Critical Review of On Coffee Talk and Break-Room Chatter: Perceptions of Women Who Gossip in the Workplace

Farley, Timme, and Hart's (2010) article describes a study, which investigated the perceptions of female gossipers within the workplace. Approximately 500 students were asked to complete an online survey, 87 of whom (aged from 23 to 64) completed all 54 items. A questionnaire was conducted which included demographic items, and the subscales of a modified FIRO-B. Participants were arbitrarily allocated to a condition and were asked to â€Å"think of a female co-worker who frequently or rarely contributes negative information about other people during conversation† (Farley et al. p. 365) and then evaluate the target using a modified version of Schutz’s (1958) FIRO-B, which is a measuring instrument that contains six scales of nine-item questions (cited in Farley et al, 2010). Participants then judged the female co-worker on a five-point Likert-Type scale. The results showed that high gossipers were rated as needing to express more control than low gossipers. The participa nts also rated the high gossipers as wanting others to control them less than low gossipers.Furthermore, high gossipers were rated as less emotionally close with their peers than low gossipers. These findings support the hypothesis that high gossipers would obtain higher ratings on the express control dimension than low gossipers. The results also support the hypothesis that high gossipers would be rated as less likely to want others to put forth power over them than low gossipers. Farley et al. ‘s (2010) experiment needs a small degree of critiquing. For one, it uses a poor assortment of participants, as the sample is too constricted to make any real generalizations.Participants were recruited via email. This method of assignment would have led to unequal groups in terms of demographic characteristics such as different ages and gender (cited in Farley et al, 2010). Older people may be more judgmental of gossiping than younger people; therefore this may hinder the final result s. Also, the experimenter only used females in the questionnaire, drawing on the myth that the majority of gossipers are females; therefore it does not generalize to everyone in the workplace.There may well have been an interaction effect between gossipers and gender; therefore males as well as females should have been included in the questionnaire. Furthermore, I am not satisfied with how the authors defined ‘gossip’; in fact there is no clear statement delineating ‘gossip’. The lack of the experimenters’ control over the independent variable (gender) makes it a subject variable as opposed to a manipulated variable, therefore it is a quasi experiment and you cannot infer causality from the results.

