The Ethics of Enron

Reading Enron's code of ethics, on first impression, you would expect nothing but excellence from a respectable company. Their code of ethics relied heavily on effective communication, a high level of integrity, and nothing but excellence. Through this code they portrayed a business that was capable of exceeding greatness to the highest standard. This soon to be eluded fact jaded by the deception with Enron's unethical actions, which would ultimately lead to its untimely demise. Enron, at one point, was the seventh largest company within the Fortune 500. Careful accounting strategies allowed it to be listed as the seventh largest company in America, and it was expected to dominate the trading it had virtually invented in communications, power and weather securities. Instead it became the biggest corporate failure in history. Enron was formed in 1985, by Kenneth Lay, CEO. Lay graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in economics. He then went on to get his Ph.D. from the University of Houston. With his extensive background in economics, Lay began to work for Exxon Mobil, and thus began his life in the energy business. He soon began to get involved in the natural gas market, which led him to propose the idea of the deregulating energy. Lay merged his company, Houston Natural Gas, with Omaha, Nebraska's InterNorth to form Enron (Briefing 2012). In addition to traditional sales and transportation of natural gas, Enron, under Lay's direction, invested into, what at the time was, future markets. From around 1983-1987, oil prices fell drastically. Buyers of natural gas switched to newly cheap alternatives such as fuel oil. Gas producers, led by Enron, lobbied vigorously for deregulation (Briefing 2012). Once-stable gas prices began to fluctuate, spooking buyers. That's when Enron started marketing futures contracts guaranteeing a price for delivery of gas sometime in the future (Briefing 2012). The government, again lobbied by Enron and others, deregulated electricity markets over the next several years, creating a similar opportunity for Enron to trade futures in electric power. With this, Enron began to grow at a rapid pace, having their assets grow by $50 billion in the matter of a short fifteen years. Being seen as a powerful company was undermining motive that lead to Enron's one main goal that they continuously strove to achieve. Who would not enjoy having a superior image for as long as this company did. Enron, before its collapse, was one of the worlds leading electrical, natural gas, and communication companies (NPR 2012). The company, with profit of $101 billion in 2000, markets electricity and natural gas, delivers physical commodities and financial and risk management services around the world, and has developed an intelligent network platform online business (NPR 2012). However, all so called good things for Enron came to an end. Despite Enron's perceptual display of ethical standards in its transactions, social conduct, environmental and financial reports, evidence of unethical behaviors such as engaging in massive corporate fraud, misleading its investors and employees about its financial status bloated out when it collapsed in 2001. By excluding its partnerships with Chewco and Joint Energy Development Investments (JEDI) from its financial statements, Enron was able to hide its $600 million debt from the balance sheet. For about eight years, Enron used complex and unethical accounting schemes to reduce its tax payments, overstate income and profits, inflate stock price and credit rating, hide losses, transfer the company's money to themselves, and fraudulently misrepresent its financial condition in public reports. Enron Senior Management did perform a job well done until it fell apart when Enron's share price started to drop in 2000. Before Enron filed for bankruptcy protection, the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) already found out these accounting irregularities where Enron clearly misled its shareholders, analysts and creditors. By the end of 2001, it left thousands of employees who have invested their savings and pensions in the company and small shareholders maintaining their investments; while members of Enron management sold their shares knowing the falling performance of the company. Enron was not protecting the interest of its stakeholders at all. Thousands of employees lost their jobs and significant amount of retirement savings, while investors were left with worthless stocks. These further affected their families and their community as a whole. Enron's scandal damaged public trust on corporate leaders. The behavior of Enron's leaders were far from the good leadership behavior we know of, where leaders should demonstrate integrity. What's worse was that, the Auditors of Enron who should have been the one to report their accounting malpractices long time before, accepted the accounting practices and remained silent. This was most probably because of the conflict of interest because these auditors earned high revenues from audit and non-audit works with Enron. In the most basic sense, lack of management integrity and the resulting impact on corporate culture was the root cause of Enron's downfall and the fundamental ethical issue. Enron's management chose ego gratification, power maximization, stakeholder deception and short-term financial gains for themselves, while destroying their personal and business reputations and hurting literally tens of thousands of stakeholders. Enron's scandal called for the need of significant change in accounting and corporate governance in the U.S. This is why the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 was introduced. It was officially signed into law july 30th, 2002 to protect investors by imporoving the reliability and accuracy of disclosures made pursuant to securities laws. Sarbanes-Oxley developed the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a private, nonprofit corporation, to ensure that financial statements are audited according to independent standards. The legislation also mandates that companies listed on stock exchanges have completely independent audit committees to oversee the relationship between the companies and their auditors. Sarbanes-Oxley further banned most personal loans to any executive officer or director, accelerated reporting of trades by insiders, and stiffened penalties for violations of securities laws. SOX is generally applicable to all companies, regardless of size, who require to file reports with the SEC. SOX established the creation of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to oversee the audit of public companies that are subject to the securities laws. The PCAOB establishes auditing, quality control, ethics, independence and other standards relating to the preparation of audit reports. They are also responsible for conducting inspections of registered public accounting firms, as well as conducting investigations and disciplinary proceedings, where, justified, concerning registered public accounting firms. The Enron case will forever stand as the ultimate reflection of an era of near madness in finance, a time in the late 1990's when self-certitude and spin became a substitute for financial analysis and coherent business models. Controls broke down and management deteriorated as arrogance overrode careful judgment, allowing senior executives to blithely push aside their critics. Indeed, it could be argued that the most significant lesson from the trial had nothing to do with whether the defendants, both former Enron chief executives, committed the crimes charged in their indictments. Instead, the testimony and the documents admitted during the case painted a broad and disturbing portrait of a corporate culture poisoned by hubris, leading ultimately to a recklessness that placed the business's survival at risk. The ethical lesson that can be learned front the Enron scandal is that, no success is important enough to be achieved at the price of dishonesty and illegal activities. Not only did the scandal tarnish the reputation of Enron but it ruined the lives of the people who belonged to the name, People who have invested time and money into the company. It goes without saying, corporate values is far more important than unethically scheming in order to make profits.

Brain Development

The human brain is considered as the most important and complex part of the body consisting of about 180 billion cells (Kolb and Whishaw 84). Of those 180 billion cells, 60 billion neurons are actively involved in thought processing, and each of these may synapses with as many as 15,000 neighboring neurons. Because of this complexity, for many years researchers in neuroscience have been hesitant to take on the difficult task of explaining the intricacies of the human brain. Prenatal Development The brain is among the first body parts to specialize and function in the embryo.It originates as a flat sheet of cells on the upper surface, called the neural plate. The brain begins to develop between the second and third week after fertilization and continue to develop rapidly throughout gestation (Spear 406-407). At 3 weeks of embryonic development, a tube appears along the back of the embryo. This is the neural tube, from which the entire nervous system develops. At the top of the tube, t hree bulges develop to form the three main divisions of the brain- the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain, and, behind them, the spinal cord.By the time the embryo is 13 mm (y in) in length the three swellings have become five, as the forebrain itself separates into the region to become the cerebral hemispheres and below this the diencephalons. The swellings are so large that to accommodate them the tube must begin to kink. At 7 weeks, the parts of the developing neural tube initially form a straight line, but the tube soon bends so that the forebrain and hindbrain are at right angles to each other.The hindbrain develops rapidly at this stage and begins to sprout a series of nerves (cranial nerves). The forebrain also begins to enlarge, forming two bulges. These will become the large, folded cerebrum and underlying structures, such as the thalamus. At 11 weeks, most features of the adult brain appear in rudimentary form. The hindbrain differentiates into the cerebellum (larg ely concerned with balance and coordination) and the pons and medulla (which control vital functions such as breathing and heartbeat).Meanwhile, the forebrain continues to grow, and the bulk of it – the cerebrum – begins to overlap the underlying structures. By the fifth month, the wrinkles on the cortical surface of the cerebrum have appeared, and simple but recognizable EEG patterns have developed. Once the tube has been closed off, the cells within it divide, going through a number of precursor stages before their daughters eventually differentiate to give rise to the populations of neurons and glia that will form the adult brain.The rate of cell proliferation is extraordinary: an average of more than 250,000 neurons per minute must be formed during the nine months of pregnancy—a rate dramatically surpassed by that of synapse formation: More than 30,000 synapses must be formed per second under every square centimeters of cortex to generate the complement pres ent in the early post-natal period. During pregnancy the fetal brain grows dramatically in size and complexity, and the neurons and glia which constitute it must find their appropriate positions and make their ordered connections, for instance within the six layers of the cerebral cortex.Because the cells are generated from a single initial sheet, it is necessary for them to migrate considerable distances to their final location. The cerebral hemispheres develop from the front portion of the neural tube, and, as their progenitor cells are formed, by the fifth week of pregnancy, the wall of the tube bulges to form the cerebral vesicles. Over the next hundred days, cells close to the ventricle are destined to give rise to the neurons which will form the cortex, while the glia are born in a second layer slightly further from the ventricles.The newborn neurons migrate from the ventricular zone towards the surface of the cerebral vesicles, where they meet axons growing in from the region of the developing brainstem, through which the later-born neurons must migrate. Before birth, massive enlargement of the cerebrum continues. Its most impressive development occurs in the cerebral cortex (the outer layers of the cerebrum) – the site of all higher conscious activity. At birth, the cerebrum makes up the bulk of the brain (The American Medical Association 12-13).Hence, by the time of birth, virtually all of the approximately 100 billion neurons in the human brain already are present (Cowan 113-115). Infancy But even this phenomenal rate of development may be an understatement (Clarke 345). Further Myers stated that in humans, though the brain tissue from the cerebral cortex has increased in complexity of the neural networks, the number of nerve cells don’t increase, but their interconnections do (63) Research in animals indicates that early in development, about twice as many neurons are produced than will be present in the adult brain.In addition, many n eurons initially grow axons that connect to the wrong targets. During the normal course of development, the excess neurons die and the inappropriate connections degenerate, leaving the appropriate connections in place (Cowan, Fawcett, OLeary, and Stanfield 1258-1260). Scientists believe that this overproduction and, later, death of neurons and their connections is an important mechanism for forming and fine-tuning the developing nervous system. The brain is not completely developed even in full-term newborn infants.A great deal of brain development takes place in the first few months of postnatal life; and, in fact, brain growth continues at least until adolescence (Benjamin, Hopkins, and Nation 313). They further added at birth, the human brain is immature: The neural networks that enable infants to walk, talk, and remember are still forming. This helps explain why infants’ memories do not predate during their third or fourth birthdays. In infancy, the brain also grows rapid ly specifically during the first two years after birth (Spear 170).Unlike all other cells in the body, however, the neurons are not usually replaced when they die, and from early infancy onwards there is indeed a small but steady loss of neurons. The growth is accounted for by increases in the number of glial cells, but above all in the massive development of dendritic processes and synaptic connections, as the brain â€Å"wires itself up† in a spectacular interplay of epigenetic specificity and experience-dependent plasticity—that is, the way that neural pathways are modified as a result of experience and most notably, learning and memory.Although all of a person’s neurons are present at birth, the number and complexity of the connections among neurons increase substantially after birth (Parmelee and Sigman 2:95-98), and this increase is partly responsible for the growth in brain size. Thus, both the increased neural connections and the development of myelin af ter birth make possible more and more complex behavior and thought as the child grows. In some areas of the brain, these developmental changes continue until adolescence (Yakovieve & Lecours 5-7).The human brain, and its functions, thus develop at first rapidly and then more steadily over the first few years of infancy, across puberty, and even into late adolescence. Works Cited Benjamin, Ludy, Hopkins, Roy, and Jack Nation. Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1997. Clarke, P. G. H. Neuronal Death in the development of the vertebrate nervous system. Trends in Neuroscience. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995. Cowan,W. M. â€Å"The development of the brain†. Scientific America,241(1989):113-120. Cown,W. M. ,Fawcett,. j. w. , O`Leary,. D.D. M. ,& Stanfield,B. B. â€Å"Regressive Events in Neurogenesis†. Science,225(1991):1258-1260. Clayman,C. B. ,M. D. â€Å"The Brain and Nervous System. † The American Medical Association. 2nd ed. 199 7. Kolb,B. , AND Whishaw,I. O. Fundamentals of human neuropsychology. New York: Freeman,1995. Parmelee,A. H. , and Sigman,M. D. Prenatal brain development and behavior. In P. H. Mussen (Ed). Handbook of Child Psychology,Vol II. Infancy and development psychology. New York: John Wiley &Sons, 1984. Spear, Peter D. Psychology: perspective on behavior, New York: John Wiley &Sons, 1998.

