, capital market failure, externalities, equity) and against (principal-agent problem, free-rider problem, soft budget restrains), the author also points out that large SOEs and large private sector firms often face similar (principal-agent) problems. This mirrors Stiglitzs statement that Principal-agent problems arise in all organization, whether public or private and are particularly acute in large organizations. In both private and public cases, managers often have large amounts of discretion allowing them to pursue their own interests. (Stiglitz, 2000) In citing the issues of public enterprises in comparison to private enterprises, many often assume away the agency problems of private firms, thus comparing idealized private firms with real-life SOEs, the former of which would obviously come out on top (Chang, 2007). Chang 92007) points out that privatization is not the only solution to the problems of many SOEs, and that many intermediate third way solutions exist. The author elaborates that privatization as an option has its costs and limitations and should only be taken on certain conditions, many of which are not met in reality leading to many failed attempts at privatization that cause more problems than they solve. As such, the third way options (organizational reform, increasing competition, political and administrative reforms) ought to be considered before privatization. (Chang, 2007) Rational Choice Theory/Institutional Economics Rational/Public Choice Theory Rational Choice Theory refers to those theories of the social sciences which utilize the analytical tools of neoclassical economics, particularly, the core assumption of rational (utility-maximizing) and self-interested individuals. (Hindmoor, 2006) Hindmoor (2002) states that rational choice theorists employ an instrumental conception of rationality in which actions are judged as being rational to the extent that they constitute the best way of achieving some goal. He identifies two conceptualizations of rationality: The first (the axiomatic approach) conceives a rational person as someone whos preference-ordering over bundles of goods and services is reflexive, complete, transitive and continuous. The second (the optimizing approach) conceives the rational person as one who possesses optimal beliefs and acts in optimal ways given those beliefs and desires. (Hindmoor, 2006) Hindmoor writes that rationality is a controversial assumption in political science, particularly in light of the concept of bounded rationality. As such, he says that such an assumption must be justified and looks at the two approaches in order to determine which is more defensible. Under the umbrella heading of rational choice theory can be found the sub-theories of public choice, which, in turn, constituted transplanting the general analytical framework of economics into political science. (Tullock, 2002) Tullocks primary contribution to rational/public choice theory is his theories on rent-seeking, which he defines as the use of resources for the purpose of obtaining rents for people where the rents themselves come from some activity that has negative social value. Tullock continues: The concept of rent seeking as popularly perceived refers to legal and illegal activities to obtain special privileges such as seeking monopoly status, special zoning, quantitative restrictions on imports, protective tariffs, bribes, threats, and smuggling. (Tullock, 2002) Indeed, rent-seeking has actually come to dominate the literature of rational choice theory. Hindmoor (2006) cites the plethora of studies done on various countries, on various topics to emphasize this point. He looks to three possible explanations for this: (1) the name-recognition of the term rent-seeking itself, (2) the adaptability and extendibility of Tullocks argument which à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦can be extended to cover the analysis of any and all special economic privilegesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, and (3) the fact that it offered a hostile theory of state, which could be used to counter welfare economists arguments for government intervention. On the second reason, Hindmoor supplements Tullocks original argument by pointing out that interest groups also spend resources to prevent rivals from obtaining rents and to secure their own and that governments may also practice rent-extraction. (Hindmoor, 2006) Tullock (2002) identifies several costs involved in rent seeking: The first being the actual cost of obtaining the special privilege. Of which the author provides the example of the costs of lobbying in Washington D.C. Greater costs are incurred from the distortion of the voting process, wherein public officials who are elected to pursue certain policies or projects often also pursue other less beneficial projects of which the true cost cannot be typically counted due to those politicians not disclosing the details of deals they have made. The greatest costs, however, are the indirect costs caused by rent seeking behavior. In particular, the involvement of intelligent and energetic people in an activity that contributes either nothing or negatively to society. The opportunity cost of such activities, he argues, far exceed their direct costs. (Tullock, 2002) Tullock (2002) argues that the development of rent seeking activities is influenced by many factors, in particular the structure and design of government. In general, he argues, any rule that complicates and makes the functioning of the government government decisionmaking process less smooth will lower the amount of rent seeking. He concludes his discussion on the topic by emphasizing that there are as of yet no good measures of the costs of rent-seeking (Tullock, 2002). Hindmoor (2006) cites