Eating Disorder Essay

A few years ago, Britney Spears and her entourage swept through my boss’s office. As she sashayed past, I blushed and stammered and leaned over my desk to shake her hand. She looked right into my eyes and smiled her pageant smile, and I confess, I felt dizzy. I immediately rang up friends to report my celebrity encounter, saying: â€Å"She had on a gorgeous, floor-length white fur coat! Her skin was blotchy!† I’ve never been much of a Britney fan, so why the contact high? Why should I care? For that matter, why should any of us? Celebrities are fascinating because they live in a parallel universe—one that looks and feels just like ours yet is light-years beyond our reach. Stars cry to Diane Sawyer about their problems—failed marriages, hardscrabble upbringings, bad career decisions—and we can relate. The paparazzi catch them in wet hair and a stained T-shirt, and we’re thrilled. They’re ordinary folks, just like us. And yet†¦ Stars live in another world entirely, one that makes our lives seem woefully dull by comparison. The teary chat with Diane quickly turns to the subject of a recent $10 million film fee and honorary United Nations ambassadorship. The magazines that specialize in gotcha snapshots of schleppy-looking celebs also feature Cameron Diaz wrapped in a $15,000 couture gown and glowing with youth, money and star power. We’re left hanging—and we want more. It’s easy to blame the media for this cognitive whiplash. But the real celebrity spinmeister is our  own mind, which tricks us into believing the stars are our lovers and our social intimates. Celebrity culture plays to all of our innate tendencies: We’re built to view anyone we recognize as an acquaintance ripe for gossip or for romance, hence our powerful interest in Anna Kournikova’s sex life. Since catching sight of a beautiful face bathes the brain in pleasing chemicals, George Clooney’s killer smile is impossible to ignore. But when celebrities are both our intimate daily companions and as distant as the heavens above, it’s hard to know just how to think of them. Reality TV further confuses the picture by transforming ordinary folk into bold-faced names without warning. Even celebrities themselves are not immune to celebrity watching: Magazines print pictures of Demi Moore and â€Å"Bachelorette† Trista Rehn reading the very same gossip magazines that stalk them. â€Å"Most pushers are users, don’t you think?† says top Hollywood publicist Michael Levine. â€Å"And, by the way, it’s not the worst thing in the world to do.† Celebrities tap into powerful motivational systems designed to foster romantic love and to urge us to find a mate. Stars summon our most human yearnings: to love, admire, copy and, of course, to gossip and to jeer. It’s only natural that we get pulled into their gravitational field. Exclusive: Fan’s brain transformed by celebrity power! John Lennon infuriated the faithful when he said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, but he wasn’t the first to suggest that celebrity culture was taking the place of religion. With its myths, its rituals (the red carpet walk, the Super Bowl ring, the handprints outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater) and its ability to immortalize, it fills a similar cultural niche. In a secular society our need for ritualized idol worship can be displaced onto stars, speculates psychologist James Houran, formerly of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and now director of psychological studies for True Beginnings dating service. Nonreligious people tend to be more interested in celebrity culture, he’s found, and Houran speculates that for them, celebrity fills some of the same roles the church fills for believers, like the desire to admire the powerful and the drive to fit into a community of people with shared values. Leo Braudy, author of The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and its History, suggests that celebrities are more like Christian calendar saints than like spiritual  authorities (Tiger Woods, patron saint of arriviste golfers; or Jimmy Carter, protector of down-home liberal farmers?). â€Å"Celebrities have their aura—a debased version of charisma† that stems from their all-powerful captivating presence, Braudy says. Much like spiritual guidance, celebrity-watching can be inspiring, or at least help us muster the will to tackle our own problems. â€Å"Celebrities motivate us to make it,† says Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Oprah Winfrey suffered through poverty, sexual abuse and racial discrimination to become the wealthiest woman in media. Lance Armstrong survived advanced testicular cancer and went on to win the Tour de France five times. Star-watching can also simply point the way to a grander, more dramatic way of living, publicist Levine says. â€Å"We live lives more dedicated to safety or quiet desperation, and we transcend this by connecting with bigger lives—those of the stars,† he says. â€Å"We’re afraid to eat that fatty muffin, but Ozzy Osborne isn’t.