Saturday, August 31, 2019

John Wesley’s Thoughts on Slavery Essay

Introduction John Wesley was an ordained minister of the Anglican Church in England in the eighteenth century. He is considered as the founder of the Methodist movement. The Methodist movement started out at Oxford University where John Wesley, his brother Charles and other like-minded individuals began gathering together for prayer and for religious purposes through what they called the â€Å"Holy Club†. They practiced discipline in observing the sacraments of the church; they conducted regular outreach programs designed for the elderly, the prisoners, the sick and other disenfranchised members of the society (Pollock, 1989). Although the Methodist movement floundered in England during the time spent by John Wesley in Georgia in America, it gained new strength upon his return in the 1740s. Because of his new found fervor upon hearing Martin Luther’s preface to the Book of Romans, he began his itinerant preaching and traveled extensively throughout England preaching about the Christian faith (Pollock, 1989). John Wesley and Slavery John Wesley was opposed to debauchery and the drinking of wine. In addition, his sermons and his writings were also opposed to slavery. When Wesley was in the British colony of Georgia, he saw the way that masters treat their slaves as well as the way in which these slaves were sold as cattle. In 1774, John Wesley published one of his reflections entitled Thoughts on Slavery. On this pamphlet, he expounded on the slave trade—how the slaves were taken from their native lands and transported to the New World to provide important workforce for the plantations. He condemned slavery as an act which cannot be reconciled with Justice and Mercy (Brycchan Carey, 2002). In the said pamphlet, John Wesley appealed to both slave-traders and slave owners to stop the practice and he closed with a written prayer for their soul. In this address to the slave-traders, Wesley’s accusations and dispensations were impassioned and unrelenting. He lamented the lack of compassion in the slave traders because of the way that they treat the slaves (Brycchan Carey, 2002). Wesley’s opposition to slavery even led him to commit his support to the Abolitionist movement. The abolitionist movement grew in power and magnitude towards the end of the 1780s. At this time, John Wesley risked his personal safety by preaching on the matter of slavery and condemning such practice in Bristol, which was then a trading port for slaves. During this sermon, there was uproar among the people, which Wesley described in supernatural terms as the way that Satan fights for his kingdom. This uproar, however, could have been caused by the slave-traders whose operations were just around the area where John Wesley was preaching (Brycchan Carey, 2002). Conclusion Until the end of his life, John Wesley fervently condemned and opposed slavery. The pamphlet he wrote about his Thoughts on Slavery was published once more before he died. His anti-slavery stance was carried on by the followers of the movement he founded—Methodism. As the Methodists continue to gain strength and following all throughout England, and later in the United States, Wesley’s thoughts on slavery became even more popular and added momentum to the move to abolish slavery. Reference Brycchan Carey (2002). John Wesley: Biography. Retrieved 17 Sept 2007 from http://www. brycchancarey. com/abolition/wesley. htm. Pollock, J. (1989). Wesley the Preacher. London: Lion.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Assessment and Child Essay

Assessments are very important in determining how to teach our children and where they are in terms of development. There are many types of assessments that can be beneficial in helping determine how to approach the learning style of each child as an individual instead of as a whole group. While each assessment is structurally different, they can produce results which give us insight on where our children are during different stages of their lives. There are both formal and informal assessments that can be used. â€Å"Formal assessments are norm-referenced tests that have standardized, formal procedures for administering, timing and scoring. They have been â€Å"normed† or administered to a representative sample of similar age or grade level students so that final test results can be compared to students of similar characteristics. Test results indicate a person’s relative performance in the group. These standardized tests must be administered as specified in the manual to ensure valid and reliable results†(ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation). There is another type of formal assessment called criterion-referenced test. These type of test measure what the person is able to do and indicate what skills have been mastered. A CRT compares a person’s performance with their past performances. â€Å"In criterion-referenced measurement, the emphasis is on assessing specific and relevant behaviors that have been mastered rather than indicating the relative standing in the group†(ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation). Formal assessments can prove to be beneficial as far as comparing test scores over a period of time and how the child is developing over that same period. While formal assessments are useful they also have flaws in them. Standardized test can make a child feel like pressure and anxiety. In a lot of situations when a child feels like this they will not do their best on any type of assessment. Another problem with these types of tests is that they use the same set of questions for all the children and are not sensitive to the situations that different children endure. Children who live in poor and underdeveloped environments may not be exposed to certain ways of life and may not have the same advantages of acquiring knowledge as the other children they go to school with. This will automatically put them at a disadvantage in school and on test they may take. There is another way to do an assessment that is better suited for the child and does not make them feel so uncomfortable and that is an informal assessment. An informal assessment focuses on play and observation of the child and not a test of sorts. By observing the child in a certain situation you can record how they act and how they respond to different situations and stimuli that are presented to them. You can use check-list and rating scales to record your findings and document them and file them away in a portfolio. Another way to do an informal assessment is by parent interviews. You can find out a lot of valuable information by asking the parents questions about their child. Over the past few years teachers have placed more emphasis informal testing than formal testing. â€Å"Some districts have increased the use of curriculum-based measurements(CBM). Several samples of a student’s performance are collected, using items drawn from the local curriculum, usually in basic skill subjects of reading, math, spelling and written expression. Such brief tests are called â€Å"probes†(ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation). One form of an informal assessment is the Battelle Developmental Inventory. â€Å"The Battelle Developmental Inventory is an assessment for infants and children through age seven. It is a flexible, semi-structured assessment that involves observation of the child, interviews with parents and caregivers, developmental and social history, and interaction with the child using game-like materials, toys, questionnaires, and tasks† (Logsdon). This type of assessment is used to make sure that infants and children are reaching their developmental milestones or showing early signs of learning disabilities or developmental delays. This assessment can also be used through examiner/child and parent/child interaction. Examiners observe the child’s responses and score them based on standardized criteria. The parent caregiver input is also important in the assessment because it is used to gather information about the child’s history and interactions that take place beyond the testing session. When this assessment is used to observe the toddler through preschool development it is mostly done by tasks that involve testing the child with games, toys and tasks. They observe how the child follows directions, interacts with others, and how they perform certain tasks. Parent information is used to assess areas that can’t be observed during the testing session. The performance scores are based on standardized criteria. The Battelle is used to assess five components of development. They are adaptive behavior, personal and social skills, communication including expressive and receptive language, gross and fine motor skills, and finally cognitive skills are included. The results of this assessment can be used to determine if there are delays and how significant they are based on the age group the child is in. Another good assessment tool is play-based assessment. This is simply observing the child in their natural environment. By doing this the observer is able to see interactions between the child and their peers as well as how they speak, the language they use and their motor abilities. It is good to record all this information and keep it in an ongoing portfolio. By keeping a written record of what has been observed and any areas of concern you may suspect, you will have more information to share with the parents and find the proper method of dealing with the problems. I feel there is a major advantage when you use an informal assessment as opposed to a formal one. With formal assessments you can never really tell how smart a child really is. These types of assessments are based on statistics of a large group of children not the children as individuals. Just because children do well on a test does not necessarily make them smarter than others, it simply means they have better test taking skills. There are lots of times that the smartest people do horrible on tests just because they suffer from anxiety and get nervous. You can take the same kids that do poorly on a test and give them an informal assessment where they feel comfortable and you will get different results. Standardized tests are not a reliable means of assessing intelligence based on the fact stated above. These types of tests are often overused in this country and they do not take into account the comfort level or socioeconomic background of the child being tested. These play a more important role in test taking than the test itself. This is the number one reason kids are misdiagnosed for having  learning disabilities and other disorders such as ADHD. I also feel that a good relationship with the parents is essential in determining the educational needs of the child. No one knows their children better than the parents or caregivers. They are the ones who spend the most time with the children and can fill you in on patterns of behavior not seen during a certain test taking session. Parents are the most important resources you can obtain information from when dealing with children. I would strive to keep the parents informed of everything that was going on with their child and how to help them with anything that raised a red flag. The parents should always be informed when an assessment is going to be used. A parent could be upset when their child is going to be tested for a development problem without their consent. If you explain the process and how it can help to determine if the child is developmentally behind it can ease the parent’s mind and make everyone more comfortable. I feel that assessments can be beneficial if they are conducted in the proper manner. Making a child feel more comfortable in their environment is the best way to truly assess them and find out if they are lagging in certain areas of development. It is equally important to always keep the parents involved in all decisions affecting their child and the processes used to assess them. The information used by assessments can help make sure children are developmentally on track, just remember the most important factor is the comfort level of the child. Without assessments a plan of action cannot be implemented or executed if the child is behind in any facet of development. Bibliography Logsdon Ann. Testing for Infant and Toddler Development. About. com Guide. http://learningdisabilities. about. com/od/intelligencetests/p/battelledevelop. htm. Accessed on December 10, 2012. ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. Assessments for Young Children. 1999. http://www. 1donline. org/article /6040/ Accessed December 10, 2012. Sue C. Wortham (2012). Assessment in Early Childhood Education. 6th ed.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Organizational Behavior Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Organizational Behavior - Case Study Example Indeed, all the medical staff report to the Chief Medical Officer and clinic administrator. Notably, all the medical staff and the management must have adequate training and knowledge on their responsibilities (Borkowski, 2011). As such, they performed according to their abilities and valued team work in achieving the goals of the clinic. However, late last year, the Chief Medical Officer and clinic administrator decided to implement changes in the clinic’s policies and practices without consulting the medical staff which led to adverse effects in the organization (Borkowski, 2011). At the time, there were numerous delays and long wait list in the clinic subject to increasing number of patients, frequent problems with the machines in the theater, lack of administrative support, few numbers of medical staff, inefficient policies, poor IT support, and lack of space in the clinic as earlier noted by the medical staff. The Chief Medical Officer and clinic administrator opted to in crease the working hours of the medical staff, introduce a universal method to assess the performance of the health providers, and changed policies as they sought to address the problems at the clinic. Notably, the new working schedule did not solve the problems as the medical staff would work for long hours for no extra returns thus demotivating them. Moreover, the new policies contradicted with the professional ethics of the medical staff and thus they declined to adopt the new policies. In fact the management set the working in the clinic to be from 7:00-5:30 every day including weekends where every medical staff would work for atleast70 hours in a week. More so, the management used an informal method to communicate the changes to the medical staff. As a result, lack of administrative support, communication, and motivation led to resignation of 2 nurses and 2 physicians thus crippling the operations of the facility. However, the clinic is slowly restoring its operations and effic iency after the clinic was put under new management. X And Y-Theories Styles of Management Douglas McGregor devised Theory X and Theory Y of management which assumes human nature and human behavior in management (Kopelman et al, 2008). Theory X assumes that work is undesirable, works avoid responsibility, money is the ultimate motivation to work, and creativity is exclusive to  management (Mohamed & Mohamad, 2013). The theory asserts that workers require forcible manipulation, resists change, control, and direction for them to achieve company objectives and workers avoid work at all costs. In this style of management, there is minimal delegation, centralized control and supervision (Mohamed & Mohamad, 2013). Indeed, the X-Theory assumes that the management’s role is to coerce and control employees. This theory applies in large organizations where X-Theory management is unavoidable (Mohamed & Mohamad, 2013). On the other hand, we have the Y-Theory which assumes a positive vi ew of human behavior where individuals are normally responsible, industrious, creative, and adopt self-control in their work (Mohamed & Mohamad, 2013). Indeed, this theory would have helped with provider retention in this case study. This is because theory Y encourages participative management where the management consults with the employees in making decisions and affords employees with a chance to control their working environment (Mohamed & Mo