Von Mises in defining bureaucracy as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦any organization which specialises in the supply of those services the value of which cannot be exchanged for money at a per-unit rate. Such organizations, Von Mises suggests, find themselves effectively exempted from the demands of economic calculation and are, as a result, usually inefficient. He also cites Tullock: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the crucial feature of bureaucracies is not simply that they are hierarchies, but pyramidal hierarchies with fewer people at the top than in the lower ranks. This leads to a principal-agent relationship, with all its problems of information asymmetry (Hindmoor, 2006). In his section of Public Choice, Tullock also discusses bureaucracy. He writes that: Bureaucrats are much like other people and, like people in general, are more interested in their own well-being than in the public interest. The problem is in designing institutions in such a way as to harness bureaucrats self-interest to serve the public interest (Tullock, 2002). The core problem with bureaucracy is encapsulated by Tullock in one paragraph: In most bureaucracies the executive whether in General Motors, the Department of State, or the Exchequer is in a position where only to a minor extent is his or her own interest involved. Bureaucrats will make many decisions that will have little or no direct effect on themselves and hence can be made with the best interests of General Motors or the American or the British people at heart. Unfortunately bureaucrats, in general, have only weak motives to consider these problems carefully, but they do have strong motives to improve their status in the bureaucracy, whether by income, power, or simply the ability to take leisure while sitting in plush offices. They are more likely to be more concerned with this second set of objectives than the first, although they may not put very much effort into it because not much effort is required (Tullock, 2002). Tullock then further draws parallels between public and private bureaucrats. He argues that both will attempt to maximize gains for their respective employers if it pays off for them. But in neither case does the institutional structure lead bureaucrats to maximizing the well-being of their superiors. He qualifies, though, that private corporations have a much easier time in pursing their goals efficiently than do governments. He cites three reasons for this: the comparatively simple objective of stockbrokers (profit maximization), the reasonably accurate methods of measuring the performance of corporate managers (bureaucrats) in the form of accounting, and the difference in the ownership of benefits from the efficient management of bureaucracies (private profit vs. public interest) (Tullock, 2002). Lastly, Tullock elaborates upon several proposals with regard to bureaucratic reform: decentralization, depriving bureaucrats of the vote, and downsizing the size of bureaucracy. He discusses how it is often in the interest of bureaucrats to increase the size of their departments , although in some cases downsizing does occur without the objection of senior bureaucrats due to such measures not affecting them aversely or even benefiting them by, for example, leading to more highly paid positions at the top while cutting down from below. Most intriguing is his characterization of bureaucratic behaviour as resembling that of people with hobbies, albeit with two major differences: it does not cost bureaucrats very much since they are predominantly using other peoples resources and that most bureaucrats honestly think that whatever it is they do is not for their benefit alone, but for the country or their bureau. (Tullock, 2002) This mirrors Niskanens theory on bureaucracy, wherein he asserts that bureaucrats find it in their interest to maximize their budgets and that they are often successful in doing so. Niskanen, himself defines bureaucracies as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦non-profit-making organization whose revenues derive from periodic grants (Hindmoor, 2006). Niskanen also à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦follows Downs in assuming that bureaucrats value a range of goods including power, monetary income, prestige and security. Yet he cuts through the complexities o Downs argument by suggesting that nearly all of these variables are positively related to the size of the bureaucrats budget (Hindmoor, 2006). Tullock (2002) elaborates goes on to the relationship between bureaucrats and two other major groups of political actors: politicians and pressure groups. Tullock focuses on the ability of bureaucrats to often lord over their superiors thanks to their security of tenure. Two bureaucratic tactics are discussed: the use of leaks to undermine or embarrass superiors, and the use of essential programs as proverbial shields in the fact of budget cuts. With regard to pressure groups, the collusion is the cited issue, wherein bureaus and interest groups work together to gain mutual benefits from government. (Tullock, 2002) With regard to this relationship Niskanen argues that the bureaucrats have two advantages over politicians which allow them to increase their budgets: (1) greater information on the costs involved in their bureaucracies provision of goods, and (2) the ability to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦make take-it-or-leave-it offers to their political patrons (Hindmoor, 2006). Politicians on the o ther hand are attributed four capacities: (1) the ability to select the bureaucracys overall output, (2) the ability to ensure that bureaucrats fulfill their promises in return for an agreed budget, (3) the ability to ensure