Economics of Sumeria

By 7000 BCE there was farming, which required permanent settlement. ————————————————- By 4500 BCE, people archaeologists call Ubaidians were living in towns near where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers emptied into the Persian Gulf. EKONOMIKS –( http://earlyworldhistory. blogspot. com/2012/01/sumer. html poltics) (http://www. sjsu. edu/faculty/watkins/sumer. htm-poltics) This was  Mesopotamia  (Greek for â€Å"between two rivers†). It was around 4000 BCE that a people called Sumerians moved into Mesopotamia.By 3800 BCE the Sumerians had supplanted the Ubaidians and Semites in southern Mesopotamia. They built better canals for irrigating crops and for transporting crops by boat to village centers. They improved their roads, over which their donkeys trod, some of their donkeys pulling wheeled carts. And the Sumerians grew in number, the increase in population the key element in creating what we call civilization Do you know? Civilization is a word derived from an ancient word for  city. LIVINGS around each city were fields of grain, orchards of date palms, and land for herding.Besides planting and harvesting crops, some Sumerians hunted, fished, or raised livestock. In addition to an increase in population, civilization was also about variety, and enough food was produced to support people who worked at other occupations — such as the priesthood, pottery making, weaving, carpentry and smithing. There were also traders, and the Sumerians developed an extensive commerce by land and sea. They built seaworthy ships, and they imported from afar items made from the wood, stone, tin and copper not found nearby The Sumerians used slaves, although they were not a major part of the economy.Slave women worked as weavers, pressers, millers, and porters. The social structure of the Sumerians was decidedly different from other societies of th at and later times. The Sumerian communities were city states organized around a temple and ruled by a priesthood. There was a class of craftsmen in addition to the priests and peasants. The craftmen devoted most of their time to producing things for either the temples or the warrior-soldiers which protected the temple community. The people were to devote their lives to propitiating the gods to prevent calamities from befalling the community.

The Life of the Prophet Joshua Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Life of the Prophet Joshua - Research Paper Example Prophet Joshua, who is the central character in the book of Joshua, is postulated by the Hebrew Bible as one of the courageous spies for Israelites. Joshua is also presented within the passages in the Hebrew Bible as Moses’ assistant (Heschel and Morris 103). The name Joshua was ascribed by Moses who preferred to call him Yehoshua, which is translated to Joshua. Joshua was born before the Israelites left Egypt during the exodus. The close association that is drawn between Joshua and Caleb reflects that these two were age mates. This paper gives a critical analysis and presentation of the life of the prophet Joshua, including exactly when he was born, the history of his family, the events which led to his becoming Moses’ assistant, and how he came to be one of the personalities in the Bible. Additionally, the discussion of Joshua’s life will include the book of Joshua and how it presents this prophet, the happenings prior to and after his death and the implication s of his life. When was Joshua Born? The date when Joshua was born is estimated in relation to the life of Moses, who was the central character of the Israelite leadership before Joshua appeared. The death of Moses is estimated to have happened when the 40 years period of wandering in the desert cane to an end. This was about the year 1405 BC. In this sense, the date when Moses was born is in or around the year 1525 BC (Krajewski and Adam 204). It is at the end of the 40 year period in the wilderness that Moses transferred the leadership of the Israel people to Joshua. In the Book of Deuteronomy 31: 1-2, Moses is depicted speaking to the Israelites saying that he was at that time a hundred and twenty years of age. Moses had become frail at this age and he had been told by God that he would not be among those who would go over Jordan. In Deuteronomy 31:7, Moses’ favor for Joshua as the next leader of the Israelites is depicted. Moses points out in front of the Israelites that Joshua will go with the people of God to the Promised Land and cause them to inherit it (Creach 35). It is at this point that Moses endorsed Joshua as the next leader of the Israelites. The death of Moses is presented in the book of Deuteronomy 34: 7-9, after which he was mourned by his people for a period of thirty days. The son of Nun (Joshua) is depicted as a person who is full of wisdom and as endorsed by Moses through the command of God. These events can be used to have an accurate calculation of the time when Joshua the prophet was born. The age of Joshua can be worked backwards from the book of Joshua 24: 29, which depicts his death. Since Joshua died at the age of 110, it is postulated that he was 90 when his leadership changed. In this sense, the date of his birth is estimated to be around the year 1495 BC (Miller 170). Happenings before the Death of Moses Moses sent Joshua and Caleb to Canaan as spies while the Israelites were still in Egypt. With Joshua and Caleb were oth er ten men who were entrusted by Moses and sent to the land of the Canaanites. Their role was to gather as much information as possible about this land, which God had promised to the Israelites (Mills 128). The significance of Joshua and Caleb is depicted in relation to the fact that these two spies were the only ones who came up with reports about the land of Canaan which were encouraging to the Israelites. Joshua and Caleb are presented in the readings as faithful men among the Israelites. It is because of their faith that they are said to be the first of the Israelite people to enter Canaan, the Promised Land (Heschel and Morris 115). It is notable that earlier on, God did not

Training and Development (Secret Service Uniformed and Security Assignment

Training and Development (Secret Service Uniformed and Security Division) - Assignment Example Officers have the responsibility of provision of additional support to the Secret Services mission using a number of tactics. For instance, the first one is the Counter sniper Support Unit (CS) founded in 1971 (US Secret Service, 2014). The function of the CS is the provision of specialized protective support that helps to defend against threats that may face the protected parties in the long run. Today CS forms an operational unit of the Protective Division of the president. The Canine Explosives Detection Unit (K-9) established in 1976 is another unit (US Secret Service, 2014). The function of the K-9 unit is the provision of specialized and skilled detection for explosives that may affect the protected persons under their jurisdiction. The third group is called the Emergency Response Team (ERT) founded in 1992. The primary function of ERT is the provision of technical support concerning unlawful intrusion as well as security challenges related to the White House as well as its grounds. ERT personnel undergo advanced, specialized training and must uphold a high standard of operational and physical proficiency. The fourth unit is magnetometers. The Secret Service started depending on magnetometer (metal detector) help by Uniformed Division officers to strengthen its protective attempts away from the White House after the attempted killing of President Ronald Reagan. The Magnetometer Support Units function is to ensure that not all people entering secure areas occupied by people protected by the secret service have weapons The Special Agent Division forms one of the most elite organizations for law enforcement in the world (US Secret Service, 2014). The group has earned such a reputation for over the 140 years of unparalleled service delivery to the nation. Being among the oldest law enforcement organs of the federal government, the

The Past And The Shape Of Things Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Past And The Shape Of Things - Essay Example Today, the United States of America has developed its own peculiar cultural and social habits that make it what it is (Strenski 11). Over the past, the US has had many immigrants from varied countries that had different social and cultural backgrounds. For this reason, the US has become a culturally and racially diverse due to this massive migration in the past. However, due to the varied combination of people from many parts of the world, the future of the US has and will be determined by the past (Eliade & Ioan 47). The paper seeks to describe and give a comparison of how the past influences the future in today’s society and culture. In his theory of the sacred time, Eliade’s implies that the power of anything has its roots in its origin and that the power of the entire world relies on cosmogony. However, Eliade claims that for any religious man, two types of time exist. One of which is the sacred time and the other is the profane time. He further stipulates that the former is experienced in the religious festivals and the latter in the normal life. He further asserts that absolute truth concerning primordial time is represented by myths in the traditional societies. According to these myths, it was during this time that the first appearance of the Sacred was experienced in which the world’s structure was established. For Eliades, all myths give a description of primordial events that have made the natural world what it is currently (Schulman 204). Also, most traditional societies have a belief that origin is an essential component in determining the power of anything. Therefore, if origin equals p ower, then it becomes the first sign of a valid and significant thing. According to Eliades, the value and reality of anything lie solely on its initial appearance.