† Don’t I know you?! Celebrities are also common currency in our socially fractured world. Depressed college coeds and laid-off factory workers both spend hours watching Anna Nicole Smith on late night television; Mexican villagers trade theories with hometown friends about who killed rapper Tupac Shakur; and Liberian and German businessmen critique David Beckham’s plays before hammering out deals. My friend Britney Spears was, in fact, the top international Internet search of 2003. In our global village, the best targets for gossip are the faces we all know. We are born to dish dirt, evolutionary psychologists agree; it’s the most efficient way to navigate society and to determine who is trustworthy. They also point out that when our brains evolved, anybody with a familiar face was an â€Å"in-group† member, a person whose alliances and enmities were important to keep track of.

Uninsured patients in relation to nursing profession in America Essay

Uninsured patients in relation to nursing profession in America - Essay Example In this paper I examine the twin challenges of providing nursing profession for the uninsured and addressing the issues of the impact it has on the nursing profession. I focus particularly on the role of government intervention in the nursing profession both directly, through the provision of health insurance itself, and indirectly via the subsidization of private expenditures. My goal is to describe the basic structure of government involvement in private health insurance, as well as the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and to provide a guide to the issues surrounding these forms of nursing profession. Prices and Nursing profession in the Group Market: Just as the subsidized price for health insurance increased nursing profession initially, subsequent increases in cost would be expected to decrease it. Health care costs rose rapidly in the late 1980s and early 1990s and then leveled off. Rising premiums increase an employer's cost. In response the employer can eliminate nursing profe ssion or can pass along additional costs to employees, increasing their share of the premium. Cousinaeu (2002) uses the years from 1987 to 2001 to analyze the effect of costs on the provision and take-up of private health insurance benefits. Between 1987 and 1993 health care costs rose dramatically and the fraction of the population with employment-based nursing profession fell from 71 percent to 65 percent. Cousinaeu finds that this drop in nursing profession was not due to changes in the fraction of employers offering benefits, but rather to declines in take-up by eligible employees. Furthermore, he attributes the drop in take-up to the rising costs facing employees. Marquis and Long (2001) also find only small changes in the probability that a firm offers health insurance nursing profession to its workers in response to changes in price. Thus it appears that changes in nursing profession during this time period were due to choices made by employees and their valuation of the bene fit. However, more recent evidence suggests that employers are beginning to reduce nursing profession in response to new cost increases. Between 2000 and 2001 premiums for employment-based insurance increased by 11 percent, and they increased by another 12.7 percent from 2001 to 2002. Over this same two year period, the fraction of firms offering health insurance nursing profession fell from 67 to 62 percent (Kaiser, 2002a). As an alternative to dropping nursing profession or requiring larger employee contributions, the employer can reduce the generosity of the plan it offers. One trend that has received much attention in the press recently is the movement towards health insurance plans with very large deductibles (Himmelstein, 2002). In some cases these plans are linked to medical savings accounts that can be used to pay for services prior to meeting the annual deductible. While plans with high deductibles provide insurance against the risk of very large out-of-pocket expenses, individuals must pay for much of the routine care they receive. There is therefore concern that individuals may forego preventative care or needed treatments to save money. In response to these concerns, some of the high deductible plans do provide nursing profession for regular check-ups. A Proposed Change for the Non-group Market: The persistently high number of uninsured individuals and the cost of individually purchased policies have resulted in numerous proposals to modify the current system. These suggested changes have varied from large restructuring, such as moving towards a national health insurance program, to smaller changes in the tax treatment of medical costs. President Bush has recently proposed tax credits to help those without employment-related nursing profession