that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the total benefits individuals derive from consuming whatever output it is that the bureaucracy provides are equal to or greater than the total costs of providing it (Hindmoor, 2006) and (4) the ability to ensure that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the marginal benefits of any output are not negative (Hindmoor, 2006). As Hindmoor points out, however, Niskanen has accepted the argument of Jean-Luc Migue and Gerard Belanger (1974) that bureaucrats do not so much maximize the size of their budget, but rather that of their discretionary budget, defined as the difference between their budget and the minimum costs of supplying their expected output. They argue that though this discretionary budget cannot be used by the bureaucrat for personal profit, it can be used to gain greater power, patronage, prestige, and so on (Hindmoor, 2006). Regardless of this distinction, however, the conclusion is still that the bureaucracies are inefficient because their budgets are too large. (Hindmoor, 2006) Hindmoor further critiques Niskanens argument by citing several works by multiple authors who point out that (1) politicians actually hold great power over bureaucrats, so much so that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦bureaucrats can be deterred from making excessive demandsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (2) politicians can trick bureaucrats into revealing information on minimal costs by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦asking them how much output they would be willing to provide at various per unit prices. (3) constituents and interest-groups may raise alarms about with regard to ineffective bureaucracies, (4) administrative rules and standard operating procedures keep bureaucracies in line, and (5) that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Congressional Committees have the formal power to hire and fire senior bureaucrats, ring-fence particular investments and hold investigations and public-hearings into an agencys performance (Hindmoor, 2006). In his discussion, Tullock concludes by emphasizing that bureaucrats are not necessarily bad people, but that the institutional arrangement often frees them of the constraint of efficiently carrying out the tasks to which they have been assigned. The author then iterates that both large governments and large private corporations necessitate bureaucracies, and that such bureaucracies can be both conducive and/or obstructive to good government. (Tullock, 2002) Now, while rational choice theory certainly dominates discussion of government inefficiency Field (1979) argues that while it provides an easy framework for analysis, it is incapable of providing explanations. He argues that since rational choice models are as incapable of providing sufficiently restrictive predictions, which provide accounts which tell why a certain outcome was reached instead of another. He points to the inability of neoclassical economic analysis in explaining oligopolies, citing that Economists can analyze an existing cartel by pointing to the benefits which participating companies receive as the result of restricting output and raising prices. But economist can equally well analyze the absence of a cartel by pointing to the benefits individual members would obtain by violating such an agreement. (Field, 1979) Field goes on to critique the idea of explaining social outcomes based on the conception that they spring from economic forces. He mentions that while rational choice models have the comparative advantage when it comes to understanding outcomes which are caused by economic forces, they do not take into consideration the ways in which social forces affect the operation of markets. (Field, 1979) Field thus argues that the inherent limitations of rational choice/economic models in explaining systems of rules mean that they are no replacement for institutional economists qualitative approach, which holds historical understanding of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦laws and customs organizing the process under investigationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as essential. However, he does make the consideration that while rational choice models cannot satisfactorily explain institutions by themselves, they can help. (Field, 1979) Institutional Economics R.A. Gordon (1963) attempts to outline the characteristics of institutional economics in the form of several propositions: (1) Economic behavior is strongly conditioned by the institutional environment (in all its manifestation) within which economic activity takes place, and economic behavior in turn affects the institutional environment. (2) This process of mutual interaction is an evolutionary one. The environment changes, and as it does, so do the determinants of economic behavior. Hence the need for an evolutionary approach to economics. (3) In this evolutionary process of interaction, a key role is played by the (largely conflicting) conditions imposed by modern technology and by the pecuniary institutions of modern capitalism. (4) Economics is more concerned with conflict than with a harmonious order in which unconscious [cooperation] results from the free play of market forces. (5) Since conflict underlies so many economic relationships, and since these relationships are not immutable, there is room and need for social control of economic activity. (6) We need to learn all that we can from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and law if we are to understand why human beings act as they do in their economic roles. People are not maximizing automata reacting mechanically in an institutional vacuum. (7) Granted the preceding assumptions, much of orthodox