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Canadas Wonderland Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Canadas Wonderland - Assignment Example It is also the major theme park in the country (Williams, 2007, p 102). Canada’s Wonderland consists of beautiful sceneries, for instance, the Medieval Faire and the International Street, that are marketed for tourism by the country’s travel agencies hence earning foreign exchange for the nation. With the leadership of Kelly Robinson, the Taft Broadcasting Company suggested the construction of the theme park on a 33 acre of land. The land was located in a small village that was known as Maple. The village was a part of Vaughan, Ontario. Many other locations for the construction of Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario were considered. These areas included Cambridge, Milton and Niagara Falls. Maple, however, became the final selection as the construction site of the theme park (Williams, 2007, p. 127). This is because the village was located near the city of Toronto. It was also located near the 400 highway series. Other individuals like the Conklin family considered the Greater Toronto Area as the best location of Canada’s Wonderland. Other people like Walt Disney suggested that the theme park is constructed in Florida (Braithwaite, 2000, p. 218). Disney rejected Toronto because of the cold climate found in the region. He claimed that this kind of weather would shorten the operation period of the park, thereby, reducing profits. Many organizations opposed the construction of the theme park in Toronto. For instance, Toronto’s multicultural institutions like the Royal Museum of Toronto, Ontario Place and Canadian National Exhibition operators argued that Toronto market was too small to accommodate more competition (Braithwaite, 2000, p. 231). Other groups like the Vaughan residential association fought against the construction of Canada’s Wonderland claiming that the increased traffic that would be brought about by the theme park could reduce the value of properties in the region.  

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Death penalty Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Death penalty - Term Paper Example g at sea and crucifixion (Melusky & Pesto 8).Unlike in the present where many people do not witness such punishments, in the past death penalties were done in public. Apart from explaining on various forms of death penalties, the essay will also relay more information on its effects to the society. In the US, before the rise of legal institutions, cases of death penalties were quite rampant in all states. Since there were no modern legal institutions, many crimes ranked as capital whose punishment was death. For instance, in the US, crimes such as rape, kidnapping, arson and forgery were punishable by death (Walker 19). Most of these crimes were punishable by hanging and the process normally took place in public places where everybody would see. In the past, such events were quite common and usually attracted a large number of spectators some of whom came to do business during the occasion (Melusky & Pesto 2). Tens of thousands normally showed up in such events with the intension of viewing the hanging. This changed as from the 1960s when a modern legal institution was set up. To date, there have been numerous debates on the whether sentencing a person to death is justice as claimed. Most legal firms claim that a death penalty is justice only if one has committed a capital crime such as killing another person. Legal officers claim that one ought to receive punishment that is equal to the crime he or she has committed. According to Guernsey (9), even Biblically, an offender was to receive an eye for an eye; this implied that punishment was to fit the crime committed. Studies show that death penalties began in the US around the 1600 when the first English colonialists landed in the US (Guernsey 10). Captain George Kendall went down on record as the first person to die because of a death sentence. According to Melusky and Pesto (7), Captain Kendall was sentenced to death by the firing squad method. This was after an accusation of spying for the Spanish nation

Monday, August 26, 2019

Short stories by Alice Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short stories by Alice Walker - Essay Example The setting occurs in the residence of mama and her daughters where they currently live with her younger daughter. With the expected homecoming of the elder daughter, Dee, they make preparations aimed at ensuring proper reception for expected visitors. The story remains total fiction, which is effectively utilised in delivering the desired message form the author. The author utilises fiction in depicting the meaning of culture and the power of education, while having humour and irony within the story. The story presents the difference in heritage within family members, who shared similar cultural values while residing together. The visiting daughter changes name from Dee to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, a name which she cannot explain its origin. She claims that Dee is dead depicting the death of cultural heritage. Through the actions and behaviours displayed by the elder daughter, heritage becomes nullified and its existence ignored by the character. Mama explains the origins of the fa mily name, running through many generations, and appears hurt by the daughter’s failure to understand the importance and meaning of heritage within the setting of the story. Dee desires family quilts, which she views as artefacts of dead heritage. While desiring these articles, she intends to utilise them as wall hangings, which further displays her misunderstanding of meaning of family heritage. She even tries to speak a language she cannot understand.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Business service management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business service management - Assignment Example On the similar context, ‘Business Service Management’ is considered as a dynamic approach that assists the organisation to support its Information Technology (IT) operations in relation to its business functions (Darmawan & Et. Al., 2004). The paper studies the purpose of Business Service Management with respect to its importance and purposes in the organisations with due consideration to the service concept, customer segmentation and customer expectations and perceptions. Service management can be defined as the management of IT infrastructure including software systems, hardware systems, documentations, communication techniques and facilities, as well as skills which enable the organisation to provide and maintain high quality in their services. Business Service Management can also be considered as the application of service management principles with an intention to enhance the quality of the services provided by the organisation. IT operations are required to maintain proper organisational infrastructure which further supports the systematic functioning of the business as stated in the application of service level agreements (Darmawan & Et. Al., 2004). Business Service Management is dedicated to holistic approach of changing and improving the service function of the organisation with due consideration to service concept, customer segmentation and customer expectations. In addition, Business Service Management helps in measuring and maintaining the service quality provided by the organisation. The main purpose of Business Service Management is to assist in improving operational efficiency in every dimension of the organisation and maintaining the quality of services offered. The major contribution of it can be observed in reducing and controlling the extra incurred expenses by integration and automation procedure (Meyer, 2008). Emergence of IT and its inclusion in the business operation are the smart ways adopted by the organisation to deliver the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

What is a pestle in university of hertfordshire Essay

What is a pestle in university of hertfordshire - Essay Example Some of these factors include interest rates, change in taxation, economic growth, inflation and even exchange rates. When these factors are not considered when making critical decisions in the organization, they may impact negatively to the organization. The level of competition also has an impact on the overall decision to be made by an organization. Third factor is sociological factors. Cultural factor may negatively impact on the success of a product in the market. Other social factors such as the religion may also have a negative impact on the organization. Fourth macro-factor that may affect the organization is technology. New technologies create new products and create a demand of specific services. Technology also poses a threat to the organization through increasing the level of competition. In addition, it creates new opportunities. Climatic factors such as weather and climate change may have a negative impact on the organization. Some of the organizations that are likely to be affected by this sector include farming, tourism and also insurance. Lastly, Legal factors also affect the organizations existence and performance. Legal changes might bring about changes in the consumption behavior of the people. Passing of new laws may therefore create new opportunity or eliminate the product from the