Analyse the political and economic changes in the Franco Regime Essay

Analyse the political and economic changes in the Franco Regime between 1939 and 1975 - Essay Example While so much of the world changed during these 40 years, fascist Spain remained effectively a backwater with little progress or growth to speak of. However, the process by which Franco secured political and economic control over the country, and the process by which he lost it (and which saw the return of constitutional monarchy in Spain) is a very interesting one, and the subject of this essay. By 1936, Franco had successfully gained power over Spain, decimating his Communist opponents and leaving as many as half a million of his countrymen dead. The battle between the Fascists and Communists had not been one of arms alone—both sides had unshakeable ideological beliefs that wrought terrible destruction across the countryside. Communists attacked churches and clergymen, disrupting the traditional ways of life, while the Fascists attacked workers and members of unions they suspected of having Communist sympathies. Although Franco had won a victory, Spain was still terribly split between both sides. The violence had opened an almost irreparable wound. A statesmen would have seen this and in the best interests of his country tried to heal the divide between these two sides. But Franco had a much more brutal vision for his country—one where he dominated the cultural, economic, and political life of Spain completely. What followed Franco’s victory was a long period of score-settling, one that would permanently mark the Spanish psyche. The war would continue by other means. As Grugel writes in Franco’s Spain, [F]ar from relaxing with the end of the war, repression of opponents both intensified and became even more institutionalized. With all of Spain now controlled by Nationalist forces, the number of potential victims expanded enormously. Even if the Francoist authorities had wished to contain the post-war terror, it is doubtful whether their supporter could have been restrained from settling old social and political scores.1 Although some call Franco a

The Impact of Exercise, Jumping on Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Research Paper

The Impact of Exercise, Jumping on Heart Rate and Blood Pressure - Research Paper Example During exercising process, the body acclimatizes by enhancing its capacity to draw in the oxygen by increasing the breathing rate; the lungs expand in volume to accommodate the extra oxygen requirement (Raj et al., 2005; Watanabe, 2003). The availability of oxygen and force increase the circulation of blood rich in oxygen to the muscles for the continuation of exercise. However, during rest, the muscle capacity decreases, which lowers the blood flow and the breathing capacity leading to reduced pulse rate. The experiment aimed to test the differences in heart rate and blood pressure before exercise (resting status), jumping, and two minutes after jumping. The materials needed to carry out the experiment include the pencil and paper for recording the data, the room for carrying out the jumping jack, a group of participants (14) with equal numbers from both sexes, and a timer or a stopwatch. The participants were prepared by allowing them to rest for about 15 minutes. Besides, they were allowed to take enough water during the exercises because bodies lose water while exercising. The procedure involves requesting participants to place their fingers under their wrist and count the heartbeat for 30 seconds. The number gotten was multiplied by two to get the heartbeat, the same procedure was repeated after taking 20 jump jacks. The same procedure was used to record the heart rate while resting. The findings relate to previous findings that found that continuous exercising conditions the heart to get more efficient in carrying out the exercise (Raj et al., 2005; Watanabe, 2003). There were significant differences between the resting data and the data obtained during exercising. These show that increase in exercise increases the heart output to acclimatize with the requirement of oxygen and blood to the muscle cells involved in the exercising process.

Organic food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Organic food - Essay Example The main benefits of organic foods can be derived from their healthy and nutritious nature. Organic foods are produced using the best agricultural practices, which do not rely on synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. The foods are also appealing to environmentally conscious consumers. These consumers prefer food substances, which have positive environmental impacts (Williams 21). The production of organic food is based on precise standards and practices of production. The main premise of labeling food substances as organic is the requirement for non-pesticide application (Reed 21). Organic foods refrain from the use of chemicals such as fungicides, herbicides, veterinary drugs, additives, synthetic preservatives and pesticides. As a result, hazardous residues are restricted to the lowest possible levels in organic foods.Organic foods avoid the use of chemicals and synthetic compounds because studies have established a negative correlation between exposure to pesticides and t he development of dangerous health conditions (Hasler 3774). The presence of pesticides in food substances has been associated with acute health conditions such as eye and skin problems, vomiting, abdominal pains, nausea and headaches (Ungoed-Thomas 1). Long-term exposure increases the risk of severe chronic conditions such as memory deficits, respiratory problems and miscarriages.Besides the fact that organic foods have low pesticide and chemical residues, they also have high nutritional values and good taste.

Managed Care and Psychotherapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managed Care and Psychotherapy - Essay Example It rapidly spread to health insurance industry in private sector. It relies upon and effort to control ever increasing health care costs by health insurance industry, which fixes a reasonable fee. Health care provides charge for their services. Thanks to managed care facilities provided by health insurance industry, medical inflation rate decreased drastically in 1990's in U.S. But right now the effect looks like it has ended abruptly and U.S. medical inflation is beginning to rise steeply. Psychotherapy in its traditional form is being challenged due to managed care pressures. Managed care is not needful for psychiatric patients as it creates many hindrances to the consumer in the early steps of treatment. Managed care makes the psychotherapy sessions completely transparent, when it is supposed to be undisclosed. There are pros and cons. Managed care in psychotherapy is significantly a bane to the consumers. Psychotherapy always requires long number of sessions but due to pressure from insurance companies, psychotherapists reduce the number of sessions. It is the indirect supervision of the financial management of a consumer's medical care performed by the ultimate reimbursement entity, commonly known as the payer.' Payers use utilization review'-a medical professional oversees the treating physician's decisions to determine if the most financially efficient method is being used. In the optimistic view, managed care offers coordinated, integrated systems of care that emphasize prevention and cost restraints. But actually managed care leads to limited access, lack of choice and, sometimes, limitation of care. O'Hara, M. (1997) reports: Nowhere are the concrete consequences of the rising levels of cultural incoherence more visible than within the community of psychotherapists. Therapeutic psychology and its spin-offs, clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, psychiatric nursing, and organizational behavior, are disintegrating as academic disciplines and as fields of professional practice. The field of psychology and the individuals who inhabit it are in the midst of theoretical, epistemological, methodological, and ethical meltdown. Pluralism in graduate school training, discussions about licensing and credentialing, variations in clinical theory and practice, debates about the status of psychological knowledge as science and as evidence in courts of law, shifting definitions of ethical and unethical behavior, and proliferation of antitherapist consumer protection laws are just some of the ways the postmodern crisis is already affecting the field. And it will get worse. Psychotherapists get into prescription business and provide pills. They are likely to have very less interaction with consumer and hinder the normal process of psychotherapy. Managed care minimizes the professional secrecy. As primary care physician refers the consumer to a specialist psychotherapist. Managed care programs that are commonly used are, as listed by Kuhl, V. (1994): Health Maintenance organization (HMO): In this a federally qualified HMO in exchange for a subscriber fee (Premium) allows members to access to a panel of employed physicians and facilities, including hospitals. In return HMO receives mandated market access and receives federal development funds. In HMO plan, a member is assigned a "Gatekeeper", a primary care physician (PCP) who takes care of members assigned to him. To avail specialty services like a specialist