Employment laws differ in a global environment Essay

Employment laws differ in a global environment - Essay Example Employment laws differ in a global environment in a number of ways. These differences are usually evident in terms of employment, severance policies, consideration for employment, employment litigation, human rights, compensation, discharge, and statutory protection among others (Honeyball, 2008). A good example of a country whose employment laws are different from those of the US is Canada. For example, in Canada, employers must provide employees with at least pay in lieu or a statutory notice of termination, whereas, in the US, employment is ‘at will’ and a notice of termination to an employee is only required if a contract was signed. Another difference in employment laws in US and Canada is seen in the human rights perspective. Both Canada and USA prohibit discrimination in employment on grounds such as religion, ethnic origin, gender, and color among others. When it comes to disability, discrimination is also prohibited in both countries, and employers are required to make necessary accommodations for workers with disabilities. However, in Canada, employers face tougher conditions than in the US since they are required to accommodate drug addicts and alcoholics. These two conditions are recognized as disabilities by Canadian employment laws, and they require accommodation (Honeyball, 2008). There is no valid reason for these differences. All employees and employers should be equally protected by the law; regardless of the region they are located. It does not make sense to protect employers or employees in one area against something, and totally disregard the same thing in another area. Therefore, I do not agree with these differences. The main reason for this is because these differences create an unnecessary rift. For example, why would employers in Canada be required to accommodate drug addicts and alcoholics? It simply does not make sense because such people have made decisions to

Comparison of Three Sculptures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparison of Three Sculptures - Essay Example Michelangelo’s interpretation however shows David before his battle with Goliath. He carries his slingshot over his shoulder and is almost unnoticed. The expression on his face shows he is ready for battle. On the other hand, Donatello depicts David after his triumphant battle with Goliath. He is shown stepping over the head of Goliath. The masculinity of David is emphasized more in Bernini’s and Michelangelo’s sculpture as opposed to Donatello’s. Bernini’s sculpture clearly shows the force and energy exerted by David as he launches the stone. The muscles in his legs give the impression of how his feet hold tightly on the ground to support the strain in his body’s stance. David’s skillful maneuver of his sling was perfectly interpreted by Bernini. One also observes the anger shown through David’s facial expression. Michelangelo’s sculpture of David shows a more relaxed David in contrast to Bernini’s. The contours of David’s physique seem flawless. Michelangelo sculpted David’s body with preciseness, molding with perfection his bones, muscles and veins. As opposed to Bernini’s and Michelangelo’s interpretation of David, Donatello portrayed David in a very fragile physique, almost like a woman. It lacks masculinity, as if David was only in his teens. It does not seem to be a body of a well-developed man. Even the stance of David which presents him with his left arm on his waist is so unbecoming of a fighter, which is very unlike Bernini’s and Michelangelo’s image of David. The saving grace of the masculinity of Donatello’s David is the lower part of the sculpture which shows David stepping over the head of Goliath. All three sculptures show how the interpretation of a subject can vary depending on the artist. The views, beliefs and backgrounds of the artists have an effect on their masterpieces. A single subject such as David can be interpreted in a number of ways depending on who is creating

Respiratory therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Respiratory therapy - Essay Example   The end result would be deteriorating health conditions especially brain damage and in worst case scenarios, death of the patient. Another breach of standards of care was failure of the respiratory therapist to record the portable ventilators settings and alarm parameters before leaving the neurological intensive care unit. The nurse also played a role in the breach by failure to verify the same considering it is the duty of the stated nurse to do so. The registered nurse also failed to make any entry in his medical record regarding both the patient’s vital signs and the alarm parameters. This is a clear breach of the standards of care that state the records should be updated before the transfer of such patients. The failure of both the registered nurse and the respiratory therapist to keep the necessary records implied that in the event of further deterioration by the patient, the alarm system was unable to go off and notify the respective practitioners on the situation. Failure of the nurse to record the patient’s vital signs ensured that consequent monitoring could not be done. The other breach of standards of care was failure of the nurse to inform the other healthcare providers that she had administered a paralytic drug to the patient. Lastly, both the respiratory therapist and the registered nurse did not focus on the cardiac monitor for fluctuations as is required by the standards. Instead, the nurse was listening for alarms who parameters were never set in the first place. No alarm sounded despite the failing conditions of the plaintiff.