The Roles of HR Managers versus Line Managers Essay

The Roles of HR Managers versus Line Managers - Essay Example 'For years, management professionals have argued whether treating workers well is good for business as well as being virtuous' (Plimmer, 2005: 9). In essence, this debate suggests that many business leaders continue to consider whether the needs of the business should be the primary goal of management or whether the employee, as a competent organisational resource, should be most important. The concept of human resources is a relatively new idea, as the establishment of a management system which actively engages and praises employees as valuable resources to organisational success is a contemporary idea much different than the historical, rigid management approach. However, many organisations still maintain a centralised leadership hierarchy, built on decision-making that is created by senior-level leadership. In this type of system, mid-level line managers are expected to coerce employees to comply with a rigid set of guidelines in the pursuit of sustaining strategic organisational goals. In such an environment, the employee is often overlooked as human capital and viewed more as merely a labourer. However, it appears that businesses are turning away from rigid controls and establishing a system of managerial professionals which act as employee champions; or those managers who actively pursue methods to establish stronger employee/business relationships and build on positive employee attributes to boost organisational performance. This might well be termed as the philosophy behind the establishment of HR policies.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Information Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Information Management - Essay Example As the paper declares safety of the patient has become paramount, and it has become very necessary for hospitals to streamline the volume of health information regarding a patient so as to present it in a manner that is efficient for the doctor to carry out an effective diagnosis. To develop an ideal information management, health software would require the integration of data’s ranging from blood reports, CT scans, surgical reports, inputs from nurses, social workers, medicine companies, insurance companies and other administrative data. Improving the information management and its flow from so many different sources would also lead to considerable increase in efficiency for the health care sector and also effectively help in controlling costs and minimize errors. According to the research findings while the IT industry with its portability and efficiency has made rapid entry into other sectors like airline, finance and banking, its foray into the health care sector has been comparatively limited. Part of the reason is that health care organizations are a bit reluctant to invest money in technology to streamline information. An ideal information management should successfully integrate project management, IT management and change management. Electronic patient record as the name suggests is a complete record of a patient’s medical history, the treatments undergone, medications taken, specific kind of allergies if any, details of immunization and other laboratory reports.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Persuasive Letter to Hon Tony Clement Essay Example for Free

Persuasive Letter to Hon Tony Clement Essay Clearly, there are supporters and opposition concerning using human eggs for stem cell research. However, it is my opinion that when the donor does so of their own free will, this should be allowed by law. In fact, with minimal studies results indicate that stem cells are vital in the future cures of many diseases that plague our nation –and the world. Personally, I believe donating human eggs for stem cell research should be as common as giving blood. Women are permitted to donate eggs for in vitro-fertilization; therefore, I feel there is little to no difference in donating for stem cell research. If there is any indication of a difference it is in the number of lives that can be saved through this much needed research. Furthermore, there are no increased health risks poses to women who donate eggs, according to a report commissioned by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (Medical News Today, 2007). The Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation has made available a large amount of information on the social, political and medical aspects of donation and research. However, when reviewing this information, I find the opposition most often base claims against stem cell research on the interference of egg use for other research needs (Romney, 2006). If more people would educate themselves on the positives of stem cell research, they would clearly see that egg donation is a gift. It is a gift that works in much the same way as organ or blood donation. In concluding, I ask that you think of those who are watching their loved ones suffer from ailments such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Imagine the differences such advancements can make in the lives of so many who would otherwise be facing turmoil and the end of their days. Is it not worth it to allow women to give freely of themselves to save the lives of others?

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The History And Background Of Positivism Philosophy Essay

The History And Background Of Positivism Philosophy Essay French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798 ~ 1857) has been known as the father of modern discipline of sociology and founder of positivism theory. Even though his popularity has seen a declining trend in the past several decades, nevertheless he was very popular until the beginning of 20th century. His thought was so popular that the Latin American country, such as Brazil and Mexico made Comtes thought as their national motto. The Brazilians are still proud of Ordem e Progresso (Order and Progress) embossed on their national flag. The followers of Comte were equally active in England, America, Turkey and other parts of the world. Comtes views on the concept of positivism have been explained in his book The  Course on Positive Philosophy  (1830-1842) which spreads over six volumes. The original French has been translated by Harriet Martineau into English which is titled as  The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte. The first three volumes of the Course primarily deals with already existing physical sciences, like mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology and the next two volumes in succession explains about social science, as the next logical science after the physical sciences. He observed the phenomena of circular dependency between theory and observation in physical sciences which helped him to reach to the conclusion that the science of society is no different from other natural sciences. Comtes View on Evolution of Humanity One of the most important pillar on which the positivism philosophy stands is the general law of the three stages. By advocating the law of the three stages, Comte explains that, in its quest for truth the society passes through three successive evolution phases. Here Comtes idea has striking similarity with Karl Marxs view of a human society peaking with a utopian socialistic class-less society. However, it is not surprising as both Marx and Comte were highly influenced by the famous utopian sociologist of the time, Henri de Saint Simon, who was also the mentor of Comte for some time. The law of three stages states that in the natural process of evolution of the society, the humanity goes through three stages: the theological, the metaphysical and the positive. The theological stage is the necessary starting point in the evolution process of mankind, whereas the positive state is the natural stage where humanity ought to be and the intermediary metaphysical stage is a transitory phase necessary for the transition from the first to the third stage. In the theological stage, the human society was completed based on divine ideas and humanitys whole hearted belief in all things in reference to the God. During this stage, instead of relying on its rational ability to seek truth behind human existence, the humanity completely accepted the principles of the place of worship. In terms of material development of humanity, this stage corresponds to the rise of militarism. During the metaphysical stage of human evolution, in its quest for the causes of natural phenomena, humanity explained them as the result of the supernatural interventions and abstract entities. According to Comte, this stage corresponds to the time since the Enlightenment till the aftermath of French Revolution and the most important feature of this period is respect for the universal rights of humanity. He believed that there are certain rights inherent to humanity which must be respected. This is the phase when various forms of governances rose and fell, all with the primary of objective of safeguarding the rights inherent to humanity. The natural process of human evolution culminates with the scientific or the positive stage when human mind no longer seek the causes for various natural phenomena, instead it limit itself to various scientific laws governing them. The primary belief of this stage is that individual rights are the supreme and humanitys ability to govern itself in its free will is what makes this stage different from other stages. According to Comte, these three stages are the fundamental rules upon which the society and its development are based. All the three stages must be completed in successive manner and without the complete understanding of the former; the later cant just come into existence. According to Comte, understanding the past is very critical because only through the thorough understanding of the past the future could be built and the transition from proceeding stage to the next one would be possible. So the concept of continuous progression or social evolution was the main theme of the concept of positivism. Further, he believes that the history of one science is of no use unless it is used for the study of the development of humanity as whole. So in nutshell the social evolution theory presented by Comte is of the opinion that humanity passes through different stages through which it acquires intellectual advancements and the whole process culminates with the positive or the scientific stage. However, Comtes social evolution theory is flawed due to one basic reason. That is the final positivist stage assumes attainment of complete understanding about the universe by the humanity which is impossible in reality. Because humanity continues using the existing scien tific knowledge to know more and more and the process never ends. In that sense, humanity can never attain the so called positivist stage when there is nothing left for the humanity to know. Comtes View of the Classification of Sciences Apart from the three stages of social evolution of humanity, the 2nd most important pillar on which the theory of positivism rests on is the classification of sciences. In the first three volumes of The