economic theory is either wrong or irrelevant because it makes demonstrably false assumptions and does not ask the really important questions. A new, broader, evolutionary theory based on behavioral assumptions derived from the other social sciences and on detailed knowledge of the evolution and present characteristics of the institutional environment needs to be constructed. A wide variety of empirical studies must precede the attempt to construct such a broader, evolutionary, and more realistic corpus of theory (Gordon, 1963). Thorstein Veblen is commonlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦regarded as the founding father or guiding spirit of American institutionalism. (Ayres, 1964) In Institutional Economics, Ayres argues that the central idea of Veblens works was a call for a completely different ontology of economics with a completely different conception of what constituted the economy. Whereas the conception of mainstream economics has been that the economic system is centered on the concept of the market and tied together by individuals self-interest. Instead, Ayres asserts that Veblen took on an anthropological conception of the economy. One where in it is the state of industrial arts that gives occasion to exchange, so the extent of the market must always be limited by the state of the industrial arts. This was the direct opposite of the thinking of mainstream economics at that point: that the various aspects of civilizations development could be attributed to market forces. (Ayres, 1964) Ayres puts Veb

Cash for Good Grades

Cash for Good Grades Sometimes parents think of kids school work as their jobs. But adults get paid for their work so why shouldnt students get paid? Studies show paying kids to get good grades raises their grades,attendance and the graduation rate. Students will put in more effort when they are getting rewarded for good work.This is why paying students for getting good grades is a great idea. Cash for good grades would be a great way for students to get a head start in working for pay. Kids would be able to appreciate school more and perform good on tasks for rewards.ÂÂ   In an article about cash for good grades it reads,Cash for grades can jump start students motivation by providing real world rewards for efforts and performanceLindsay, Samantha. (How to Start Paying Students for Good Grades Effectively). This gives kids a real world experience of being rewarded for good performance. It gives them a jump start at the adult life by teaching them that they perform good on task that they will be rewarded. With this being said children will be more successful and have better attendance in school. If it raises grades and creates good attendance,paying children for school is a great idea. Paying children for school will definitely encourage students to keep their grades up. If you were getting paid to come to school and do better wouldnt you put in extra effort? With that being said This article states,There have been studies that experimented with paying students to attend and do well in school. The rate of students missing 15 or more days dropped 10 percents Studies show paying kids will encourage them to stay in school and keep their grades up. The money will encourage them to keep doing good in school and succeed to graduation and possible enroll in college if they want to. the promise of money for grades increases the students drive for success and good marks soon follow. When students get paid for their good grades they try better in school. They give it their best and try to get get good grades, because they can do whatever they want with their money. The students like it better if they are rewarded. It makes them feel better and that they are progressing. Money also excites kid before they get to school. It excites everybody because if you dont have a job chances are you dont regularly have money and cant buy the things you want Cleveland local news interviewed a student that says, Im excited to get the money. It makes me want to come to school on time.Some kids dont have money and this will help them (Cincinnati High School Paying Students To Come To School). Kids will want to show up to school and make it appoint to make sure they make As and Bs in all of their classes. This help kids who are less fortunate and live in poverty. In some places like Memphis one in three families live in poverty and paying their students small portions for good grades will help them. Its great because it will give kids some cash and parents who live in low income housing, etc can save their money up. Money will also motivate students to do better in school. With that being said ,a quote from WREG.com news channel 10 students say, Sometimes its the mindset and money motivates people. Weve received about 9,000 over the course of 3 years. (Memphis Program Paid Students for Good Grades and Their Parents to Get Jobs). This would also be grade for students planning to head off to college after high school. They could have a head start and have money saved up from high school and be able to pay for a portion of their college with the money they receive.This would also encourage students to maintain a A-B average.Salespeople often get bonuses for high sales numbers, so why not apply this same philosophy to your student in hopes that the potential for income increases effort? Paying students for good grades can help kids save up money for college,excite students, make students actually want to come to school daily ,and give students a head start in real world getting paid for good,well done work. It incentivizes them to maintain high grades. Its a great source of motivation.This is why paying students for good grades is effective. Works Cited Cash for Good Grades. N.p., n.d. Web.Http://www.facebook.com/wreg3. Memphis Program Paid Students for Good Grades and Their Parents to Get Jobs. WREG.com. N.p., 12 May 2015. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. Https://www.facebook.com/923thefan. Cincinnati High School Paying Students To Come To School. CBS Cleveland. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. Lindsay, Samantha. How to Start Paying Students for Good Grades Effectively. How to Start Paying Students for Good Grades Effectively. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