Preferential Trade Agreement and Third World Economies Research Proposal

Preferential Trade Agreement and Third World Economies - Research Proposal Example Scope and uniqueness of study from existing research From the research questions posed above, it would be noted that the study will have a central theme of economic growth among third world economies. To achieve this, three major premises or variables shall be investigated as part of the scope of the study. These premises and the theme that together form the scope of the study have been demonstrated in the diagram below. What makes the research questions and the scope of the study unique is that it takes a spiral and holistic approach to the theme of economic growth in 3rd world economies. By spiral, reference is being made to the fact that the eventual goal of economic growth will be approached from a systematic order where one thing must lead to the other in order to bring the needed change. By holistic also, reference is being made to the fact that the research will not only look at what needs to be done but what needs to be avoided. By this, all forms of unfair trade agreements that have only taken advantage of third world economies will be exposed. The rationale for such a spiral and holistic approach is that Martin, Marchetti and Lim (2007) criticised existing approaches to economic growth in third world economies as being haphazard and lacking systematic plan that recognises barriers that must be overcome before growth can be achieved. Bridging gaps in literature The proposed study will be conducted in a manner that departs from existing literature so as to make the topic different from others.

Human Services using technology to overcome barriers Essay

Human Services using technology to overcome barriers - Essay Example Impediments may arise on the planning, funding, empowerment and in the execution of the service and these obstacles differ from a certain kind of human service to another. Obstacles may have different faces on each and every type of human service clientele but the barrier that gives the one of the most substantial effects is the adjustment to the trend in a certain demographic. Say for example, people who were born during the baby boomer period which is between 1946 and 1964 have contributed to a significant increase in the United States population during that time. And ever since the start of the baby boomer period, most companies and businesses have been using the age bracket as a trend to which product or service will benefit the big lot of the population and would also bring to them considerable profits. It goes the same way with human services, the rising number of a particular age group compels human service providers the need to expand and improve their services to be able to accommodate this demographic. If you count the years, the people born during the baby boomer period are now retired professionals or those who are already bidding for retirement. More and more people in the United States are getting older by the minute, meaning that these people are now prone to a rapid loss of cognition and physical handicap. Let’s take a look at the case of sidewalks and transit. In a recent news report, the aging boomers have been causing considerable traffic along sidewalks and local transit that were built for the younger ones. This has been a challenge for most cities in America because their communities are designed for a youth-oriented society. There have been local initiatives for some cities like New York who is now recognized by World Health Organization as a leader in promoting age-friendly communities. Other cities have also followed the footsteps of New York. Philadelphia aims to create a walk-able community which can help older adults to be hea lthier. In Portland, Oregon, there has been planning for new zoning policies to fit senior citizen’s concerns. In this situation we might be asking, how is the US going to cope up in this situation better than relying on mere local initiatives? The answer is sustaining and empowerment. This may be the second barrier identified in this particular type human service. By the year 2050, 20% of the American population will be seniors. And across the globe, roughly 2 billion people will be 60 years old or older and 400 million of them are over the age of 80. The United States should prepare for this situation and should promote an environment that would allow the older people to participate. Another barrier that human services might be facing for a long time is the financial structure of these types of organizations. The eagerness of human service organizations to improve the services they offer may not be equivalent to the actual financial resources they have. To be able to increa se their efficiency and

Oral Language and Code-Related Precursors to Reading Essay

Oral Language and Code-Related Precursors to Reading - Essay Example Juan describes his interests as playing basketball, swimming, and fishing, which he normally undertake with his family, particularly his father and brother. He claims to have a big difficulty in school though, specifically in reading and writing English words. He says that way back in Mexico, he used to appreciate Science, but right now where every subject matter including Science needs to be learned and understood in the English language, he begins to dislike the subject matter. He has average scores in Math concepts exhibited by his scores in quizzes and long examinations. He is however poor in word attack and English vocabulary, which affects his performance in other subjects including Science, which used to be his favorite. Â  I was able to talk to Juan’s aunt once, upon visiting Juan and gathering information from his family about things related to his reading progress. This is where I found that both of Juan’s parents live in Mexico and had little schooling. The aunt related that both boys frequently scan their notes upon arriving home and practice reading orally. However, there are some questions that she could not answer, such as the correct pronunciation of a word or the meaning of a particular word, or if the sentence the boys have just uttered is grammatically correct, since she herself has a limitation in the English language as she just migrated to the United States five months ago. Juan is thus left with only the school to rely on when learning to read. Â  Juan appears to be persevering during reading sessions and tries hard to understand each word. Often, when he could not pronounce a word, he approaches me and asks how it is pronounced. He repeatedly utters the new-learned word until he thinks it sinks in.