Course on Positive Philosophy, Comte has thoroughly examined the five fundamental sciences mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology and has classified in that sequence. Comte is of the view that each discipline is closely related to the preceding one and the complete development of the former gives birth to the later. After the complete development of the natural sciences, then came the queen science, which is Sociology. He has dedicated the remaining two volumes of the Course to sociology, which according to Comte is the culmination of all sciences. The natural sciences had to come first, so that humanity could use the knowledge of other sciences toward the most complex science of sociology. The classification of the sciences has been done in a manner of shifting from simplicity toward complexity. Mathematics is the simplest among all the sciences, in the sense that it is objective oriented with absence of subjectivity and at the extreme end there is sociology, which is highly subjective making it the most complex. Moreover, if we look at the historical aspect of the development of these disciplines, astronomy requires mathematics, similarly chemistry requires physics. In other words, development of each science requires the knowledge of the preceding discipline and the full-fledged development of the former leads to the development of the later. However, according to Comte, other branches of science, like zoology, botany, etc. are simply not science because they are yet to develop completely to be called as science. As Peter Halfpenny says in his book, Positivism and Sociology à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦positivism is a unity of science thesis, according to which all sciences can be integrated into a single natural system.  [3]  Not to mention that among the various classifications of sciences proposed till date, the classification as advocated by Comte is still very popular all over the world. Comte was not the first individual to think about the scientific study of social phenomena. He was highly influenced by the ideas devised by Hume, Kant and his mentor Saint-Simon for new philosophy of positivism. However, there is no doubt that Comte broadens and systematized the study of sociology to great extent. The Social Physics as he called it first, sociology was divided into two main areas, social statistics and social dynamics. While the first branch concerns about the forces keeping the society together, the later mainly concentrates on causal aspect of social changes. In his later career, when he was criticized by scholars like J.S. Mill as the bad Comte (in contrast to the good Comte during his first phase of his career), came up with the idea of ideal positivist society based on altruistic ideals in his System of Positive Polity. He established Religion of Humanity with the intellectual sociologists as its priests. He was of the opinion that in the industrially developed positivist society, the actual administration would be in the hands of businessmen, the sociologists would be guide and model of public morality and finally the women would be entrusted with the task of maintaining private morality. He has been severely criticised for going against his law of three stages, by moving towards a theological ideology by establishing a new religion. Moreover, his support of elite administration and indifference towards democratic set-up, etc. are also target of criticism. Nevertheless, Comtes view of sociology as the study of human society and positivist methodology of social research still remains his remarkable contribution. As Frederic Harrison commented in his 1901 article that Positivism at once a philosophy, a polity and a religion all three harmonized by the idea of a supreme Humanity, all three concentrated on the good and progress of Humanity.  [4]  In fact positivism is perhaps the only philosophy ever came with a complete set of principl es concerning social reorganization and religious observance. Post-Comte Positivism Comtes positivist philosophy became popular with the foundation of The Positivist Review by Emile Littre in 1867. The Whig writer Harriet Martineau translated many of Comtes works into English, after which English followers of positivism increased. While George Elliot appreciated Comtes Religion of Humanity, Spencer was highly influenced by the positivist idea of to formulate his social Darwinistic philosophy. French social scientist Emile Durkheim, even though critical of many of Comtes positivist principles, his methodology to study sociology has its origin in Comtes positivism. Durkheim and Positivism Establishment of sociology as an independent branch of knowledge and academic discipline is the most important contribution of French social scientist Emile Durkheim. He is credited with establishment of first Department of Sociology in the University of Bordeaux in 1895. Though he rejected much of the ideas of Comtes positivism, he completely accepted that sociology is the continuation of the natural sciences and its study must be based on objectivity, causality and rationality. In his The Rules of Sociological Methods published in French in 1895, he clearly indicated two principles for sociology to be called as a science. Firstly, it must concern about a particular object of study (social facts) and secondly, an objective scientific method must be used for the study without prejudice and subjective judgment.  [5]  In his book Suicide (1897) Durkheim attempted to prove that Catholic Christians have a lower suicide rate than the Protestants, through collection of social facts, su ch as suicide rate and membership of different religious faiths and their statistical treatment. Collection of social facts, according to Durkheim is the fundamental objective of sociology. He believed Comtes scientific approach is not suitable to study human society, instead he felt the need for a different sociological scientific approach, for which he developed the concept of sui generis or the social facts to study the suicide trend based on cultural aspect. About the question of objectivity of the sociologist, he believed observation must be impartial and impersonal and hence social facts must be studied in relation to other social facts instead of in relation to the observer. Durkheims positivism has been criticised for oversimplification, because he refuted the Comteian idea of applying same scientific approach to study both natural as well as social sciences. Nevertheless, Durkheim is the founder of practical sociological research in its modern sense as we know it today. Anti-positivism In the beginning of the 20th century German sociologists started the concept of anti-positivist, which was of the opinion that social sciences and natural sciences are essentially different from each other epistemologically and hence the approach to study natural sciences cannot be applied to social sciences. On contrary to the Comteian objective approach, they proposed a subjective approach in order to study social phenomena. It was of the opinion that social scientists must reject the empiricism and scientific methodology in order to study sociology. This view was further developed by Max Weber who for the first time used the term anti-positivism. He subscribed to the positivist idea of sociology being called as a science because it confirms to the principle of causal relationship. However, he believed that society, being different from the natural world, must be studied using special tools and methods concentrating on humans and their cultural values and proposed critical analysis and verstehen methodology in order to study sociology. Karl Marxs theory of historical materialism and critical sociology, which was actually based on positivism, further boosts the anti-positivism movement. Logical Positivism Logical positivism, also known as neo-positivism or logical empiricism, is another philosophy with its origin in the Comteian positivism and it accepted empiricism or evidence from observation as indispensable in order to study social phenomena. But it also felt the need of a rational approach, because observation if not the only source of human knowledge. Logical positivism grew before the 1st World War by the members of the First Vienna Circle presided by Moritz Schlick. Logical positivists emphasized on public experimental verification rather than individual experience and completely refuted the idea of metaphysics, as it is not empirically verifiable, hence meaningless and believed that all worthwhile knowledge about the world must be codifiable in a single language common to all the sciences. The logical positivists idea of a codifiable single language came from Austrian- British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, which advocated for a strong criterion of verifiability, was later criticised by Karl Popper, who proposed to replace the same with the criterion of falsifiability. Criticism of Positivism The positivism as conceived by Comte was criticized on several grounds. First, Comtes viewed the positivist stage as the ultimate stage of human knowledge and once achieved, it will continue to be that. However, he could not foresee that scientific knowledge will lead to further growth in scientific knowledge, inventions and discoveries and in that sense humanity may never achieved that ultimate positivist stage at all. In fact, H. B. Acton goes on to the extent of saying the possibility of a Fourth Stage of human knowledge.  [6]  Similarly Anthony Giddens observed Comtes theory as circular that since humanity constantly uses science to bring new things, so humanity never goes beyond the second metaphysical stage.  [7]   Moreover, positivism has been criticised by several philosophers on the grounds of its practicality, methodology and religious aspects. Max Horkheimer, the Frankfort School director, criticised positivism, firstly it falsely represented human social action and secondly positivism being politically conservative proving as a hindrance towards political emancipation of humanity. The first criticism argues that, positivism ignored the role of the observer in the context of social reality and thereby ignores the truth that the so called social facts are in fact conditioned by social and historical realities. The representation of social facts is already determined by social and historical human consciousness. Secondly, he argued that political conservatism actually lead to status quo instead of challenging it. Horkheimer instead proposed critical theory which is reflexive in nature to understand about the extent of social reality represented by traditional positivistic philosophy as false .  [8]  Further, positivism has been criticised on philosophical grounds that it emphasized only on the sensory experiences or empiricism, but ignored the abstract ideas, laws and principles, which constitute a vital part of human knowledge. Nevertheless, positivism is still remains as an active concept in the present day. Comtes belief of sociology as the scientific study of human being is still accepted by all the modern sociologists.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Portrayals and Presentation of Cancer in Cinema