Abortion By RU486 :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Dangers inherent in this method of abortion are evident in precautions used in other countries, for example France. The Food and Drug Administration based its 1996 finding that drug-induced abortion using mifepristone and misoprostol ("M/M") was "safe and effective" on results involving a subgroup of women (1,681) in French trials. M/M abortions in France are performed at government-operated hospitals and clinics, typically with or adjacent to emergency room facilities. Women are screened for numerous medical conditions that rule out use of the two drugs. Ultrasound is used to determine gestational age and to rule out tubal pregnancy. After women are given prostaglandin (e.g., misoprostol), they are monitored on site for approximately four hours so that allergic reactions, cardiopulmonary "events," hemorrhaging and the like can be treated promptly before they become life-threatening. A 1990 directive jointly signed by the French Republic's Director General of Health, Director of Hospitals and Director of Pharmacy and Medication, states that whenever prostaglandins are given "in association with RU 486" the "following technical conditions ... are indispensable and are to be followed: ... b) The doctor must ensure that diagnostic instruments and machines are close by, such as electrocardiogram equipment and particularly resuscitative cardiopulmonary equipment (including nitrous oxide and injectable calcium antagonists and a fibrillator). ... c) [C]linical observations and blood-pressure readings every half hour are indispensable for several hours following the administration of these drugs. d) Whenever there is ches t pain, an electrocardiogram should be taken on the suspicion of rhythm troubles and in case of significant lowering of blood pressure" ("Letter"). In Sweden, women are "supervised by the midwife for 4 to 6 hours at the outpatient clinic" (Bygdeman). In China "the emphasis on close medical supervision is well accepted. ... It is stressed that misoprostol should be taken in the clinic and followed by several hours of observation" (Wu). The long observation is one reason that staffs in some large hospitals in China are growing reluctant to prescribe the drug combination: "The number of medical abortions has decreased recently in some of the large hospitals. The staffs were too busy to handle the procedure (more counseling, more visits, and observation), and they also have to manage the referred cases with serious side effects and complications" (Wu 199). Searle, which manufactures misoprostol under the brand name Cytotec, has consistently opposed the use of Cytotec for labor induction and for

Muhammad And The Beginnings Of Islam :: History Historical Islam Islamic muslim

Muhammad And The Beginnings Of Islam Muhammad, whose full name was Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim, was born in Mecca around 570 AD after the death of his father, 'Abd Allah. Muhammad was at first under the care of his paternal grandfather, 'Abd al-Muttalib. Because the climate of Mecca was considered to be unhealthful, he was given as an infant to a wet nurse from a nomadic tribe and spent some time in the desert. At six, he lost his mother, Aminah of the clan of Zuhra, and at eight his grandfather. Though his grandfather had been head of the prestigious Hashem clan and was prominent in Mecca politics, he was probably not the leading man in Mecca as some sources suggest. Muhammad came under the care of the new head of the clan, his uncle Abu Talib, and is reputed to have accompanied him on trading journeys to Syria. About 595, on such a journey, he was in charge of the merchandise of a rich woman, Khadijah of the clan of Asad, and so impressed her that she offered marriage. She is said to have been about 40, but she bore Muhammad at least two sons, who died young, and four daughters. The best known daughter was Fatimah, the wife of Muhammad's cousin 'Ali who is regarded as Muhammad's divinely ordained successor by the Shi'ah branch of Islam. Until Khadijah's death in 619, Muhammad took no other wife. The marriage was a turning point in Muhammad's life. By Arab custom, minors did not inherit, and therefore Muhammad had no share in the property of his father or grandfather. However, by his marriage he obtained sufficient capital to engage in mercantile activity on a scale commensurate with his abilities. Muhammad appears to have been of a reflective turn of mind and is said to have adopted the habit of occasionally spending nights in a hill cave near Mecca. The poverty and misfortunes of his early life doubtless made him aware of tensions in Meccan society. Mecca, inhabited by the tribe of Quraysh to which the Hashim clan belonged, was a mercantile center formed around a sanctuary, the Ka’bah, which assured the safety of those who came to trade at the fairs. In the later 6th century there was extensive trade by camel caravan between the Yemen and the Mediterranean region (Gaza and Damascus), bringing goods from India and Ethiopia to the Mediterranean. The great merchants of Mecca had obtained monopoly control of this trade. Mecca was thus prosperous, but most of the wealth was in a few hands.