Business Law (Case study) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Law ( ) - Case Study Example The management of Silver's Gymnasium is insisting on the 3 day notice period from the date of signing of the agreement for the enforcement of its termination. There are extenuating circumstances under which members may cancel membership in health clubs in the city of New York as per Section 624 under supplementary rights of cancellation. (New York Consolidated Laws). Under Section 624, Sub section 3 states that under mitigating circumstances in certain cases the clients may cancel memberships in local health clubs, notwithstanding 3 day notice period, "if the buyer becomes significantly physically disabled for a period in excess of six months, or moves his residence to a location more than twenty-five miles from a health club operated by the seller." (New York Consolidated Laws). It has also been clarified by Section 624 of the McKinney's Consolidated Law of New York- annotated, that in case any payments have been made to the seller of health services, it has to be returned forthwith to the buyer, "within fifteen days of the receipt of " communication of cancellation of contract. (New York Consolidated Laws: Additional Rights to Cancellation). This is howev... The rights of the buyer envisage that under no circumstances could the demand for payment of goods and services by the buyer exceed the contract price. (New York Consolidated Laws). In this case it is $720. ($20X12X3 years) Conclusions: In this case, it is seen that both X and his brother Y could rescind the contract of health Service provision made to Silver's Gym under the provisions of Section 624. This is because both incapacity due to health reasons for a period of 6 months, duly validated by a health care practitioner is applicable in the case of X, and the relocation of the member in a place beyond 25 miles from the present location of the gym, is applicable in case of X's brother, Y, and are validated by the provisions of the New York Laws.Further, they could also exercise their rights to have the excess contract money paid (if any) refunded to them, i.e. $ 720- $60 (services provided by gym) as per existing New York laws. In case these monies are not made available to the brothers X and Y, it is possible for them to institute legal proceedings against the management of Silver's Gym for recovering of the unused proportion of health care fees under contract. Works Cited New York Consolidated Laws: Additional Rights to Cancellation. FindLaw: For Legal Professionals. 2008. 14 Nov. 2008. . New York Consolidated Laws. FindLaw: For Legal Professionals. 2008. 14 Nov. 2008.

Diseased Body in Wuthering Heights Essay Example for Free

Diseased Body in Wuthering Heights Essay In Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte it can be viewed that there is â€Å"more suffering caused by a diseased mind than by a diseased body.† The idea of a â€Å"diseased mind† is a mental illness or madness and the â€Å"diseased body† is a physical illness or injury, both of which are displayed by many characters in Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff is a prime example of a character with a â€Å"diseased mind† that causes him suffering. He spends the majority of his life contemplating and acting out revenge towards Hindley and the Lintons because he believes it was their fault Catherine thought it would â€Å"degrade† her to marry Heathcliff, even though she loved him; this is one example of his unstable mind set. In chapter 9 Nelly foreshadows the suffering of Heathcliff by saying â€Å"if you [Catherine] are his choice, he’ll be the most unfortunate creature,† this is because Nelly understands that society wouldn’t accept the pair to marry, therefore Heathcliff will be unfortunately heartbroken. Heathcliff believes that Catherine is a part of him: â€Å"I cannot live without my soul,† he says which highlights that he is suffering without her. It is from this heartbreak and suffering that his â€Å"diseased mind† commenced. Heathcliff’s â€Å"diseased mind† heightens when he asks for Catherine to â€Å"haunt† him when she is dead; haunting is an element of the Gothic genre but the madness of Heathcliff is enhanced when he requests that Catherine drives him â€Å"mad.† The word â€Å"mad† is ambiguous in this quotation because it could be viewed that Heathcliff wants to be haunted until he is angry with Catherine so he can destroy his love for her. An alternative view is that Heathcliff wants to be haunted until he is insane and suffering since he is desperate to see Catherine, this becomes true because after Catherine’s death Heathcliff’s mind is haunted by his love for her. Jerold E. Hogle explains this is accurate because characters in Gothic novels are â€Å"haunted psychologically† and this is accurately shown through the character of Heathcliff. His mind is â€Å"diseased† by his separation from Catherine due to her choice of partner and her death, which causes him and everyone in the novel immense suffering because of his vengeance. Heathcliff’s unconditional love causes Catherine’s â€Å"melancholy† â€Å"mental state† because it is overwhelming and she is in love with him but a  Victorian society wouldn’t accept their relationship because of the Heathcliff’s very low class, which would result in them being â€Å"beggars.† Catherine has â€Å"a peculiar expression arising from her mind set† before she tells Heathcliff â€Å"you have killed me,† this highlights her â€Å"diseased mind† and the suffering it is causing her because she hasn’t died yet but it could be interpreted that she feels as though she has which emphasises her suffering, but also her madness. The â€Å"peculiar expression† that Catherine is described to have could be because she was â€Å"thinking†¦ of Wuthering Heights.† The â€Å"expression† could be interpreted as a smile, which would be â€Å"peculiar† to Nelly because she has been depressed living with Edgar, therefore a smile would be unusual; David Punter explains â€Å"Gothic reminds us we are driven by our passions† and Catherine’s passion is Heathcliff, which would explain her â€Å"expression† when thinking about Wuthering Heights. This idea of Catherine’s thought process in her â€Å"diseased mind† emphasises her pain and suffering because she cannot be without Heathcliff, her â€Å"soul,† yet she is continuously thinking about him, this is essentially what drives her insane. Catherine’s mental suffering is closely linked with her physical suffering which is an example that represents the â€Å"diseased body† in Wuthering Heights. Another character with a â€Å"diseased body† in Wuthering Heights is Isabella, whose â€Å"bruised† body is a valid example of suffering. Heathcliff’s â€Å"diseased mind† causes him to abuse Isabella which leads to her suffering and her injured body