Portrayals and Presentation of Cancer in Cinema INTRODUCTION Through years, many movies have been released for public viewing regarding cancers of all types. Depictions might include the nature of cancers, patients’ response, care-givers’ response, and the clinical outcomes. Since movies may affect thoughts of the viewers, outcomes in movies may affect decision making of the patient or caregiver and may affect care-seeking behavior, the way they react to the situation and their compliance to treatment. At present, films featuring cancer patients are no longer a rare scenario, as stated in a press release at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology. Many cancer movies were released for viewing, however, the portrayal of the patient’s chances of survival are rarely accurate. In 82 movies that focused on cancer patients, Dr Luciano De Fiorre et al, found that descriptions on cancer experience in the films were not reflective of cancer in its scientific meaning. In the Philippines, there are only few movies that feature a person/persons with cancer. And in most of the Filipino movies that depict cancer, cancer patients are diagnosed late and hospitalization with other therapeutic modalities are not clearly seen. Cancer patients experiences described in the movie were so different from the truth. Davaoenos, like most Filipinos, see that cancer is always worse in the movies. The illness is usually depicted as death sentence. To our knowledge, no previous descriptive reviews of movies about cancers in children, adolescents, and young adults have been documented, hence this research. Review of Related Literature Medical portrayals in the media, including depictions of clinical outcomes, may impact public perceptions and health decision-making. Media greatly affects people’s behavior toward a certain event and the said response varies in each individual, depending on how they perceive or understand. What we see affects what we think, and thoughts may become action. We act upon what we see thru imitation (Koordeman et al 2011) Both market research and anecdotal case reports have long claimed that the general public learn and form reactions regarding health conditions based on what is seen on television (Eisenman et al., 2005) (Tayal, 2003). Increasingly, media has not only been an entertainment tool, but has been applied deliberately as a health educational source, as â€Å"entertainment education† in different countries (Hether H.J et al, December 2008.) Some people do not only rely to medical professionals regarding their health. According to one study, (Kowalczyk et al, 2012)o lder generations greatly depend on internet in gaining information about cancer, hence it must be ensured that they are gaining information from a reliable source. Cinema had also been used for medical-educational purposes (Akram et al, 2009). More recently, entertainment education has been attempted on the topic of cancer as well, for instance promoting breast cancer awareness in adults. The extent and nature of depictions of cancers in children, adolescents and young adults, however, remain less clear. Negative perceptions result from negative portrayals and negative outcomes. In one research, it was noted that there had already been lots of motion pictures with negative portrayals of the medical profession (Thibodeau et al, 2007). In another research with 131movies as sample size, it was pointed out that physicians were portrayed negatively in 44% of movies and that 27% of the sample size had medical inaccuracies. (Flores et al, 2002). There may be a wide disparity between public perceptions and scientific findings. This usually happens when we are convinced by what we saw or hear on the news and not relying on the scientifically documented events. Movies like â€Å"Erin Brokovich† let the people think that cancer in New Jersey and Long Island, New York trigger the cancer clusters (Robinson D,2002). In reality, it is not only the purely environmental exposures that may lead to cancer. After carefully studying 82 movies that centre on a person with cancer, Dr Luciano De Fiore et al, found experiences pertaining to cancer as described in the films were not reflective of the truth. In the movies the researchers studied, 40 characters with cancer were women, and 35 men. In 21 films the type of cancer was not mentioned. Symptoms were considered in 72% of the movies, while diagnostic tests were mentioned in 65%. The most frequent treatment mentioned in the movies was chemotherapy followed by pain-relief. Death occurred in 63% of all movies). Doctors and nurses turned up in 58 films (77%). (De Fiore, 2012) If we are exposed to wrong information, we will be living in wrong direction. If cancer patients in movies die without a fight, diagnosed cancer patients may also choose to die without a fight. It is the government’s role to protect the viewers from what they see. Some research had already pointed good representations about cancer in movies. Some movies are informative and the role of medical research in overcoming the disease is already highlighted ( Lederer SE,2007). A positive outlook about cancer is very possible if people will see realistic portrayals in movies. Movies especially those containing health issues will give hope if those will not only show death and hopelessness of cure. At present, there are movies with scenes pertaining to health and death issues which contain inappropriate portrayals although it is worth mentioning that some movies remind audiences that not all scenes are based on real events but are reflective of the writer’s view. In a bigger perspective, it is not only cancer prevention consciousness is the major barrier in fighting against cancer. Poor language skills, low income and low education are contributory barriers (Loughridge, 2012). There must be a collaborative effort in our fight against cancer. Cancer patients, medical practitioners, health allies and the government must move to destroy against these barriers. In a press conference made during World Cancer Day, it was pointed out by Dr Lucio Lecciones that leukemia accounts 40-60% of cancer among patients in the Philippine setting. And that in Philippine Medical Center Hospital alone, the case rate is increasing by 30% annually. Deaths from leukemia accounts greater than the number of dengue shock syndrome, sepsis and prematurity combined. It was also stated that 70% of the newly diagnosed childhood cancer cases in the country were recognized in the late stages of the disease. Diagnosis was made when the cancer is no longer curable , even with the use of the most aggressive and expensive treatment. Socioeconomic status is also a great contributory factor to the abandonment to treatment. High cost of diagnostics and treatment affects survival rate and there is barely 2 in ten children surviving cancer. (Jet Villa, 2014) The Department of Health is active in the campaign for the fight against cancer. Educating people not only on how to prevent cancer, but also, how to survive it. Most doctors encourage prevention, as the saying goes â€Å"An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure- Benjamin Franklin. Cancer cases were increasing in number. There were more than 82, 000 new cancer cases, affecting both males and females in 2010 in a census from the Department of Health, Philippines. With the increasing trend in cases, it is estimated to reach 85, 000 new cases annually. According to Dr Ona, the number of cases is expected to double within the next decade. Cancer ranks third as the leading cause of death in the Philippines, according to PSMO president Felycette Gay Lapus. The risk factors in developing cancer include smoking, viral infections, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol and radiation. With the great number of people affected, vigilance to its warning signs, a healthy lifestyle and early treatment will shield the people against the disease. How can we expect cancer patients submitting themselves to doctors if most of the cancer movies show no hope for cure, portrayals of non compliance to treatment and death immediately after diagnosis. How can we expect people to gain true information when media has its own flaws in its portrayals. Much freedom is given for entertainment but not much is given to qualify information. Even if we have the most potent medicine or cure for patients, if we are directed by misleading information, science will still fail. In the end, it is not the therapy that will have a great influence to people but it us how they help themselves not to be victims of misleading information. There are only few movies that contribute or portray facts about cancer and even other health issues. With its double edge sword, vigilance to its content can prevent future deaths and maladies. Research Questions 1.What are the most common movie depictions of cancer in childhood, adolescents, and young adults? Are the depictions relevant and/or appropriately show the true nature of cancer- regarding its detection, treatment and outcomes? Do movies show the common symptoms of cancer? 2.Do movies discuss the care-givers’ and patients’ options to treatment? Do movies promote hospitalization among cancer patients? 3.What are the most common outcomes of cancer as depicted on movies? 4.What are the patients’ and caregivers’ response or coping mechanisms in dealing about cancer? 5.How do movies portray cancer in children, adolescents and young adults (AYA), including outcomes? Significance of the Study In our fight for cancer, we need to address problems about economy, problems arising from bad health habits and addressing the country’s education. Media is a double-edged sword promoting entertainment to people and depicting pictures which can be perceived as facts. Media can be merely entertaining or may be source of information. These informations may twist a myth into a fact, and wrong decisions may be produced. This study aims to explore movie depictions in children, adolescents and young adults through a review of cancer movies for the last twenty five years. Media becoming an entertainment-educational tool portrays a role in information dissemination thus may help in prediction of viewer’s attitudes towards cancer. This is an exploratory study of movies which aims to describe cancer depictions and portrayals. Our result will guide future research to better understand movies, including their effect on viewing public. Furthermore, this research specifically describes movies depictions as how they may affect viewers who are themselves patients and caregivers. Accurate result of this study will provide awareness to medical practitioners of the dismal movie depictions which will guide them on how to correct each. It will also help them understand why patients have feeling of fear and opted not to be treated medically. Practitioners may educate the public by showing the data in the hospitals Hospital administrators will be able to identify the dismal portrayals of cancer and promote scientifically based scenario thru health programs and by disseminating information thru all forms of media. It will also serve as an important tool in their advocacy in the fight of cancer. If we are exposed to wrong information, we will be living in wrong direction. If cancer patients in movies die without a fight, diagnosed cancer patients may also choose to die without a fight. It is the government’s role to protect the viewers from what they see. But the burden of correcting the moviemakers’ wrong portrayal of diseases specifically cancer lies on us physicians. It is hoped that this study will provide the figures of the disparity between fact and myth. Should the results of this study show significant dismal portrayals of cancer in movies, health allies will be obliged to warn public about the disparities in movies, especially those pertaining health. It is not only empathy that is elicited when viewing movies. Some persons may imitate whatever they saw, good or bad. Absolute correction of wrong portrayals may be impossible, however public warning will still help the viewing audience not to be misguided. Objectives 1.To characterize the depiction of cancers in children, adolescents and young adults (AYA) in English-language or –subtitled movies. 2.To gather data about the most common signs, symptoms and outcomes of cancer as depicted on movies 3.To gather data about behaviors and coping mechanisms of patients in response to cancer, as depicted on movies. 4. To gather data about behaviors and coping mechanisms of families, caregivers and/or significant others of cancer patients, as depicted on movies. 5. To gather data about where treatment is initiated on movies, and estimated time to live of cancer patients from time of detection. Design/Method A qualitative type of research will be used in this study. A preliminary list of mainstream, independent, and made-for-television movies produced from 1975 to 2010 will be independently identified by two authors through manual searches of the internet and movie databases, for English-speaking or English subtitled films. This will be made possible by searching from websites namely: www.google.com and www.youtube.com. Abstracts of movies will then be viewed thru www.imdb.com and will be decided whether they fit the inclusion criteria. Qualifying movies will then be viewed by the two authors. Included movies will be those movies containing individuals aged 29 and below whose signs and symptoms of cancer are noticeable by the audience. Data gathering about the variables regarding cancer, most common signs and symptoms of cancers, behavior of patients and families and the most common outcomes will then be gathered and tabulated. Setting Data gathering were done by the two researchers independently at home by viewing the movies included in the criteria. The outcomes of the data gathering are to be collaborated Inclusion Criteria Each of these criteria must be met for inclusion: 1.The cancer movies are released on public during the year 1975 to 2010. 2.The character of the movie, particularly the patient with cancer must be aged 29 and below and these characters clearly manifested signs and symptoms of cancer noticeable to the audience. Exclusion Criteria Either of these criteria being met will lead to exclusion: 1.Cancer movies released before year 1975 and beyond 2010 are excluded in the study, including those with cancer characters with age 30 years and above. 2.Cancer movies filmed between the year 1975-2010 which contains languages not clearly understood by the proponents of this research. 3. Movies which involve cancer patients who are not the main subjects of the film or cancer manifestations not highlighted in the film. Data Gathering Main outcome measures 1.The Variables of Cancer in an individual affected as reflected on movies 1.1.Age 1.2. Sex 1.3.Type of cancer Table2. The Most Common Signs and Symptoms, Treatment Options, Outcomes of Different Types of Cancer and Estimated Time to Live among Cancer Patients as Reflected on Movies 2.1.Physical effects 2.2.Treatment Options 2.3. Outcome of cancer 2.4. Estimated time to live among cancer patients Table 3.Behavioral Reactions of people toward cancer Behavioral reaction of patients toward the sickness Behavioral reaction of families/caregivers toward cancer 3.3.Where treatment is initiated Data Handling and Analysis The co-authors will review cancer movies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data from the movies included will be tabulated in a table. All of the movies viewed independently by the co-authors will be collaborated at the end of the 10-month study period. The data on age, sex, type of cancer, physical manifestation of different types of cancer, treatment options, outcomes and estimated time to live will be presented as frequency and percentage. Typical emotional process that most people with a terminal illness and families go through namely: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance will be presented in frequency and percentage. 1