What Is My Personal Philosophy Of Education Essay

What Is My Personal Philosophy Of Education - Essay Example Students play a vital role in the education process, wherein their responsibility would be to show whether the educational process has been successful or not. The importance of introducing education as a fruitful and enjoyable experience is a challenge that is needed to be overcome by the school, as well as the teachers themselves. If the students were able to have positive experiences with regards to taking their first steps in school, then it is a good thing that happened to them because their instinct of absorbing information has been triggered. However, if these students had the unlikely chance of getting a negative first impression in school, it would stay with them all throughout their lives, and could even affect their attitudes toward education, learning, and life as a whole. In a way, schools become institutions that are able to affect and mold the mindset of the young. Learning institutions as well as the people behind them therefore have the overwhelming task of not just providing education to students in general, but also instilling a set of core values into the young ones, as well as jumpstarting their sense of a continuous se arch for knowledge. Being the representative of the academic institution to students, teachers play a vital role in how students would be responding to the learning process, as well as to education in general.... iding the students with hands-on activities, getting them involved in classroom discussions, as well as giving clear directions and prompt feedback (Martin & Loomis, 2007). By combining the attributes that are exemplified by excellent teaching personality and instructional skills, this makes a teacher effective both in teaching the academic things as well as building character and instilling values among students. Doing so makes the teachers essential components in the effectiveness of the school as an institution that helps in developing the younger generation. Aside from the organization of the school and the traits and characteristics of the teachers, the student also plays a vital role in the education process. While the school could select what and how to teach, it is up to the student on retaining the information that was given (Martin & Loomis, 2007). Students shoulder the responsibility of affirming the effectiveness or lack of it when being taught. At the end of the learning process, the success or failure of this process is dictated by the students’ actions towards education as a whole. For example, in elementary school, students are taught the basics of reading and writing. In order for them to fully understand, the students must also be proactive in retaining what they have learned. They could do this by reviewing the lessons taught for the day, asking teachers for things that they wanted further clarification on, or even trying to answer the study questions found at the end of the chapters of their books. Teachers mostly give examinations in order to assess whether the learning process has been effective or not, and the students have the responsibility of doing their best in examinations, not just to get good grades but also to confirm or disprove the

Theme Of Women In Different Artistic Periods Essay Example for Free

Theme Of Women In Different Artistic Periods Essay Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, and Romantic are all artistic movements of centuries past.   It is through the artistic movements that one can capture a glimpse of society and the way life was lived during that time.   Thoughts and feelings are exposed as well as facts are captured by the artist.   It is as if time stands still and one can experience the past with these works of art. This is especially true when a theme or subject is used in art from different time periods.    One can see how the view of the subject has changed or stayed the same.   One theme that has evolved over time is the subject of women.   Their complexities, mysteries, and roles in society have been studied throughout the ages.   That is why they have been a favorite point of interest for artist.   If an artist can capture the essence of a woman, then he/she can capture life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Baroque Period was the earliest of these artistic movements.   It came after the European Renaissance and spanned the whole seventeenth century.   Although some features appear in Dutch art, the Baroque style was limited mainly to Catholic countries. It is a style in which painters, sculptors, and architects sought emotion, movement, and variety in their works.1   Baroque art was basically an answer to the Catholic Reformation.   The objective of the church was to communicate the emotions of the biblical stories in art.   The church desired that the patrons who were illiterate to be able to view the art and understand the story and feel the emotions that they could not comprehend because of their lack of reading.   The wealthy patrons had a different purpose for the art they commissioned and this was to impress others. _____________________ Artlex. Baroque.   2008 http://www.artlex.com The focus of the paintings were to be dramatic and to tell a story that would appeal to the senses.   The realism in the art of this period was incredible.   The subjects were multidimensional as well as the textures accurate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An excellent example of art from the Baroque Period is Young Girl Writing a Love Letter by the Italian painter Pietro Rotari.   The painting was completed in seventeen fifty-five so it was done in the middle of the period which would represent the peak of the artistic movement. Young Girl Writing a Love Letter is not a painting with a religious theme, but Rotari did paint many that were.   Instead, he chose a young woman for his subject. Even though the theme is different than most Baroque art, the young woman has a dreamy, almost angelic quality and expression on her face.   There is a purity about her that reminds one of the Virgin Mary.   She is resting her head on her hand while she gazes off into the distance while contemplating just the right words to write to her lover.   However, one can tell from her innocent face that even though she is in love, she her motives are pure.   The treatment of women as a theme in art during the Baroque Period truly reflects the religious focus during that time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rotari’s style is typical of the Baroque Period.   His painting of Young Girl Writing a Love Letter is realistic. The young woman’s hair is painted so that it gives the appearance of her hair having strands with a few wisp of stray hairs that have fallen out of her neatly pulled back hairstyle.   The silk fabric of her dress is realistically shown through the use of lights and darks.   Even the wood of the desk is painted using perspectives so that it has a three dimensional look.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rococo was the eighteenth century’s answer to the Baroque movement.   As Baroque concentrated on religious figures and themes, the artist of the Rococo Period focused on the wealthy aristocracy.   The ornamental, graceful curves, delicate colors, and anything of elegance were the markings of the period.   The aristocracy wanted to be the focus of the art instead of heroes from history and the Bible.   The movement originated in France during the reign of Louis XV.   The architecture and furnishings of the day were also representative the movement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the foremost painters during the Rococo Period was Jean Marc Nattier.   He was a French painter who, at fifteen, painted for Peter the Great, but he was a member of King Louis XV’s court and mainly painted for him.   Many of his paintings are still in France and still displayed at the Louvre. Mythological portraiture allowed Nattier to synthesize his desire to be a history painter with the financial necessity of making a living, for portraits were in demand. After the 1740s, as tastes began to change, Nattier created more straightforward representations. Financial problems and illness finally caused him to stop painting in 1762. (Getty Museum) An excellent example of Jean Marc Nattier’s work is the painting Portrait of a Young Woman Painter.   The young woman is obviously an aristocrat because is adorned in a lavish yet delicate dress with a carefree look on her face as she gazes out at the painting.   She has a face that is fragile as though it has never seen the sun, hard work, or bad and troublesome thoughts. Her hand is rested on her head in a ladylike pose while her smile is faint.   She holds her palette as if she is not serious about painting.   In fact, she looks as like there is nothing that really interest her. She is graceful and her curves are sensual as the open neckline of her dress.   The background is muted as are the colors of the portrait.   It is not bright and vivid as the paintings of the Baroque Period. The artist deals with the subject of a young woman as mystical.   She does not standout in any way because of the muted shades, but simply fades into the background.   Her palette that should have vibrant colors on them, but they are varying shades of the background.   This symbolizes that a woman considering an occupation is just a frivolous idea that is fleeting.   Instead of angelic as women were portrayed in the Baroque Period, the woman depicted in the Rococo movement is seen more as a status symbol.   It is as if she only exist to prove that the man in her life can afford her.   She would be his proof that by pampering her, he has the means to sustain his social position.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Following the Rococo Period was the Neoclassical movement which focused on the classical forms of the ancient Greek and Roman works of art. Neo-classicism was a style that emerged in Britain and France in the 1750s. Artists and architects sought to create an eternally valid true style that could be expressed across all areas of the visual arts. The style was based on the designs of Classical Greece and Rome. A major source of inspiration came from archaeological discoveries such as those made at Herculaneum and Pompeii which brought the ancient world to life. (Learn About Style) Patriotism, heroism, courage, and sacrifice were elements of the Neoclassical Period.   This movement stated in the seventeen fifties, and lasted well into the eighteen hundreds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marie-Louise Lebrun, also known as Élisabeth-Louise Vigà ©e-Le Brun, was a famous portrait artist during the Neoclassic Period.   Her paintings were simple and pure as was popular during the period.   Her well known painting, Portrait of Theresa, Countess Kinsky is typical of the Neoclassical design. There is a landscape that is faded into the background so that the focus is on the Countess. Her head is wrapped in a long flowing cloth that is reminiscent of the loose draping of the ancient Greeks and Romans.   The dress is of a deep midnight blue that draws the eye to the classic lines of the clothing.   Her demeanor is of a woman that is knowledgeable and intense.   The Countess is has a striking pose that draws immediate attention to her.   Her eyes are piercing while her smile is alluring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The theme of woman in this picture is unique in that the subject is a female seen through the eyes of another female. It is amazing how Lebrun presents a woman of obvious strength that is not seen in the previous paintings.   The Countess is a confident compelling subject.   There is power in the expression of her countenance.   Her intellect is shown as a positive element that only adds to her beauty.   In reality this womans life was rather tragic. Her husband left her at the altar after their wedding and went to his mistress. Given the beauty of Theresa, the Countess, one wonders about the personalities of the people involved.1   Ã‚  A woman who lived the life of the Countess would have to have been strong and command the attention of Lebrun, who was a professional woman and was also a symbol of strength.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Romantic Period encompassed the first half of the nineteenth century.   The artist of the day concentrated on emotion, the supernatural, and the glorification of nature.   _____________________ Countess Kinsky. 2008. http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/artists/evlb93.html Romantics were more emotional, usually melancholic, even melodramatically tragic.1  Ã‚   There was more of an attention to the exotic that the ancient Greece and Rome.   There was also a fascination of horror.   It was definitely different from artistic period in the past.   One could not help but be drawn into the emotional state of the subject because it was the objective of the Romantic artist to completely convey the emotion of the subject of his/her art.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The talented Thà ©odore Chassà ©riau was characteristic of the Romantic Period.   He started painting at a young age and was a master painter by the time he reached adulthood.   The Angel, by Chassà ©riau, is unlike any of the angels painted in earlier artistic periods.   The angel is either on earth or a place that has a similar landscape.   The prominent tree trunk, the colorful fall foliage of the tree leaves, and the lush green underbrush are typical of the Romantic focus on the glorification of nature. The light fluffy clouds add to the effect.   The angelic being depicted on earth is an example of spotlight on the supernatural.   The expression of deep concern and pain is on the face of the being which is opposite of what most think of angels who are thought to be creatures of peace, love, and protection.   However, this angel is in hurting in some way.   The clothing is realistic, but the hair and feathers of the angel are more fantastic than real.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The angel is depicted as a woman in the painting The Angel.   It sets the tone that women were seen as heavenly beings during the period.   They were not seen as equal to men, yet men saw them as mysterious.   The fact that this angel is distressed displays to _____________________   Artlex. Baroque.   2008 http://www.artlex.com the viewer that heaven might not be what the world expected it to be.   As women are stereotypically emotional people, the angel is definitely female.   In the Bible, the angels have male names, yet Chassà ©riau, like others of his day, portrayed it as female. Women were seen as the ones who were immensely emotional.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Women have been the subject of art ever since there was art.   They are intriguing and beguiling.   Each artistic period was representative of society’s view of women.   It is a way to freeze a moment in time.   It is an interesting idea to examine how the place of woman in society has evolved over time. Bibliography Chassà ©riau, Theodore.   The Angel. 1840. Countess Kinsky.   http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/artists/evlb93.html Getty Museum. Artist.   http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=459 Learn About Style. Neoclassicism. http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/british_galleries/bg_styles/Style05a/index.html Lebrun, Marie, Louise. Portrait of Theresa, Countess Kinsky. 1793. Nattier, Jean Marc. Portrait of a Young Woman Painter.   1740. Rotari, Pietro.   Young Woman Writing a Love Letter.   1755.