Tourism In Mecca Tourism Essay

Tourism In Mecca Tourism Essay Mecca is a holy place of Muslims in Saudi Arabia where it is believed that the prophet Muhammad lived and taught more than 1,300 years ago. Mecca is the holiest city in Islam. Mecca had become an important place in the history by the time when Prophet Mohammed (peace is upon him)  was born in about 570 AD. Mecca, the holy place has fallen with yearly ebb and flow of pilgrims as a result of growing Muslim community in the World and eventually the spread of Islam. The economic status of the city greatly depends on the large number of pilgrims visiting every year and their accommodation, feeding and transportation. (Ahmed Z.U. 1992). Millions of Muslims visit Mecca every year to make a religious pilgrimage on the eighth through thirteen days of Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the last month of the Muslim year.   This religious tourist activity or the journey is called the Hajj which signifies one of the Five Pillars of Islam (Memish Z.A. et al 2002). The Islam counts on all the Muslims that once in their lifetime they are expected make this journey if they are physically and financially able.   There is an enormous crowd of the participants in the Hajj. The plan to Hajj starts months or even years before. Makkah, the holy area or otherwise known as the haram is a place where any type of violence is not permitted. The word haram has a dual meaning as forbidden and sacred and is a symbol of purity. It is the main Muslim Mosque. The Grand Mosque is at the centre of Makkah and the sacred Zamzam well inside it. In the central courtyard of the Mosque is The Kaaba, whereby all Muslims face when they pray. Traditionally, Pro phet Adam (AS) built the Kaaba which was later rebuilt by Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his son Prophet Ismael (AS), as a replica of Gods house in heaven. Muslims considers The Kaaba as the most holy spot on earth. It has been taught in Muslim legend that the shrines are built by the ancient religious patriarchs Ibrahim and Ishmael using foundations which were first laid by Prophet Adam AS. Prophet Mohammed (peace is upon him) was born in Makkah and was descended with the Holy Quran, and since then the propagation for Islam was launched. In the heart of the city is the Holy Mosque in the centre of which the Holy Kaaba is located, The Maqam of Prophet Ibrahim, his son Ismaiels stone (May God bless them), Zamzam well in which water has been pouring from hundreds of years, and Safa and Marwah where Muslims make Saie. There are other holy shrines of Mina, Muzdalifa, and Arafat near Makkah. Arafat is located at the Mount Arafat where pilgrims perform the main ritual of Hajj as the day of Arafat. Hajj is scheduled according to the lunar calendar and so moves 11 days earlier each year on the Gregorian calendar. Due to seasonal variation over time, the Hajj occurs at different times each year (Yamin M. et al 2009). It becomes difficult in summers as the temperatures in Saudi Arabia are very high. Unlike other Saudi Arabian cities, Mecca retains its warm temperature in winter, which can range from 17  Ã‚ °C at midnight to 25  Ã‚ °C in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are considered very hot and break the 40  Ã‚ °C mark in the afternoon dropping to 30  Ã‚ °C (86  Ã‚ °F) in the evening. Rain usually falls in Mecca in small amounts between November and January. Tourism at Mecca Mecca, the holy city in Saudi Arabia is believed to be the centre of the Islamic world. The journey to Mecca as the Hajj is popular to the Muslims all over the world but the Mecca travel is forbidden for non-Muslims. There are billions of people coming to Mecca for Hajj from all over the world. The Hajj in Mecca is the largest pilgrimage in the world. The Mecca city is Saudi Arabia is increasingly called Makkah. It is similar to the pronunciation of the Arabic word than does the English translation called Mecca. Non-Muslims are not permitted to enter the premises of Mecca, Saudi Arabia at any time of the year due to the fact that the Mecca travel and the Hajj are only intended for Muslims. It has happened in the past that several non-Muslims have entered Mecca; the penalties of it are quite harsh including deportation and jail time. Tourism in Mecca involves some advance planning. There is a special visa required by every Muslim who wishes to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. There is a valid visa required to enter the Hajj grounds. In case of Saudi citizens, permission is necessary. The foreign pilgrims intend to perform Hajj applies for a visa by furnishing information and undergoing some medical examination. The visa is granted by Saudi government by approval of the Hajj management in Saudi Arabia. Each pilgrim is assigned to a group of Hajj management called Munazzim once their visa is granted. Munnazim is responsible for their travel and accommodation arrangements in the Hejaz (Yamin M. et al 2009). In addition, a letter from the local mosque stating that the person is a Muslim is also required. Women who are under 45 years of age must travel with a male or a mahram considered being the head of the family. There should be a proof of their relationship. On the other hand, women over 45 years of age must carry a permission letter from her husband or her father along with the proof her being a part of the Mecca tourism group. The visa to travel Mecca does not permit to travel outside of Mecca and if anyone wants to travel other cities, they must apply for additional visa. The pilgrimage to Mecca commence at the Jeddah airport, a large city in Saudi Arabia. As the tourism in Mecca is very popular during the Hajj month, there are two special terminals for the people arriving to Mecca. There are direct bus services from the airport to Mecca Saudi Arabia. On arrival to the city of Mecca, the Muslims have to follow traditional rituals, called Umrah. These traditions should be followed by all the pilgrims. The rituals that are acted out in the incidents of the Quran are relatively hard to perform or rather complex and takes about a week. It is important that the pilgrims must wear the traditional pilgrimage clothing followed by a walk in the region of the Kaaba in a counter clockwise direction several times. After this ritual, next comes Saey which factually means run whereby the pilgrims walk back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah, the region where the wife of Prophet Abraham ran recklessly in search of water for her son. It has been written in Quran that there is a fountain that appears between the hills (Ahmed Z.U. 1992). Other rituals during the Hajj include going to Arafat. This is the the place where Mohammed gave his final sermon. The ritual is followed by drinking water from the Zamzam well which is inside the Great Mosque. It is believed by all the Muslims that their God provided water to Hajar and Ismail at this well when they were strolling in the desert. These two people are the central figures of Islam. Mecca travel is a meaningful once-in-a-lifetime experience for all the Muslims. Tourism issues There have been many tourism issues in Mecca that arise during the Hajj period. Many incidents have happened during the past years causing loss of hundreds of lives. It is estimated that there are 1.4 billion Muslims in the World and each one must visit Mecca for pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if they can. It is all the way very hard to manage millions of people in Mecca during the month of Hajj. Crowd Stampede Stampedes are likely to occur at the Hajj because of the huge crowd and an extraordinary pressure. The individuals may stumble thereby precipitating an entire stampede. Massive crowds walking from one place to the other place of the pilgrimage, cause a stampede. There is a panic when the pilgrims jostle to avoid being trampled resulting in hundreds of deaths. For example, the ceremony of stoning the Devil is very crowded and dangerous and so can result in serious crowd accidents. The following incidents occurred due to massive crowding at the Hajj. 2nd July, 1990 Arafat plains of Hajj: A stampede inside a pedestrian tunnel leading out from Mecca towards Mina, Saudi Arabia and the Plains of Arafat led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims. 23rd May, 1994 270 pilgrims were killed in crowd during the stoning of the Devil. 