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Role of the Friar in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

The Friar directly and indirectly took part in suicide, murder, and other tragic happenings. The Friar is an honored man, who sells herbs and medicines to the people of Verona. He is a type of ancient pharmacist, who has potions for both causes of good and evil. There are three specific instances of the Friar playing a major role in Romeo and Juliet: the impossible marriage of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's "death" plan, and Romeo's death. Without the Friar many crucial and tragic events would not have happened in Romeo and Juliet. The forbidden wedding of Romeo and Juliet could not have happened without the Friar. First of all, the Friar impulsively agreed to marry Romeo and Juliet, even though he knows it will cause later problems. In the beginning, the Friar thinks that "...this alliance may so happy prove; To turn your households' rancor to pure love." (II iv 91-92) Which shows that the Friar has a slight hope of their marriage possibly working. Consequently, at first, he shows no reluctance to marry the two controversial lovers. However, as time moves on, the Friar lets on that he has regrets about the marriage. The Friar feels that "Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow." (II vi 15) In other words, the Friar means that he senses that this whole wedding is happening too fast and he radiates a feeling of second thought. If the Friar had thought this crucial decision through he may have prevented many future tragedies. Accordingly, the Friar knows all along that "These violent delights have violent ends" (I I vi 9) The Friar knows that this is an impossible situation, which if made possible by himself will without a doubt end up in tragedy in one way or another. Under these conditions, as the Friar predicts, Romeo sinks into a deep depression, as a result of the fact that he cannot see his wife. Romeo has a one-track mind that is focused on something he cannot have. Similarly, Juliet becomes depressed and is grieving over the reality of her and Romeo's separation. Without the Friar the two lovers would not have been married, which would have prevented both of these depressions and future problems to come. The Friar is responsible for many problems which have a snowball effect after he assists Juliet with her "death" plan. When Romeo and Juliet are at their lowest point of depression, and Juliet is expected to marry Paris, she needs an escape plan.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Watching the Game at Neyland Stadium Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

Watching the Game at Neyland Stadium Neyland Stadium provides a gathering place where over one hundred thousand people come to cheer for the Tennessee Vols. The stadium, located in the middle of the UT campus, ranks as America’s third largest collegiate stadium with a capacity of 104,079; since people began recording attendance, more than 22.89 million fans have watched Tennessee football in the stadium, and the record attendance was reached when the Vols played the Gators in September 2000(UTsports.com). If you think all you can do is watch the games at home on the couch, think again. You can actually be part of these games and fulfill all your football fan needs. If you come watch a game, it will be well worth your time. For someone who has never been to a game, there may be some things you might want to know. To get to the stadium, you travel I 26, when leaving from Johnson City, for around two hours. The exit to go downtown will take you right to the campus. Arriving about two hours before the game can be helpful when finding a parking place. If you have a hard time being on your feet a lot or get tired easily, going later might be for you. Since the stadium is outdoors, it may be a smart thing to take along ponchos, coats, and anything needed to make you comfortable. The stadium brings out people of all ages. A lot of families come down together. The trip will definitely involve having fun, so carry along some things to help you go crazy for your team. The ushers at all the gates allow pom poms, signs, face painting, noise makers, and anything else you can think of. The first thing you do when you reach the stadium is search for a parking place. Although the price to park at the Hilton motel is fifteen dollars, yo... ... buy on a fun, lazy night. Amazingly, when I am at the stadium, I also see a lot of people I know even though I am two hours away from home. Everyone loves Neyland Stadium. I love the fact that everyone comes together to cheer for one team and act excited to attend. This makes the game intense because when the game takes a bad turn, everyone joins in a giant roar against the referees. After you become a true fan, you begin to take those bad calls personally. You can thing of your trip as an adventure into a land which normally can only be seen on TV. You leave the stadium with a warm tingle in the pit of your stomach, of course if they win. You can feel good about yourself knowing that you played a part in the team achieving their victory. Works Cited Tennessee. UT Athletics. 2003. http://utsports.ocsn.com/genrel/081001aaa.html. Consulted Oct. 1, 2003.

Hesses Siddhartha as it Parallels Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Essay

Hesse's Siddhartha as it Parallels Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs    Several parallels can be drawn between the psychologist Abraham Maslow's theoretical hierarchy of needs and the spiritual journey of Siddhartha, the eponymous main character in Herman Hesse's novel.   Maslow's hierarchy of needs is somewhat of a pyramid that is divided into eight stages of need through which one progresses throughout one's entire life. During the course of his lifetime, Siddhartha's personality develops in a manner congruent with the stages of Maslow's hierarchy.   Siddhartha's progress from each of the major sections of the hierarchy is marked by a sharp change in his life or behavior. Siddhartha is the story of a young man's journey in search of truth. Early in life, Siddhartha and his friend Govinda hear the teachings of the Buddha.   Govinda is convinced of the validity of the Buddha's teachings and becomes one of his followers.   Siddhartha, on the other hand, was not satisfied with the Buddha's teachings because he believed that it was not possible to obtain true enlightenment through the words of others but that it must be experienced empirically.   Siddhartha therefore rejects the life of a Brahmin to become a Samana (a wandering person who gives up material possessions for his faith).   After he tires of this life, he moves on to learn the art of love from a woman named Kamala and the art of business from a man named Kamaswami.   He lives his new life for many years but then begins to feel that his mind has become stagnant and that he needs something new in his life.   He abandons the surroundings he now finds decadent and becomes frie nds and lives with a ferry-man who he met years before.   He spends the rest of his life with ... ...e of material wants and was truly happy just to exist.   He realized his potential and found wonder in the world around him. At some time during life, everyone must face Siddhartha's challenge. Everyone spends their life trying to attain self fulfillment and true contentment.   And during that time, one must remember the importance of the journey itself, not only the actual achievement.   Although not everyone reaches that goal, it is that goal which motivates people to strive to be their very best, knowing that lasting happiness sits shining atop the pyramid.    Works Cited Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. New York: New Directions Publishing Company, 1951. Glenn, Jerry. Monarch Notes. The Major Works of Herman Hesse. New York: Monarch Press, 1973. Schultz, Duane . Theories of Personality. Monterey, California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1976.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Baudrillard’s ideas on the film The Matrix Essay