Advertising Stereotype Essay

Media stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation. But stereotypes can be problematic. They can: reduce a wide range of differences in people to simplistic categorizations transform assumptions about particular groups of people into â€Å"realities† be used to justify the position of those in power perpetuate social prejudice and inequality More often than not, the groups being stereotyped have little to say about how they are represented. Anyone who examines North American entertainment and news media will notice that members of ethnic and visible minorities are inadequately represented in entertainment and news media, and that portrayals of minorities are often stereotypical and demeaning. This tendency is particularly problematic in a multicultural country, where some of the population is immigrants and some is visible minorities, along with larger urban centers. Visual representation of reality is influential in shaping people’s views of the world, where everyday realities are articulated mostly by what we see in the media. The role of advertising in this interpretation of reality is crucial. The target audience’s self-identification with the images being a basic prerequisite for an advertisement’s effectiveness, makes advertising one of the most important factors in the building of behavior models and values systems. The way a certain notion is managed at a visual level determines how people will perceive this notion and whether they will identify with it or not. Meaning is encoded in the structure of the images, which thus become potent cultural symbols for human behavior. The framing and composition of the image, the setting, the symbolic attributes and every other element in its structure, all are engaged in the effective presentation of the underlying notion. Gender Stereotypes in Advertising Dominant discourses surrounding gender encourage us to accept that the human race is ‘naturally’ divided in to male and female, each gender realistically identifiable by a set of immutable characteristics. In Foucault’s terms, relations of difference are social constructs belonging to social orders that contain hierarchies of power, defined, named and delimited by institutional discourses, to produce social practices. â€Å"Gender differences are symbolic categories† (Saco, 1992:25). These categories are used to ascribe certain characteristics to men and women. The representation of those characteristics determines how men and women are presented in cultural forms, and really whether an individual is identified as ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’. It is important to understand the big role that media, in general, and specifically advertisement plays in maintaining an ingrained gender hierarchy. The closer study of men’s and women’s images as presented in advertising should result in uncovering the messages about their identity and role in society. Until recently, masculinity in the media was not considered problematic since there was the notion that masculinity is not constructed. â€Å"Masculinity remains the untouched and untouchable against which femininity figures as the repressed and/or unspoken† (Holmlund, 1993:214). The role advertisements play in the development and perpetuation of gender-role stereotypes may include: Women Stereotypes in Advertising Advertising is an over 100 billion dollar a year industry and affects all of us throughout our lives. We are each exposed to over 2000 ads a day, constituting perhaps the most powerful educational force in society. The average American will spend one and one-half years of his or her life watching television commercials. The ads sell a great deal more than products. They sell values, images, and concepts of success and worth, love and sexuality, popularity and normalcy. They tell us who we are and who we should be. Sometimes they sell addictions. Advertising is the foundation and economic lifeblood of the mass media. The primary purpose of the mass media is to deliver an audience to advertisers, just as the primary purpose of television programs is to deliver an audience for commercials. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable because they are new and inexperienced consumers and are the prime targets of many advertisements. They are in the process of learning their values and roles and developing their self-concepts. Most teenagers are sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even question the dominant cultural messages perpetuated and reinforced by the media. Mass communication has made possible a kind of national peer pressure that erodes private and individual values and standards. But what do people, especially teenagers, learn from the advertising messages? On the most obvious level they learn the stereotypes. Advertising creates a mythical, mostly white world in which people are rarely ugly, overweight, poor, struggling or disabled, either physically or mentally (unless you count the housewives who talk to little men in toilet bowls). In this world, people talk only about products. The aspect of advertising most in need of analysis and change is the portrayal of women. Scientific studies and the most casual viewing yield the same conclusion: women are shown almost exclusively as housewives or sex objects. The housewife, pathologically obsessed by cleanliness, debates the virtues of cleaning products with herself and worries about â€Å"ring around the collar† (but no one ever asks why he doesn’t wash his neck). She feels guilt for not being more beautiful, for not being a better wife and mother. Very unrealistic goals for ideal body shapes, which lead to high rates of anorexia nervosa and bulimia Make women believe they are valued based on their body, therefore their self-esteem is also based on how their body looks compared to others. Give messages to women that changing their appearance, they will have a better life *Men* Stereotypes in Advertising It is interesting to see that now, when things have admittedly changed for women, we still see much of the same themes in modern men’s advertisements. In the ads from â€Å"Men’s Journal,† we generally see a handsome, strong, successful and somewhat rugged man. The camera angles are almost invariably from the bottom up, giving us a view of the man as though we, the viewer are below him, looking up at him. All of them are young, but none are teen-aged looking. All but one have, or show remnants of facial hair. None of these ads show the man in the work place, but their depiction of leisure is that of mature success, not youthful excess. Because of the camera angles, the strong stances, the rugged good looks, and the depictions of success, these ads reinforce the stereotypes of men as strong, powerful, aggressive providers. An ad for Tommy Hilfiger shows the man with his arm around a girl who is leaning into his chest. This ad depicts a man as protector and as a heterosexual. The one ad that stands out from the group in this collection of ads from Men’s Journal is the one from ESPN’s Sport’s Center. This ad shows a man finishing up a piece of cake at a diner and watching Sport’s center from across the bar. This is a different depiction of leisure which seems directly related to the product it is selling. The rest of the ads are selling some form of apparel. They are designed to show clothes as comfortable and stylish and show that a man who wears those clothes can be the aggressive, dominant male. The Sport’s Center ad is selling a product that isn’t consumed as part of public image, but of private pleasure. The clothes worn by the models are assertively masculine, and often emphasize a broad