Do attitudes predict behaviour

Do attitudes predict behaviour Do attitudes predict behaviour? The relationship between attitudes and behaviour is one of the most controversial topics in social psychology. Though the definition of attitudes can not be confirmed yet, this essay uses the description in Hoggs and Vaughans book (1995) that attitudes are â€Å"a general feeling or evaluation about persons, object or issue as well as a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings and behavioural tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, evens or symbols†. This definition indicates that there is a close relationship between attitudes and behaviour. While some critical evidences arose to show that attitudes have little predictive power on behaviour after the LaPieres experiment (1934), the relationship between attitudes and behaviour is still being researched as one of the main topic in the social psychology during recent years. This essay will analyse the link between the attitudes and behaviour. This essay begins by looking at the attitude-behaviour in consistency and then will go on to focus on the theory of planned behaviour which may be regarded as the key theory to deal with the attitude-behaviour relationship. It is so naive as to think a persons attitudes and behaviour are linked directly and consistently. It can be seen all the time that people say they want to keep fit but they never do excises, people are worried about global warming while they are driving high exhaust cars and using air-conditions. The discovery of the attitude-behaviour inconsistency goes back to 1930s America depending on the work of the Stanford sociologist Richard LaPiere. At that time, the people in the US had a strong prejudice on Asian. After LaPiere and his two Chinese friends traveled through the US, they were pleasantly surprised to find that out of the 250 hotels and restaurants they visited, all but one served them courteously. Six months later, LaPiere sent a questionnaire to all the hotels and restaurants they visited, asking â€Å"will you accept members of the Chinese race as guests in your establishment?† Incredibly 90% of participants answered no, they would not accept Chinese race into their establishment. This experiment do shows the inconsistency of attitudes and behaviour. After this research, Wicker (1969) found that the average correlation between attitudes and behaviour was only 0.15, which indicated the weak link between attitudes and behaviour. Though LaPieres experiment caused critics to the attitude-behaviour consistency, it did not deny the link between attitudes and behaviour. LaPieres experiment was not designed for attitudes research and there were some problems lay in the questionnaire that may lead some mistakes in this study: the people who answered the questionnaires might not be the person who severed the Chinese couple; the responders did not be told that the Chinese couple was polite, educated and well-dressed; attitudes may have changed during the six months. One of the influence factors in LaPieres experiment is the measurement method of attitudes. It is not easy to measure attitudes and researchers rely heavily on asking people and using questionnaires which are all self-described methods. States by Fiske (2004), self-report measurement is more easily to gain the explicit attitudes than the implicit attitudes. When the conflict between explicit and implicit attitudes happened, behaviour is always coursed by implicit attitude. As implicit attitudes always gained from indirect and complex methods, self-described method can hardly indicates it. The research done by Sherman, Rose and Koch, et al (2003) on implicit and explicit attitudes toward cigarette smoking shows that implicit attitudes can predict behaviour more stably and accurately. Implicit attitudes are seldom influenced by other factors which can disrupt the correspondence between attitudes and behaviour. In the other words, the using of self-described questionnaires for measuring the attitudes may become a cause of inaccuracy in the prediction of the behaviour. Another important factor influenced LaPieres study is the six months. Though attitude is a stable and enduring evaluation, it may change as the time went by. So as the questionnaires were done after six months, the participants attitudes may have changed during the six month which may lead to the illusion that attitudes do not predict behaviour. As to the other studies on the link between attitudes and behaviour, time interval always exists between the measurement of attitude and behaviour. Some times it would last a long time, six months, a month; or some times just a week. But no matter how long it was, attitude may probably have changed during this period. This will influence the consistency between attitude and behaviour as well. When attitudes are used to predict behaviour, it would be influenced by many different variables, such as the methods of attitudes measurement as mentioned above, the attitude strength, social norm, past experience and habits, etc. So the relationship between attitudes and behaviour is not related in a one-to-one fashion (Hogg and Vaughan, 1995). The general models dealing with link between attitudes and behaviour are the reasoned action theory (TRA) and the planned behaviour theory (TPB). These two theories are not in conflict, TPB is an improvement of the first theory. The reasoned action theory was first put forward by Ajzen and Fishbein in 1974 which believed that behavioural intention is the result of the combination of subjective norm and attitude towards the behaviour and the behavioural intention leads to the behaviour. That is people will behaviour after evaluated by the attitude towards the behaviour and judge the propriety by the subjective norm. It emphasises that people can control the behaviour consciously, for example, â€Å"I can do exercises regularly if I really want to keep fit†. However, as it mentioned above, there are few people do exercise though they want to keep fit. Further more some kinds of behaviour are less under peoples conscious control. For example, people will behave under the automatically activated attitudes without thinking rationally to choose the best reason for action. The repeated behaviour such as smoking as a habit may become divorced from attitude. This kind of automatically activated attitude like habits occurs frequently in daily. So people may only think rationally when they faced new or difficult situations. In addition, a behaviour that performed successfully not only depends on the behavioural intention, but also some other variables, such as opportunities and technologiesï ¼Ë†Peach, . Jimmieson and White, 2005ï ¼â€° In order to describe the link between attitudes and behaviour more accurately, the planned behaviour theory (TPB) was carried out by Ajzen at 1989 as the extension of the original theory. Perceived behavioural control is the improvement in the TPB which means the persons belief about how easy or difficult to perform an act. To make such a decision, people need to combine the past experience with the present obstacles. The accuracy of the prediction of behaviour was improved in the study that Beck and Ajzen (1991) have done about the students dishonest behaviour since the perceived behavioural control has been measured (Hogg and Vaughan, 1995). So in the TRA and TPB, both the external variables such as opportunities, resources and the peoples internal variables such as normative beliefs and abilities are taken into consideration. This combination of external and internal makes TPB becomes the key theory dealing with the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. In these two theori es, the action could be predicted if the persons attitude and social norm are favorable, as well as the level of perceived behavioural control is high. In this essay, the relationship between attitudes and behaviour has been analysed. The inconsistency between attitudes and behaviour was described followed by the reasons why this could happen in the LaPieres experiment. The self-report measurement which is widely used to measure attitudes has been evaluated as it would cause some inaccuracy in the prediction of future actions. The reasoned action theory (TRA) and planned behaviour theory (TPB) have been introduced in details as the main theories dealing with the link between attitudes and behaviour. To conclude, attitudes do predict behaviour once the variables in the measurement and the TPB are well-controlled. The scope of this paper was limited by the lack of introducing other variables influence the correspondence between attitudes and behaviour. However the first step is to realizse that attitude can predict behaviour no matter storge or weak. Reference Fiske S T. Social Being: a Core Motive Approach to Social psychology. John Wiley Sons, Int, 2004. 244~249 Hogg, Michael A. and Vaughan, Graham M. (2005). Social Psychology. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. 150~171 Peach M, Jimmieson N L, And White K M. Beliefs underlying employee readiness to support a building relocation: a theory of planned behavior perspective. Organization Development Journal, 2005, 23(3), 9~23 Sherman S J, Rose J S and Koch K, et al. Implicit and explicit attitudes toward cigarette smoking: The effects of context and motivation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2003, 22(1), 13~40