It has long been a condition of western culture to act for the accumulation of material objects. This is in part due to the capitalist nature of the world within which we live. Marx identifies in ‘The Critique of Capitalism’ the emergence of two new classes of people, namely ‘capitalists’ and ‘labourers’. The term ‘capitalist’ describes any person who has personal ownership of capital, which ‘consists of raw materials, instruments of labour and means of subsistence’ (Marx). In contrast a ‘labourer’ has only the value of his labour (life activity), which he exchanges with the capitalist for a wage and as such ‘the worker sinks to the level of commodity’ (Marx). Because the labourer produces for the capitalist a commodity of greater value than that of his wages and in addition those wages are paid back to the capitalist in return for subsistence, therefore social control in exerted over the working class, whilst providing the capitalist with excess commodity. The labourer consentingly becomes a slave to the system on which he depends. In addition Marx states that as the relation between capitalist and labourer (manufacturer and consumer) develops, so competition between rival capitalists becomes apparent. In effect the capitalist is forced to capture more of the market by selling goods more cheaply by the consolidation and exploitation of labour power e. g. by machinery. Such a strategy ultimately limits the demand for labour and so new industries must be developed for exploitation. These new industries are necessary because capital exists only in relation to its ability to command labour and social control and as such ‘they reciprocally condition the existence of each other’ (Marx). These forced increases in demand and therefore production are evident in the contemporary world market. Important to the development of Capitalism is the use of money which abstracts labour and commodity values to a common unit for the purpose of trade. In effect the labourer discovers that ‘the product of his activity is not the object of his activity’ (Marx) thus a level of abstraction occurs, which was consistent with the modernist values of the time. Karl Marx and early capitalism were mainly concerned with production which remains important but it was Situationist, Guy Debord, who gave the first insights into late capitalism and the theories that best apply to today’s world economics and culture of commodities. Debord, in his book ‘The Society of the Spectacle’, bases his examination of commodities around consumption, media, information and technology. As such Debord suggests that ‘in societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation. ‘ By this he means to describe the world and its products as mere appearances, where the real meanings and values of commodities are translated into signs. Essentially ‘it is a world vision that has been objectified’ (Debord). Debord explains the phenomenon of the spectacle as resulting from the ever increasing production of capitalism. Because competition between capitalists inevitably leads to an excess of produce, so consumer demand must be increased. Such an increase is controllable by the spectacle as ‘the real consumer becomes a consumer of illusions,’ (Debord) so he can be manipulated to believe he must consume beyond the basic necessity for survival e. g. leisure products. Therefore ‘the spectacle’s form and content are identically the total justification of the existing system’s conditions and goals’ (Debord). The spectacle is mediated in society ‘as information or propaganda, as advertisement or direct entertainment consumption,’ (Debord). The effects of the mediated spectacle tend to lead the consumer to an experience of alienation as the consumers’ want for commodities is dictated to serve and maintain capitalism. In addition the spectacle constantly reinforces itself, for example the television, which is in itself a product of the spectacle that is then used by the capitalist to implement the advertisement of other spectacles. Essentially the ‘spectacle is the nightmare of imprisoned modern society’ (Debord) and explains the transition from the ‘degradation of being into having’ to ‘having into appearing’ (Debord). Jean Baudrillard took Marx’s ‘Critique of Capitalism’ and Debord’s ‘The Society of the Spectacle’ to their conclusions with his own theory of simulation and simulacra. Similar to the idea of the spectacle, Baudrillard describes a world where the subject of everything has been replaced by a semiological value that has become more important than the original, ‘real’ meaning of the object. This object he calls a ‘simulacra’. In ‘Simulacra and Simulation’ Baudrillard adds extra complexity to these ideas by establishing a hierarchy of simulation, which he gives four orders. In the first order the object is a copy of an original and so can be linked to a basic reality, for example a photograph of an actual event. The second order of simulation misrepresents the original subject; in the example the photography has been digitally manipulated in Photoshop to present a non-occurrence. In the third order a reality is recreated from a simulation of an original reality, when in fact, through the process of simulacra, the original has been lost, e. g. a scene is recreated from the digitally manipulated photograph of the original event. Finally, the forth order of simulation is the combined process of the first, second and third order to such an extent that the object bears no relation to reality or the original, for example the photograph has become a virtual reality. In this instance the link between reality and the signifying systems is almost impossible to ascertain, thus creating a ‘hyper-reality’. It is the use of one simulacra as a basis for the formation of another simulacra that shows the first signs of relevance to post modernity. Consequently, in post modernism, everything is understood in relation to everything that has come before, which in design manifests itself in referencing. Post modernism is also concerned with the fact that there is no right or wrong and essentially that no real truth exists. It is of course possible for a sign to make a transition through all four of the orders of simulation, constantly abstracting meaning and widening the gap between simulation and reality. However due to the complexity of repeated abstraction and signification it becomes necessary for an amount of speculation and simplification to occur when examining transitional examples. If we take, for example, the now famous emblem of automotive company Rolls Royce, it becomes apparent the extent to which a symbolic object can be re-simulated, each time loosing a part of it’s original meaning. ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’, designed by sculptor Charles Sykes and mass produced in 1911, is a cast metal emblem representing the figurine of a girl with arms outstretched to hold the folds of her gown blowing in the breeze. To the present day this emblem has been displayed on the bonnets of Rolls Royce cars and is the first order of simulation in terms of it being a representation of a real person from which the sculpture has been modelled. The object also references the figure heads of classic sailing ships in an attempt to convey the automotive product as an elegant, quite and reliable vehicle, which were the mediated associations with the brand during the early development of the company. In this instance the object enters the third order of simulation as a real event (model posing for sculptor) is created from an existing symbolic object (sailing boat figure heads) in order to be recreated as a new symbolic object (Spirit of Ecstasy emblem). At this point it is important to note that this example as an investigation could examine many more stages of referencing prior to the sign’s use as figure heads, though this could prove too difficult and inaccurate, again reinforcing the existence of a hyper-reality. The tea pot, designed by Michael Graves in 1985 for Alessi, brings the symbol to its conclusion. The tea pot employs a plastic emblem of a bird that is attached to the spout of the kettle and creates a whistling noise when the water is boiled. This creates a pun between the whistling of a kettle and the singing of bird but more importantly, its similar visual appearance (i. e. the wings of the bird and the outstretched arms and gown of the girl) makes a reference of Rolls Royce cars. Because during the late 20th century the values associated with Rolls Royce have matured to convey the brand as one of top class and status, so it are these value that are associated with Grave’s tea pot, supposed to the original associations that Rolls Royce was referencing from classic sailing ships. Therefore the product has clearly entered the forth order of simulation is it holds no relation to the original meaning that the original object as sign attempted to represent. Also, by referencing past signs, it can be described as a post modern object. Like Debord, Baudrillard agreed that simulation was important to the survival of capitalism as it, through mediation, can control the level of consumption within society. Baudrillard used the term ‘valorisation’ to describe the process through which symbolic objects attain value. An excellent example of valorisation is Pokemon cards, which are essentially printed illustrations on card and so their use value is very low. However, via mediation, Pokemon cards have been given a simulated symbolic value that has made them desirable and powerful as a commodity. As well as design, Baudrillard’s theory of simulation and simulacra has also proved influential in film making, for example in ‘The Matrix’, directed by the Wachowski brothers. The Matrix is set in the future at a time when the real world has been reduced to a desert waste land by a war between humanity and machines; after the invention of artificial intelligence. Because the machines are dependant on solar power, the humans have caused the equivalent of a nuclear winter by blocking out sunlight. This has caused the machines to retaliate by imprisoning humans in gel filled pods so that energy can be extracted from them in the form of heat. In order to control the humans in this procedure a computer simulated world called the matrix exists, that all of the imprisoned humans are connected to, living their lives in what they believe is the late 20th century, oblivious to the fact that their real bodies are in stasis in the real world. The film therefore acts as a metaphor for contemporary western cultures. Firstly the matrix is an existence of the fourth order of simulation in that it is a system of mere signs that are completely detached from reality, i. e. hyper-reality. Just as in contemporary cultures, the people who live in the matrix are unaware that they are controlled by a system through simulation. â€Å"You are a slave, neo, like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch, a prison for your mind†¦ What is the matrix? Control. The matrix is a computer generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this† (he holds up a copper battery) (Morpheus talking to Neo, The Matrix). In addition the film suggests that the prisoners of the Matrix are also dependant upon it, to the extent that they will fight to protect it. Baudrillard’s idea of mediasation appears in the film when it is suggested that there was a machine â€Å"spawning a whole race of machines† (Morpheus talking to Neo, The Matrix), thus the social control of the machines (mediation of signs) increasingly exert themselves with every new generation. Interestingly The Matrix seems to offer a solution to simulation and social control by the system, which is one of enlightenment. Once Neo understands the systems and can see the signs (computer code) of the matrix for what they really are, then he can choose to follow a different set of rules thus gaining control of his environment. As well as a theological basis on Baudrillard, The Matrix tends to convey the story via symbolic references and thus is post modern by nature. For example the ‘follow the white rabbit scene’ employs a tattoo of a white rabbit, which is referenced from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in order to convey the uncertainty in discovering the truth of an alternate reality. In the same scene Neo also opens a copy Baudrillard’s ‘Simulacra and Simulation’ in effect reinforcing links to that element of the film. In conclusion, I have identified the main themes surrounding Baudrillard’s orders of simulacra and simulation, shown how they relate to modern and post modern design and have given contemporary examples of their use in product design and film making. I believe that such an understanding of simulation has served well to better understanding referencing in post modernity. References Debord, G., (1977) The Society of the Spectacle, Black & Red Poster, M., (1998) Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings, Polity Press Tucker, R. C., (1978) The Marx – Engels Reader Second Edition, Norton & Company Bibliography Hebdige, D., (1994) Hiding in the Light, Routledge http://www.geneseo.edu/~bicket/panop/baudrillard.ht http://www.artisanitorium.thehydden.com/nonfiction/film/matrix.htm http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/master_frame.html

Friday, August 16, 2019

Comparative Study of Training and Development of Sbi and Icici Bank

â€Å"TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT – A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF â€Å"INDUSTRIAL CREDIT AND INVESTMENT CORPORATION OF INDIA†(ICICI) with â€Å"STATE BANK OF INDIA†(SBI). BY Mr. R. CHRISTURATNAM Research Scholar for part time Reg No: Y12COMR006 UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF Prof. S. VIJAYA RAJU Department of Commerce and Business Management ACHARAY NAGARJUNA UNIVERSITY NAGARJUNA NAGAR GUNTUR – 522002 INDEX I. INTRODUCTION II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE III. OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY IV. PROFILE OF THE BANKING SECTOR AND SELECTED BANKS V. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TRAINING DEVELOPED BY SBI AND ICICI BANK(Trainees’ opinions ) VI.COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SBI AND ICICI, CHALANGES OF BANKING SECTOR(Trainers opinions) VII. FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS VIII. BIBLIOGRAPHY CHAPTER – I 1. 0 INTRODUCTION 2. 1 TRAINING 2. 2 DEVELOPMENT 2. 3 TRAINING IN ICICI 2. 4 TRAINING IN SBI 2. 5 DEVELOPMENT IN ICICI 2. 6 DEVELOPMENT IN SBI 2. 7 NEED OF THE STUDY 2. 8 SIGNIFICANC E OF THE STUDY 2. 9 PRESENT POSITION OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 2. 10 CONCLUSION CHAPTER – I 1. 0 INTRODUCTION `Managers unequivocally agree that this century demands more efficiency and productivity than any other times in history. Businesses are striving to increase their performance.Managers have been grappling with many challenges to succeed putting their company ahead of competitors. To help managers manage, different scholars, researchers and consultants have been contributing their part showing the best ways they think are useful to managers. Among those suggested techniques, concepts like Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR) earned recognition from many authors in the second half of twentieth century and were found helpful in increasing organizational performance by focusing on operational and process improvements.They were/still being used as tools for management in their effort to plan, execute and control of the desired changes i n the operational quality. Thanks to technology, nowadays business companies are making use of advanced techniques of operation. As sophistication of technologies continues to evolve, they pose more challenges for managers because organizations will have to need more number of employees with increased technical and professional skills. These knowledge workers cannot be managed with old styles of totalitarian management.They expect operational autonomy, job satisfaction and status. It is because of these facts that attention of managers is shifting towards employees’ side of organizations. From last quarter of twentieth century onwards, concepts like employee commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) started to appear on the ground that efficiency and productivity lie within the employees’ ability and commitment. Managers’ eye is on how to keep employees engaged in their job. Employers now realize that by focusing on employee engagement, they can create more efficient and productive workforce.Any initiatives of improvement which are taken by management cannot be fruitful without willful involvement and engagement of employees. Employee engagement as a concept is vast. This article limits itself to discuss only the basic concepts on employee engagement based on recent literatures. It has four major parts. Firstly, the article explores the evolution of the concept, its definition and how it is different from the earlier concepts such as Commitment, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) and job satisfaction.Secondly, the article discusses the factors or drivers leading to engagement. Thirdly, it details the impact of employee engagement on organizational performance indicators or business outcomes such as profitability, customer satisfaction, company growth, productivity and others pointing out its benefits and importance to organizations. Finally, the article suggests strategies the companies should take up to keep employ ees engaged in their jobs. CHAPTER – II OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Philosophical analysis Essay