shouldered and solid body shape. The models display a highly masculine independence and assurance, as well as the coding of narcissistic self-absorption. The choice of lighting and film stock emphasizes the surface qualities of skin, hair, eyes and the texture of clothing. Finally the cropping of the images works to produce intensity in many of the images. This stereotyped presentation of a gender role, certainly tells us that there is still a part of society that believes that men should be naturally related to power, aggression and authority. In recent years however, other aspects of masculinity have become acceptable in ads. This can be seen in the difference between the ads in Men’s Journal and those in Maxim. The ads from Maxim are similar to those from Men’s Journal but definitely appeal to a younger audience. It is therefore interesting to look at what advertisers feel is more appealing to younger men. There is one ad for Ralph Lauren Cologne that shows a young successful looking man in a shirt and tie looking over the top of the head of the women cuddling in his chest. She is looking into the camera seductively and he looks as though his mind is elsewhere. He is dominant, even arrogant in this position and once again appears successful and confident. Another ad from Maxim is for a DVD special edition of â€Å"Rocky. † The ad shows rocky beaten and worn but continuing to fight. The copy reads â€Å"at least David had a slingshot. † This ad depicts the ultimate American sports hero, appealing men, both young and old. In-short, disadvantages with Men Stereotyping, are: Show ideal for body type, also which can be unrealistic Show men as aggressive and in control of things, including women Women’s problems are â€Å"fixable†, you either fit the part of the masculine ideal or you do not Negative Stereotypes in Advertising Aunt Jemima, Darkie toothpaste, Uncle Ben and the infamous â€Å"Waaaaaz up† crew from the people at Budweiser are some blatantly stereotypical roles that have had many conscious blacks frustrated during the past century. Darkie toothpaste may be unfamiliar to many Americans today because it was marketed in Hong Kong until March 1990. The toothpaste package featured a minstrel character with a wide smile. The character appeared to have placed black soot on his well-rounded face and red lipstick around his mouth while smiling large with gleaming white teeth. To make the character completely minstrel-like, the character added a large brimmed top hat to grace his head. According to Jamieson and Campbell, the authors of â€Å"News, Advertising, Politics and the Mass Media: the Interplay of Influence,† Darkie toothpaste was removed because of its negative connotation of the word â€Å"Darkie† and not so much the image on the box. The regional commercial director for Hawley and Hazel (the makers of Darkie toothpaste) said, â€Å"We want the name of our toothpaste to be internationally acceptable. However, some people consider the word ‘Darkie’ racially offensive, particularly in America. † It’s not that the name is not offensive, but the image was not even discussed. Associating the name with such an offensive image makes the toothpastes image just a bit more offensive. If Darkie toothpaste were associated with an image of dark yellow teeth with a contradictory image of a bright smile shown next to the crude picture, it would have shown a whole new connotation to the brand name. The frightening thing about this image is it was only removed from circulation 13 years ago, well after the Civil Rights Movement. Aunt Jemima has been a character that has shown a dramatic change throughout the years. Aunt Jemima wore a red and white scarf over her head. Now Aunt Jemima has a well-groomed coif and a slimmer face that graces the boxes of pancake, waffle and syrup bottles across the world. The changing images of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben are representative of the changes in American culture today. Although we do not see blacks as cooks, maids and servants anymore, we may see a new stereotype arising. The â€Å"Waaaz up† crew from the recent Budweiser commercials is an example of this theory. This campaign was very effective and catchy. It had people – black, white and every race in between – making it a staple in our ever-changing language. Budweiser did not only stereotype blacks in America but also other often-stereotyped groups. The Italian mobsters constantly repeating â€Å"How you doin? † and the â€Å"yuppie† stereotype stating, â€Å"How are yooooooou doing. † The only people that spoke proper English in these advertisements were the upper class white men. The images of blacks have increased by number but not by quality. According to the Journal of Advertising, blacks spend more than $279 billion a year on consumer goods, yet the advertisers are only spending approximately $865 million a year to reach them. This disproportionate figure reveals why many advertisements misrepresent blacks across America. Only a small percentage of the black population is professional athletes, yet they are the majority of endorsers for black products. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and women must demand a wider variety of roles in advertisements for it may negatively affect the children of tomorrow. If we are only being shown in narrow roles, our future generation may not aspire to be anything but rappers and athletes, instead of politicians, doctors or lawyers. Ask the advertisers, â€Å"Waaaz up wit dat? † Research supports that mass stereotyping groups of people does not work in the development and marketing of business ideas. Although many corporations still try to capitalize on stereotypes, this line of thinking simply does not work as effectively as the old â€Å"mom and pop country store† approach to business: Getting to know your customers as intimately as possible. If grouping populations like cattle into marketing niches worked, why would major corporations still continue to invest so heavily into studying consumer habits and demographics? If this type of marketing philosophy worked well then anyone with a great business idea could make it simply by targeting. Obviously, this is not so. *Stereotypin*g Myths For example, stereotype marketing ideologies might focus too much on one group and ignore another equally, or even more important. For example, target only kids for (non-PC) video games and lose access to millions of customers. Nearly a quarter of all video games are purchased by consumers aged 40 and older, and 38% of all video game sales are made by women. Another case in point: Senior citizens have become the fastest-growing population in the United States. ; however, mass marketing to seniors has remained somewhat elusive. Several pioneers in the senior marketing industry note that age alone has little to do with the interests of senior consumers. Those who have attempted to cash in on the senior population, simply lumping retirees together by age, have failed, and miserably so. When it comes to advertising, â€Å"marketing† studies that offer only cold statistics may play less of a role than you think in developing successful marketing strategies and advertising campaigns. Customers can be your best or worst source of advertising. Word of mouth referrals, especially in the age of the Internet, should not be undervalued. And, since consumers are more likely to complain than to compliment, it pays to have customer-friendly and trustworthy complaint resolution practices in place. It pays to see your customers as individuals, with common needs, but not as groups who, because of stereotype images, have lemming-like behaviors when it comes to making purchases.