Beowulf: Symbolisms of Masculinity and Heroism

Beowulf: Symbolisms of Masculinity and Heroism Germanic warrior culture replaced the Romans as the dominant force in Western Europe beginning in the fifth century AD. They deposed merely all roman traditions and customs, superseding them with their own beliefs. The whole empire was ruined by people, who most of all praised war, manhood, and dignity. Cultural peculiarities of those people are widely reflected in the archaic epos of Anglo-Saxons, written by an unknown poet around 700AD. Beowulf is an amazing unity of motives, topics, views of various ages merged in one integral masterpiece. We could find the elements of different epic genres: elegies, other heroic stories (song about Sigmund), religious epos (song about the creation of the world). The views of tribal society are combined with feudal ethics; heroic image of a warrior is combined with the image of wise and fair ruler. The action of the poem takes place before the great migration of Germanic tribes somewhere around 500AD. The descendant of famous ancient ruler Shield Sheafson king Hrothgar of Danemark suffers from the attack of a powerful and horrible demon named Grendel. For 12 years he has been killing noble and brave men in Heorot, a great mead-hall of Hrothgar, terrorizing Danes every night, giving them no chance to fight back. â€Å"Long was the time: Twelve winters time suffering endured The friend of the Scyldings, each one of woes, Of sorrows extreme† (Beowulf, 146-149) Eventually, help comes from Geatish warrior Beowulf, who sails to the land of Danes with a company of devoted men. His help is gladly accepted by Hrodgar and they happily celebrate till the night. In the night Beowulf fights Grendel unarmed and tears his arm off. Grendel creeps back to his swamp and dies there. His horrible mother wants to revenge but she is much weaker and kills only one man, who is the most respectful in Hrothgars kingdom. Beowulf volunteers to kill Grendels mother. â€Å"Arise, kingdoms guardian! Let us quickly go to view the track of Grendels kinsman.†(Beowulf 1390-91).He fights her in deep waters and in her lair. He kills her with a special sword, made not for ordinary humans, finds Grendel and takes his head off. When he returns, he is praised by everyone, given a lot of treasures and fame. Afterwards he returns to his land and gives all his treasures to his ruler. Beowulf becomes the co-ruler and after the death of king, he becomes the ruler for 50 years. A terrible dragon attacks his land, because one of his men robbed the treasury guarded by that dragon. Beowulf fights the dragon, kills him but gets mortally wounded. The dragons treasury is burned together with Beowulfs body. The era of wars comes to the land, when Beowulf cant unite the people anymore with his strength and wisdom. Beowulf is a treasury of historical information. It presents the major social characteristics of medieval warrior society; depict their beliefs, standards of living, relations with other nations, etc. Merely absolute domination of men in all the spheres of life was a characteristic feature of early medieval times. Women characters are mentioned only several times as wives or daughters of kings. Even strong and powerful queen Modthrytho, daughter of Herod obeys to her fathers command to marry King Offa. She tortured and killed people who she imagined were offending her. â€Å"Such is not queenly custom For a woman to practice, though she be peerless, That a peace-weaver of life should deprive, On account of fierce anger, any dear man†(Beowulf, 1940-43). After marriage her character improved. Thats why all the material and spiritual values of the medieval society represent men views upon the reality. Every man was a warrior. A good warrior should be strong, successful, respected, rich and lucky. The description of king Shield Shiefson is merely and ideal image of mans life. Being an infant he rose under the sky and became true warrior and king. He had decent life, decent deat h and his treasury was vast.â€Å"The earl caused terror since first he was found thus forlorn: gained he comfort for that, grew under the clouds, in honors throve, until each one of those dwelling around over the whale-road, him should obey, should tribute pay: that was a good king† (Beowulf, 6-11). King always should be honored and respected. The idea of ultimate loyalty is very strong in the hearts of medieval people. The desire to be praised by chieftain, lord or king is very strong, because for the society of warriors king is the strongest, wisest, most powerful and honored man. He generously gives prosperity to eminent warriors and judge inexorably dishonorable men. Beowulf comes home and gives merely all his treasures to his king. â€Å"To Hygelac was,in battle brave, his nephew devoted. And each to the other mindful of kindness† (Beowulf 2169-71). The leader provides all necessary things. Kinsmen have their own property, land and money. All that is given for good military service. Warriors feast in big halls, where they praise their ruler, theirselves, their achievements and famous battles and plan future war campaigns. â€Å"in time it befell Quickly with men, that it was all ready, The greatest of halls: Heort as name gave he it†(Beowulf 76-78) â€Å"the warriors were living in joys Happily then† (Beowulf, 99-100). Beowulf is an image of ideal hero, whose deeds are honored and praised. He has all features that are valued in medieval warrior society strength, courage, wisdom, loyalty, leader and military skills, dignity, self-sacrifice and devotion. He respects his comrades and treat them as equals, he is fair and zealous. â€Å"do not thou refuse me, defender of warriors, Dear friend of the people, now thus far am I come,- That I may alone and my band of earls, This company brave, Heorot cleanse. (Beowulf 429-32)   This prominence is leaded by inner qualities, the strength and beauty of the soul leads to prominent deeds. â€Å"Then the chief me by thine own life Adjured, sad in mind, that I in the seas flood Should do valiant deeds, should risk my life, Should honor gain; he promised reward† (Beowulf, 2131-2134). If a person is not active, successful or determined, he might not be respected. â€Å"Long he was despised, As him the Geats children did not reckon good, 2185Nor him at th e mead-bench as worthy of much†(Beowulf, 2183-86) One can be considered as a lucky and successful person, but this luck and success if always reached by hard work and inner aspiration. Religion also plays an important role in medieval society. In â€Å"Beowulf† a certain merge of religions is presented. From one hand, there are certain pagan beliefs of German tribes. From the other hand Christianity, that is revealed for example in the characterization of Grendel, who is named Cains son. â€Å"Upon Cains kin that crime avenged The Lord eternal, for that he slew Abel: Joyed he not in that feud, but him afar banishedFor that crime the Creator away from mankind: Thence evil demons all were produced† (Beowulf, 107-111). Endlessly violent, illiterate and rural culture of medieval Europe contrasted greatly with literary, politically specified urban culture of Athens. There was no place for philosophical thoughts or developed political intrigues Beowulf claims that an aggressive approach to vengeance is the real warriors response .and fundamental value of warrior culture are true love and loyalty. â€Å"It is better for each that his friend he avenge than that he mourn much† (Beowulf, 1384-85). Another obvious difference is attitude to religion. Beowulf and his nation praise God, he could give blessings and inspire people. They need to be brave and act with dignity for God to take them in better world. But the only thing that will remain after warriors death is his glory and this glory is fought for the whole life. â€Å"Each of us shall the end await of worldly life: let him who may gain honor ere death. That is for a warrior, when he is dead, afterwards best† (Beowulf, 1386-89). The artists of that period were illiterate bards, who sang the poems about ancient heroes and epic battles in vast and rich halls of noble men and in small and dirty wooden halls of leaders of small tribes. The whole situation of the nation was frightening constant fights for lands, money and military power, poor social and medical condition, low level of culture , but the ideas spoken about in those epic tales were inspiring for every man. Strength to be able to protect own land and family, dignity to behave a real warrior, personal swords and armory that protects him from death and play the role of   the most important warriors property and characteristic. Medieval times were not good-looking or pleasant. In the hard fight for new lands and freedom suffered a great number of people. The world was primitive but this unbearable spirit of manhood survived and built modern European society with its emphasis on personal liberty and the rule of law. Commentary on Luke 23:32-43 Commentary on Luke 23:32-43 SERMON COMMENTARY ON LUKE 23:32-43 Reflecting on the commentary of my sermon preached as a part of an assignment at Spurgeon College on 12 May 2014. I will be taking into account and reflecting on the hermeneutical and homiletically issues that came up both in the preparation and after the sermon. Taking a closer look at the preparation, the sermon and comments from both lecturers and fellow students, I will want to start with discussing how I came to decide on the title of sermon The three men on the cross at Calvary. As part of my commentary, I will be reflecting on how different Bible commentaries were access and utilized in the preparation for the sermon. In addition, I will be discussing on how I picked the particular structure I employed, in addition I will be reflecting on the delivery of the sermon and what I learnt from my delivery. Finally, I will reflect on what I might do differently in the future. Whenever I have the privilege of preaching to others either in a short sermon or to a large congregation, my aim as always been to be able to take my listener to a journey of connecting to the love of Christ and their rediscovery of the path that is lay before them; the path of perseverance, faith, mercy and kindness. Paul speaking to the Galatians summaries it like this, let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary[1] For an effective preaching, I believe it must come from the leading of the Holy Spirit who is also the Godhead. He inspires, teaches and guides us in the way of God the father. The aim of any preaching is to show the audience the mind of God as regarding his love and justice[2], which further passes on to the community then back to God in thanksgiving and adoration. HERMENEITICAL ISSUES The passage was to preach on was Luke 23:32-43, a very popular passage of the bible with very great event story. I took time to read the text from several other synoptic to help in understanding other writers view of the event. I took time to reflect carefully on all the other writers writings on the event. Ordinarily when looking at the passage, very strong topic will easily come to mind, which is about the sacrifice and suffering of Jesus but I believe that the Holy Spirit did not want me to take that route of preaching the sermon at this instance rather consider other importance of the event on the cross. Most of the sermons on this passage always focus on the Jesus death on cross, a very significant event that form the core of our faith but there are other lessons I believe God wants us to learn from the cross at Calvary.[3] These shape my reading in preparation for the sermon. Although the cross is the main centre of our Christianity, the cross is at the heart of the Christian faith. That is why it isthesymbol of the church. Buddhism has the lotus flower a symbol of beauty and harmony. Islam has a crescent an ancient symbol of sovereignty and power. Marxism had the hammer and sickle a symbol of industry and agriculture. Christianity has the cross. The bible is always interested in all other things of life but more important than beauty, power or the economy is the death (and then the resurrection) of Jesus. This is at the heart of everything.[4] However, God always wants to show us much more on his mysteries, he always want us to learn more about his readiness to answer our requests even at the heart of our storms and pain like the cross where three men with different situation were hanged hence the topic for the sermon, the three men on the cross at Calvary. I felt that speaking on this topic I would be more able to speak on something I am familiar with a nd a deep reflection of what I personally has experienced as relating to Gods love and answer to prayer in the face of deep pain and trials,[5] Robinson stated that the preacher cannot be separated from the message.[6] Finally, considering my audience in the instance of this sermon (fellow students and lecturers), I sensed that the topic will be relevant having listened to some of the students challenges and struggles during several of our pastoral group discussions. Clifford quoted Kelly saying, our present hope in the face of all challenges of life, suffering and death, is an effect of the resurrection[7] (the cross, death and resurrection of Jesus. He further said, if resurrection had not happened, hope would be best be a repressive optimism, or an accommodation to routine despair.