Judging from the ideas raised in the Introduction of this work, it is clear that one must consider Buddhism a type of philosophy – that is, as a way of life. Many authors have already proceeded to claim that this particular religious phenomenon is chiefly characterized by the numerous practical precepts which serve as guides towards an enlightened living. It is good to note that Buddhism, pretty much like philosophy, is concerned with the pursuit of enlightenment or truth. An enlightened self – immortalized perhaps in Western Philosophy by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave – is surely the goal why one enters into philosophical discourses. In so far as Buddhism offers its own distinct ways to attain enlightenment as well, it is therefore with good reasons that one should classify this religion as philosophical in many ways. Buddhism however does not stop at stipulating suggestions for right living alone. As a system of belief, it also offers perspectives about the whole of reality. Like philosophical discourses, Buddhism is a belief system that speaks of its perspective about the ultimate realities like human existence, cosmology, human knowledge, ontology and theology. Surely, there is a need to look into these briefly Buddhism’s take on reality encourages an attitude of detachment on account of a belief that â€Å"everything is impermanent† (Griffiths, 1997, p. 16), and therefore in a state of constant flux. Much of Buddhism’s view about reality rests on the belief that the world is full of ‘diversity’, and the more is able to ‘reveal’ or appreciate it, the closer is one to the truth about the ever passing universe (Williams, 1989, p. 3). This idea is interestingly shared by an ancient Western philosopher that went by the name Heraclitus, who taught that â€Å"fire†- an element in a perpetual state of movement – is the basic element that constitutes reality. Buddhism, one need to remember, is not so much concerned with the rigorous definition of reality. But in so far it embraces an attitude of non-attachment in relating to all things, Buddhism has to anchor this belief system on a formidable reason – that one’s attachment over things is futile given the fact that all things pass away. In fact, most of what Buddhism teaches is drawn from this ontological belief; and this doctrine of impermanence must be seen as a recurrent theme in its whole system of perspective. As far as Epistemology is concerned, the doctrine of impermanence is also maintained. Buddhism teaches that nothing can be known with exact certitude because all things are ephemeral and thus, as mentioned a while ago, â€Å"they are not what they seem† (Griffiths, 1997, p. 19). Everything is subject to change and passes away. Thus, one may not arrive at a definitive knowledge about things at all. Which is why, Buddha maintained that â€Å"dissatisfaction† is a constant theme that defines the feelings of all who search for knowledge or truth (Mitchell, 2002, p. 33). No one is able to know what reality is; and its appearance is often misleading. One may notice that this epistemology is actually consistent with Buddhism’s anthropology, or, its understanding of human nature. If one checks the teachings of Buddha about man, one can clearly see the doctrine of impermanence as patent in it too. Buddha believes that human nature is nothing but a constitution of events called materiality, sensation, conceptualization, volition and consciousness (Griffiths, 1997, p. 20). This type of anthropology views man not as an existing individual substance (which most of Western Philosophy have understood what human nature is), but an â€Å"impermanent self† constituted by personal events (Griffith, 1997, p. 20). Cosmology for Buddhism follows the same line of logic. Constant flux is patent in its belief that the world follows a rhythm of birth and rebirth, of cycle and current, of existence and passage. The bulk of Buddhism’s teachings therefore solemnly enjoin its adherents to develop an attitude of detachment. Anchored on a belief that nothing in this world ever remains the same over a period of time, Buddhism points that the path towards Nirvana – or ultimate sense of bliss – lies in a state of total freedom from what this world actually offers. Lastly, it is quite interesting to point out that Buddhism rarely engages in a question about the ultimate reality or God. Broadly speaking, the whole philosophy of impermanence is at odds with a concept of deity. The general theory about God stipulates that ‘It† is a Supreme Being defined by eternality, omniscience, omnipotence and changelessness. In a belief system where the central truth about reality rests on the ephemeral nature of all things, the concept of God is really something hard to conceive (Griffiths, 1997, p. 22). How can there be such a Being when the general characteristic of all things – supposedly including God – is change and flux? More importantly, one can ask: how can one consider Buddhism a religion at all if one is not willing to reconcile its theology with its ontology? Griffith believes that the metaphysics of impermanence makes Buddhism deny the existence of God all together (Griffith, 1997, p. 23). But the image of Buddha as the exemplification of their quest for a transcendent end, translated in Nirvana, is perhaps the only figure of deity Buddhism actually posses. Conclusion Buddhism is both a philosophy and a religious movement. As a philosophy, it offers its adherents a way of life observed in a tradition marked by meditation, introspection, constant purgation of desire and an unending quest for enlightenment. As a religious movement, it is concerned with the pursuit of â€Å"transcendent ends† (Slater, 1978, p. 6) they call Nirvana. Buddhism offers its own understanding of reality too. Its doctrines are highly influenced by the teachings of its founder Gautama Buddha. In this paper, it has been noted that their belief system can also be evaluated under the categories which Western philosophy uses – metaphysics, epistemology, cosmology, anthropology and theology. These aspects are given meaning by a pervading concept of impermanence and dissatisfaction. Buddhism draws largely from a belief that everything in the world is impermanent, and that all people are enjoined to meet it with an attitude of detachment and self-control. The path towards true enlightenment happens only when one is able to see beyond what reality offers, and seek the true meaning of existence that lies only within. References Humphreys, C. (1997). A Popular Dictionary of Buddhism.Chicago: NTC. Griffiths, P. Buddhism. In Quinn, P. & Taliaferro, C. (Eds. ), A Companion to Philosophy of Religion. Massachusetts: Blackwell. McCutcheon, R. (2007). Studying Religion. An Introduction. London: Equinox. Mitchell, D. (2002). Introducing the Buddhist Experience. New York: Oxford University Slater, P. (1978). The Dynamics of Religion. Meaning and Change in Religious Traditions. San Francisco: Harper and Row. Williams, P. (1989). Mahayana Buddhism. Doctrinal Foundations. New York: Routledge.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Culture Evaluation Essay

In doing this debate paper our learning team was asked to take the debate topic and apply it to another country. Our team is to examine how the arguments or presentation of the arguments would need to be changed. The team had its choice between three countries; India, China or Japan. Learning team C chose Japan. There is a major cultural shift when it comes to how Japanese citizens and American citizens value even the ownership of a gun. In American our right to own a gun, or multiple guns, is protected by the second amendment. In Japan however, gun ownership is not a right it is a privilege. Here in the United States we can walk into a gun store and with just a few simple questions and a phone call have our weapon in hand that day as we walk out of the store. Japan, on the other hand, must first take a day long class, and then take a written exam. The next step is to go to a shooting range, take a class and pass the range test. Then it is off to the doctor’s office for a drug screen and mental health check-up. Now the police keep this on file and start a rigorous background investigation to ensure you aren’t linked to known criminals or have a criminal history yourself. Now, if you successfully pass all these checks you are allowed to own a shotgun or an air rifle. Assault style weapons and handguns of all types are strictly forbidden by law. Only a few handguns even exist in Japan and those are for competition shooters only. Your home, under Japanese law, is subject to random searches by the police and the gun must be stored and locked away separately from your ammunition, which is also required to be under lock and key. (Fisher, 2012) So what does all this lead too? The lack of capability to even own a firearm in Japan has led to a drastically reduced gun crime rate. Compared to America in 2008 had over 12,000 gun related deaths, Japan on the other end of the spectrum had 11. (Fisher, 2012) In conclusion, Japan cannot even own a handgun let alone an assault weapon. Trying to apply what works in one country to another in this case would not work. Some Japanese feel that they would not even want these freedoms because they look to the authority for answers first. (Talmadge, 2013) This is a cultural preference in Japan. The country as a whole tends to think about the good of the whole of the people before what is good for the individual. If it is better for them to not have firearms, and clearly the statistics prove it, then that is the direction they have chosen for themselves.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Leaman brother Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leaman brother - Research Paper Example ublish its financial statement so when the financial statements were released to the public, the financial statements may depict that the bank had money and was paying its debtors (Hallman 1). Once a period of seven or less days had passed and the account statements were published, the bank repurchased sold assets. Anton Valukas was assigned the duty of look into the matter of Lehman Brother and unearth the reasons for its fall down. Valukas states that the Repo 105 transaction was first reported by Mathew Lee who was an employee of Lehman. Lee started by reporting the transactions to the management of Lehman and later reported the findings to the organization’s auditing firm, Ernst & Young and no actions were taken (Hallman 1). Once the firm could no longer indulge in Repo 105, it had to start depicting that it was highly leveraged and did not have money to pay off its debt and ultimately the bank filed for bankruptcy. Due to this several stakeholders had to experience material as well as emotional losses. The main stakeholders who were negatively impacted included the companies that had lent money to the bank, the shareholders of the bank and its employees. When the company went bankrupt there were more than 25000 employees working for them and a major percentage of them had to experience unemployment and social and psychological associated with it (Corelli 326). Furthermore, the shareholders had to lose their money since the company was not performing well and it has been recorded that due to the fall down of the company around $10 trillion funds were injected out of the equity markets (Corelli 326). It is believed but not yet proven that the CPA firm called Ernst & Young (E&Y) was involved in the financial fraud conducted by Lehman Brother. They are said to have been involved in the cover-up of this fraud. Due to these allegations against the CPA firm several civil lawsuits were filed against the firm after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. These lawsuits