High School Student

Karina Canas English 2323 2/15/12 Supernatural vs. Natural Ever been watching television and out of nowhere a picture frame or some other object fall without anyone moving it? Was it some supernatural power that caused it to fall like a ghost that is haunting a house or was the picture frame just placed wrong? The Castle of Otranto has many mysterious events that happen all throughout the novel, but not all of them are said to be supernatural. Some of the events can actually be explained, but others can’t therefore are said to be supernatural.The very first thing that happens in the novel is the giant helmet â€Å"larger than any casque ever made for human beings† that had fallen randomly out of the sky and crushed Conrad. There is no reasonable explanation to how anyone could have dropped it on Conrad because it was that huge that no one could have lifted it. One of the events that can be explained is when Manfred is trying to chase after Isabella but stops when the â €Å"moon presented to his sight the plumes of the fatal helmet, which rose to the height of the windows, waving backwards and forwards in a tempestuous manner, and accompanied with a hollow and rustling sound†.The reflection of the moon casted a shadow of the helmet and the wind caused the shadow to appear to be waving. The rustling sound was most likely made by the animals or the guards walking. This event appears to be natural though it does give the setting a scary atmosphere. Falling photograph frames are somewhat normal, but Horace Walpole took it a little farther and mentioned the portrait of Manfred’s â€Å"grandfather uttered a deep sigh, and heaved its breast†. Not only did his grandfather in the portrait sighed, but â€Å"it also quit its panel, and descended on the floor with a grave and melancholy air and then motion for Manfred to follow him†.Just like in Harry Potter moving portraits that talk are fictions, but it is a very effective way to raise the climax and give the reader a feeling of mystery and raise the climax. Especially when he finally gets to the door of the chamber and it is â€Å"clapped to with violence by an invisible hand†. The door is not actually held by an invisible hand. It is most likely locked up that’s why Manfred has a hard time opening the door. Later while Manfred is searching for Isabella, his guards Diego and Jaquez manage to get the door open and find what they believe to be a â€Å"giant lying down, for the foot and leg were stretched at length on the floor†.This giant could possibly be the owner of the giant helmet at the beginning of the novel, but there is still no explanation of how the giant got to the chamber without anyone noticing it. Even the guards mention how the giant is supernatural for they suggest for Manfred to â€Å"send for the chaplain, and have the castle exorcised because it appears to be enchanted†. Towards the end of the novel Frederic men tions that while he was in the forest he found a hermit who â€Å"St. Nicholas had appeared to and revealed a secret that he was to disclose to mortal man only on the day of his death-bed†.The apparition of a dead saint is supernatural because the dead don’t come back to life. When Manfred offers Frederic to marry his daughter Matilda â€Å"three drops of blood fell from the nose of Alfonso’s statue meaning that the blood of Alfonso will never mix with that of Manfred†. There has been many cases where it is said that statues bleed or cry, and even though there are proofs there is no logically explanation to this events other than the fact that they are supernatural.As mention there are many mysterious events which cannot be explained, but give a sense of scariness in the novel. The most effective in mystery are the giant helmet which gives intrigues the reader to keep on reading to try and solve the mystery of it and the grandfather coming out of his port rait and leading Manfred to the giant who could possibly the owner of the mysterious helmet. Supernatural and natural events are both great to create mystery that sometimes it is hard to tell them apart.