[8] In a setting like our school, a theological college, sometimes the concept of God can be very technical and distant through many lectures and lot of discussions. However, focusing on my topic on the God of love who answered in desperate situation if we will look up to him in our hours of needs can be of great encouragement to my hearers and remind they that all hope is not lost regardless of the cross they are bear ing in live, family or ministry. Reading couple of commentaries and books related to the cross, I was assure that going the path I was taking regarding the cross was a possibility and it will serve as either warming or encouragement to people. Howard Marshall writes, The story contrasts the two attitudes which lead to condemnation and salvation, although it is improbable that they are meant to mirror the attitudes of Jews and pagans respectively to Jesus.[9] Crysdale writes, there is a drama as it plays itself out in the life of Christians, who confronted with Jesus crucified, finds all the evil in crete for him in a man on the cross.[10] The central focuses of the sermon are the three men on the cross representing the Christian who is going through challenges because of the faith, the two criminals on the cross and the cross. Crysdale further explains that the process of acknowledging our own self-destruction, mediated through the crucified Jesus, leads to insights into how we are not only crucifiers but also the c rucified. The more we can see the ways in which we sabotage our own flourishing, the more we are able to see how we ourselves are victims, are objects of crucifixion.[11] Luke 23:32-43 highlights numerous themes such as Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary (Luke 23:32), the forgiving Saviour (Luke 23:34), the sinners advocate (Luke 23:34), the crucified king of the Jews (Luke 23:38), A prayer of remembrance on the cross (Luke 23:43) and many more. Due to the short time given, I felt it was appropriate to focus on one rather than several. However, I am aware that Jesus Christ went to the cross to redeem the world, as Paul puts it, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him[12] (1 Cor 5:21). I felt that naturally everyone would expect a sermon on such a very crucial topic because that is the core of our faith. In preparation for the sermon, I came up with different titles for the sermon.[13] In the end I resolved to give a title that will help my audience to listen, carefully in order to discover what is the main theme of the sermon themselves. All through the process of the preparation, I regularly remind myself to make sure I do not give the wrong meaning to the passage.[14] Base on my understanding of the passage through consultation of commentaries, reading of scholarship articles, journals and books on Luke 23:32-43 in general, I felt very confident that choosing my topic for the sermon, and by speaking on it , I should do justice to the passage. HOMILETICAL ISSUES Having decided on what I am communicating across, I then reflected on how to deliver the sermon. I am very much aware that sermons are present in different ways.[15] My aim was that my hearers would take away God as a loving God who can answer prayers if we come to him regardless of the state and time of the challenge. (Luke 23:43). My aim is to filled them with ideas and images that paint a picture of God, that answers in desperate time and desperate situation if one looks up to him and not shift the blame on others.[16] This I do, using dramatic narrative preaching with some inductive method of sermon preaching.[17] I hoped achieve this by starting with the story of betrayer of friendship, ingratitude and the pain associated with it.[18] I tried to make my hearers to look at when they were letdown, the disappointment and pain they went through. This was to get to look at Jesus though God yet a man with all the emotions and disappointment of been letdown by friends and neighbours. T he motivation was that the sermon would be pastoral sermon that is communicating the essence of the subject effectively.[19] After brief introduction on Jesus journey to Calvary with the cross and pain, I went back to the main passage (Luke 23:32-43) to lay a foundation on historical context using contemporary description of the event. Brindley states that the pastor preacher moves from hearer to the Scripture.[20] Getting to the end of my sermon, I related the sermon to our contemporary day with additional illustration and description using Matthew 7:1-4 and Hebrew 12:2. I tried not to allow the sermon to be too pastoral in other to avoid making it individualistic, which could conflict with the passage itself. Luke 23:32-43 is a message for the church today and the text can be applicable to both corporate and individual setting both back to the day of the event and to our contemporary day. REFLECTION ON THE PROCESS From feedback from both lecturers and fellow students, I felt the preaching went well because the feedbacks were positive. I was confident that I will strive in the delivery but was less confident looking at the importance of the passage and the angle of approach. I know the passage was so important that the hearers would be expecting so much particularly relating to deity of Jesus Christ on the cross instead of his human nature. I know I could stay within my text but going by the time limit, I was not sure I could stay within the allocated time given for the message. As I did not want to be rushed or be in a hurry, I decided to cut down my sermon significantly. Reflecting on how I felt it went, the feedback of both the lecturers and students, I believe that the message was well communicated to the hearers. Based on the lectures of this module as well as this particular preaching opportunity, I have learned the importance of spending time in preparing myself considering the various preaching methods accessible to me as a preacher. Reflecting on who I am preaching the sermon to, I need to be more ready to give good exegesis to the congregation I speak to in order to make the message more applicable and relevant to them. Just as in this exercise of reflecting on the sermon I gave at Spurgeons College, I have learnt that giving time to reflect on every of my sermon preach is very important and essential. Doing this helps to improve my skill of preaching and communication. CONCLUSION: It is a wonderful speaking to lecturers and students who themselves are preachers. The experience I had strengthen my confidence especially speaking to a multicultural group of different denominations. The three men on the cross of Calvary is a very wonderful and passionate message that cut across all groups of people both in the church and in world at large. In conclusion, I hope to be able to apply what I learnt both in the module and the preaching exercise constantly to my regularly preaching in my ministry. BIBLIOGRAPHY Brindley David, Story, Song and Law: The Craft of Preaching in Todays Church, (Stonehill Green: England,Bible Societies/HarperCollins, 1996) Clifford Ross, Johnson Philip, The Cross is not Enough: Living as Witnesses to the Resurrection (Grand Rapids, Michigan: BakerBooks, 2012) Crysdale Cynthia S.W., Embracing Travail: Retrieving the cross Today (Continuum: New York, The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc., 2001) Marshall I. Howard, The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Luke (Grands Rapid, Michigan: W.B.EErdmans Publisher, 1978) Robinson Haddon W., Expository Preaching (Leicester: IVP. 1986) Latham Steve, Preaching Practice, Lecture at Spurgeons College, week 8 28.04.2014 Holloway David, The Two Criminals, A Sermon Preached on Luke 23:39-42, Mar 29, 1998 at Jesmond Parish Church. P. 2 Luke 23: 32 43 The three men on the cross at Calvary 32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said,â€Å"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.†cAnd they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, â€Å"He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.† 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, â€Å"If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.† 38 There was a written notice above him, which read:THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: â€Å"Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!† 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. â€Å"Don’t you fear God,† he said, â€Å"since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.† 42 Then he said, â€Å"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.† 43 Jesus answered him,â€Å"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.† The book of Luke generally known as the Gospel according to Luke is one of the synoptic Gospel that account for Jesus birth, death, resurrection and ascension. Chapter 23:32-43 give account for the death of Jesus. Jesus after been betrayed by Judas Iscariot and concluded for crucifixion was hanged on the cross like a criminal with two thieves. The death of the cross to the Romans was a capital punishment for criminals and is likened to death sentence in today’s system. Jesus as God came to earth in form of man was subject to shameful death. 1 Peter 2: 22 said, He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. Paul further said in Phil 2:5a said He humbled Himself and lived among them, helped, fed and healed them yet he was chosen for condemnation and death instead of the criminal (Barabbas). Finally, on the cross were with Him two thieves, one on the right and the other on the left. Hence, I titled this message, The three men on the cross at Calvary. In this message, it is important to understand the role played by individual on the cross. First, Jesus knew no sin yet He went through shame and humiliation to the point of praying to the Father asking why the Father had abandoned Him. As a Christian, sometimes we feel abandoned by God especially when circumstances around us are like the cross Jesus was upon. We hardly think of the reward God might be having in mind for us in such situation, Jesus after death and resurrection is now seated at the right hand of the Father. We need to understand that every good thing have a price to pay. The Father (God), paid a price for wanting to restore man back to his rightful position and the only price was to sacrifice His only begotten son (Jesus). We all have needs and wants but do not want to pay any price. Life is not all about bed of roses, obstacles are there but the truth is these obstacles are stepping stone to success in life. See any successful man today you will realise that the road towards success is not any road, very narrow and full of discouragements but only the strong get through. Jesus was betrayed, denied, rejected and despised yet in all He brought salvation to mankind. Do you want to make it in life? You might be going through rejection by families, friends and even those that are in the same situation with you. Looking at the thief on the left hand side of the cross, it shows that people in the same situation as you can sometimes look for ways of mocking, challenging or prejudging you testing your faith instead of facing their situation. If these people will take moment to consider the fact that for every cross, there is glory if they will seek the king of glory who is the saviour regardless of their situation even if they were the cause of the situation like the thief on the right side. Gods love and kindness is always available. The thief on the right side of the cross realised that he deserved to be in the situation he found himself (to die) but saw a way of escape by grasping the opportunity of salvation without procrastination and he was saved. We might sometimes find ourselves in bad and terrible situation not because God is testing our faith but due to our sins, misdeeds or stupidity. If we will come to the redeeming grace like the thief on the right side on the cross, there is assurance of salvation, peace and joy overflowing. 1 John 1:9 says, Butif we confess our sinsto him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness Regardless of your state at the cross, God is doing something even if you do not see it. It is good you look carefully within your condition. Search why God is doing what is doing, or saying in the circumstance you are in now, stop looking for the spike from others eyes neglecting with the log on yours. Then you can be sure of a ray of light at the end of your tunnel for salvation and eternal rewards as the case of the criminal who cried to Jesus for salvation. 1 [1] Galatians 6:9 NASB [2] David Brindley, Story, Song and Law: The Craft of Preaching in Todays Church, (Stonehill Green: England, Bible Societies/HarperCollins, 1996), P.2 [3] Ross Clifford, Philip Johnson, The Cross is not Enough: Living as Witnesses to the Resurrection (Grand Rapids, Michigan: BakerBooks, 2012), P.20 [4] David Holloway, The Two Criminals, A Sermon Preached on Luke 23:39-42, Mar 29, 1998 at Jesmond Parish Church. P. 2 [5] Ross Clifford, Philip Johnson, The Cross is not Enough: Living as Witnesses to the Resurrection (Grand Rapids, Michigan: BakerBooks, 2012), P.85 [6] Haddon W. Robinson, Expository Preaching (Leicester: IVP. 1986), P.24 [7] Ross Clifford, Philip Johnson, P.29 [8] Ross Clifford, Philip Johnson, P.29 [9] I. Howard Marshall, The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel of Luke (Grands Rapid, Michigan: W.B.EErdmans Publisher, 1978), P.870 [10] Cynthia S.W. Crysdale, Embracing Travail: Retrieving the cross Today (Continuum: New York, The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc., 2001), P.8 [11] Cynthia S.W. Crysdale, P.9 [12] New International Version Bible [13] Such as; This is the king of the Jews [14] Steve Latham, Preaching Practice, Lecture at Spurgeons College, week 8 28.04.2014 [15] David Brindley, P.52 [16] David Brindley, P.30 [17] David Brindley, P.52 [18] Cynthia S.W. Crysdale, P.11 [19] David Brindley, P.48 [20] David Brindley, P.63

Organization Design in FMC Green River Essay -- Business Management Es

Organization Design in FMC Green River Organization design is a formal, guided process for integrating the people, information and technology of an organization. It is used to match the form of the organization as closely as possible to the purpose of the organization. This design process seeks to improve and facilitate the efforts of members within the organization. With respect to FMC Corporation’s Green River, Wyoming facility, under the guidance of this entity’s site manager, Kenneth Dailey, the design should be approached as an internal changes within the organization with the entity’s members working together to define the needs of the organization then create systems to meet those needs most effectively. FMC Green River (the â€Å"company†), in Wyoming, mines and manufactures sodium carbonate soda ash, maintaining the largest sodium tripolyphosphate plant in the world, relying on the coal and natural gas abundant in the Wyoming/Utah/Idaho basin. The company is part of the Alkali Chemicals Division of FMC that supplies sodium-based chemicals to the detergent industry, the glass industry and large commercial chemical plants. The large underground mine of the Green River facility has 400 employees and produces about 5 million tons of trona ore a year. Green River’s first plant was built between 1948 and 1953, producing approximately 1.3 million tons of various grades of soda ash a year. The second refining plant was completed in 1970, producing approximately 1.5 million tons of a single grade of soda ash a year. Currently, Dailey was in the process of supervising the construction of three new smaller plants, one each for 60,000 tons annually of sodium bicarbonate, 30,000 t ons of sodium cyanide used in refining precious metals, and 60,000 tons of caustic sodium hydroxide. Upon discussions held with employees who observed the modifications made at the Aberdeen plant of South Dakota, which deals in the production of a single product related to the defense industry, whose single customer was the US Navy, Dailey is ready to identify key areas of improvement for implementation within his Green River facility based on these procedures and methods placed in Aberdeen facility, as applicable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As indicated in the background of the company above, FMC Green River is in the business of the production of specific chemicals, competing against Texas Gulf, Ge... ...ilitation of the feeling of family, through the notion that management truly cares. This can be reinforced through the same notions provided by Aberdeen of creating a variety of social events that help build the family culture such as plant sponsored events of sports teams, fun sport tournaments and annual social functions and or plant/team parties. Organizational ethics can be achieved by instilling trust within the organization and its employees. Aberdeen did this well, by allowing employees to make their own decisions and judgments on the job that they felt would benefit the organization. As noted within Clawson’s, Custom Business Resources, morale at Aberdeen was consistently high. â€Å"People commented on how much they appreciated being trusted by management, having management’s help in times of need, having management who listened to their concerns and having control over their work environment, pace and structure.† This form of environment may also benefit Dailey’s Green River facilities, as employees who feel important and always feel that management will support them will willingly work better and be more productive because they will truly feel like they work as a family.

The Current Status of the Australian Economy :: AustralianEconomics Trade Cycle Essays

The Current Status of the Australian Economy Assignment 3 A Collect, organize, present and analyse a range of data which describes the current state of the Australian economy(with respect to the trade cycle). B Describe and analyse the monetary policy stance which has been adopted by the RBA over the past 2 years. How effective is monetary policy in achieving the policy objectives of the government? Introduction Part A =================== This report contains an informed and balanced analysis of a range of data which assists in depicting the current state of the Australian economy in relation to the trade cycle. Relevant Data For various reasons, economic activity fluctuates from year to year. Periods of rising activity, output and income are called booms and periods of slower activity are called a trough. Generally when real GDP is above 4 per cent p.a. it would be considered a boom year and when there are technically, two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth it would be considered a trough or a recession. In the short term the level of economic activity fluctuates. In some years, growth is fast and business conditions are booming. In other years, the level of activity is slow, so growth in output, income and employment is also less than average. These fluctuations are called the trade cycle. There are a number of economic indicators which are useful for determining what stage of the trade cycle the Australian economy is currently in, such as Gross domestic product, unemployment, inflation, interest rates, building approvals and home loan approval, just to name a few. Changes in Aggregate Demand Changes in the level of Aggregate Demand (AD) are critical determinants of trade cycle fluctuations. GDP is the sum of consumption, investment, government purchases and net exports. Y = C + I + G + NX The following table outlines these elements and influencing factors. Elements of GDP Major factors affecting this component Consumption (C) Disposable income (Yd); interest rates (r); expectations about the future; stock of wealth. Investment (I) Past levels of profit; expectations about the futre business conditions; interest rates (r) Government expenditure Determined in accordance with government policy Net exports Determined by the interplay of C & I conditions in other countries and Australia. Output and Unemployment As Gans, King and Stonecash state, â€Å"Changes in the economy’s output of goods and services are strongly correlated with changes in the economy’s utilization of its labour forces†. Generally as Gross Domestic Product declines then the rate of unemployment rises, basically as companies produce less goods and services, they require less staff or are not employing new members, thus the number of people

The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar - Tragic Hero :: essays research papers

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar - Tragic Hero Essay In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, I saw two main characters as tragic heroes. First, I saw Julius Caesar as a tragic hero because his will to gain power was so strong that he ended up losing his life for it. The fact that he could have been such a strong leader was destroyed when he was killed by conspirators. I saw Marcus Brutus as a second tragic hero in this play. Brutus was such a noble character that did not deserve to die. The main reason why he did die, however, was because he had led a conspiracy against Caesar and eventually killed him. These two characters were the tragic heroes of the play in my opinion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Caesar and Brutus were main characters in this play. Two sides formed during the play, and these two characters were the leaders of each side, respectively. Also, each character held a high rank in the Roman society. Caesar was the ruler of the Roman Empire, and could basically do whatever he wanted due to his outstanding power. Brutus was a general for the Empire and he was respected and was seen as a noble man and true â€Å"Roman† by many.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Caesar and Brutus were truly noble people. Caesar was a dignified and courageous man. He gained his power through hard work and courage. However, Caesar was marked by a weakness: he wanted too much power. This weakness proved to be fatal in the play. Brutus, on the other hand, was a strong leader throughout the whole play. People listened to him easily and he showed his nobility by always being open to others. Despite his good character, he did make one fatal mistake in judgment. He killed Caesar thinking he would gain too much power, yet it was truly his friend Cassius’s jealously of Caesar that truly snared him into the conspiracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each of the two characters gained some kind of wisdom before they came to an unhappy end. Caesar found out that one of his best friends, Brutus, had betrayed him just seconds before he died from the daggers of the conspirators. Brutus also learns something before he dies. When he knows that Cassius had committed suicide, he too commits suicide. He knew that be doing that, Caesar’s ghost was truly avenged.

International Equity Markets

INTERNATIONAL EQUITY MARKETS Firms are financed with both debt and equity. Although the debt markets have been the center of activity in the international financial markets over the past three decades, there are signs that international equity capital is becoming more popular. Transaction of a foreign borrower in a domestic market in local currency is the predominant international equity activity. Foreign firms often issue new shares in foreign markets and list their stock on major stock exchanges, such as those in New York, Tokyo, or London. The purpose of foreign issues and listings is to expand the investor base in the hope of gaining access to capital markets in which the demand for shares of equity ownership is strong. A foreign firm that wants to list its shares on an exchange in the United States does so through American Depository Receipts (ADRs). These are the receipts to bank accounts that hold shares of the foreign firm’s stock in that firm’s country. The equities are actually in a foreign currency, so by holding them in a bank account and listing the receipt on the account on the American exchanges, the shares can be revalued in dollars and redivided so that the price per share is more typical of that of the U. S. equity markets ($20 to $60 per share frequently being the desired range). There was considerable growth in the 1990s in the euro-equity markets. A euro-equity issue is the simultaneous sale of a firm’s shares in several different countries, with or without listing the shares on an exchange in that country. The sales take place through investment banks. Once issued, most euro equities are listed at least on the Stock Exchange Automated Quotation System (SEAQ), the computer-screen quoting system of the International Stock Exchange (ISE) in London. Czinkota, Michael R. , Ilkka A. Ronkainen and Michael H. Moffett. Fundamentals of International Business. Mason: South-Western, 2004.