9th April, 1998 Incident at Jamarat Bridge where 118 pilgrims died and 180 were injured. 5th March, 2001 During the ritual of stoning the Devil, 35 pilgrims were trampled to death. 11th February, 2003 14 pilgrims died in a rush during the stoning of the Devil ceremony. 1st February, 2004 251 pilgrims were killed and 244 people were injured in a stampede during the stoning ceremony in Mina. 12th January, 2006 346 pilgrims were killed and more than 289 were injured in Mina on the last day of the Hajj while performing the ritual ramy al-jamarÄ t. Diseases Disease spread is also a tourism issue in Mecca. This could be explained on the fact that there are millions of people from many countries visiting Mecca, of which some of them may have poor health systems, leading to the spread of epidemics. If there is a disease outbreak during the Hajj, this could make the problem worse when they returned home and passing the infection on to others. There have been such incidents in the past where the disease has spread among the pilgrims causing severe health problems. One such disease, called meningitis has been given a prompted response from the Saudi government. There were many concerns about the disease after its international outbreak at Hajj in 1987. Due to these global outbreaks of certain types of meningitis in previous years, it is now a visa requirement to be immunised with the ACW135Y vaccine before arrival. Every year, the Saudi government publishes a list of required vaccines for pilgrims, which for 2010 also includes yellow fever, p olio, and influenza. Trauma and other fatal events The word Hajj defines movement. There is a lot of chaos in transportation during the Hajj. The pilgrimage moves on foot in dense traffic for hours at a time. During the Hajj season in Mecca, there is inordinate traffic congestion. Other issues in tourism are fire incidents that happened in previous years. December 1975 Fire due to explosion a gas cylinder in a tent resulted in the death of 200 pilgrims. 15th April, 1997 Fire in a tent in Mina killing 343 pilgrims and 1,500 injured. In order to prevent such dangerous incidents, the kingdom has replaced all the tents and the tents are now fireproof with a variety of which are made up of aluminium frames with fibreglass. The risk of fire is now considered much lower (Memish Z.A. et al 2002). Tourism management Management in Mecca during the Hajj, handling millions of people during a specific month is not an easy task. The officials of the government of the Saudi Arabia should have done more to prevent such catastrophes. It is claimed by the government of Saudi Arabia that such massive crowd are very dangerous and difficult to manage, and that they have taken a number of steps to prevent problems. There are improvements of touristic facilities at Jeddah, Mecca and Madinah. There have been number of steps undertaken to overcome the hurdles and the incidents in the past. One of the controversial significant steps in action inculcates new system of registrations, passports, and visas to control the mass flow of pilgrims. This system intends to encourage and accommodate visitors travelling for the first time to Mecca, while restricting repeat visits. Such a system was protested by the pilgrims who have the desire and wishes to perform the Hajj several times and they have been biased about this system, but the Hajj Commission has stated that they see no substitute if further incidents and disasters are to be prevented. As a result of the stampede in 2004, there have been concerns and considerations by the Saudi authorities. The authorities have aboard a big construction work in and around the Jamarat Bridge area. Additional access ways, footbridges, and emergency exits were built, and concrete walls were designed to replace the three cylindrical pillars allowing more pilgrims to have a simultaneous access to them without fighting for position and deprived of crowd. A multi-million-dollar project has been designed and put into action by the government to expand the bridge to five levels. For crowd management, many organizations are using RFID chips to track and monitor people and products. This high technology is an effective way of identifying and helping people in urgent situations (Yamin M. et al 2009). These RFID carry some PDA (readable data) which can be used for medical emergencies and for reporting lost pilgrims with their groups. The device should be linked to the event database so as to facilitate the retrieval and updates as and when required. The disease spreads and recent outbreaks of H1N1 virus (swine influenza and bird flu) have made the crowd management more challenging. For the management of diseases, as mentioned earlier, there are set of medical examinations and immunizations to be undergone by the pilgrims to be registered in the event database. Therefore, the management of Hajj can be sum up in three phases. Phase one is about the necessary planning to organize Hajj and to intend pilgrims before departure to Saudi Arabia. Second phase refers to the Hajj process whereby different management steps are undertaken to control the issues in way of the Hajj process and the last phase directs to the measures undertaken to facilitate smooth return of pilgrims to their respective destinations.

Social Work Theories for Neglected Children

Social Work Theories for Neglected Children Critically evaluate the contributions of theory, research, legislation and policy to social work practice in relation to one aspect of practice in one of the following: Children and Families. In this essay I am going to critically evaluate the contributions of theory, research, legislation and policy to social work practice in relation to looked after children who experience neglect. Erickson and Egeland (2002) argue that there are five types of neglect; emotional, medical, physical, mental health and educational neglect and these can all impact negatively on a child. I have chosen to concentrate on middle aged children around the ages of five to ten years of age who have experienced neglect because neglect is one of the most identified forms of child abuse and can have serious effects on children of this age (Mennon et al, 2010). According to the DfES (2014) 62% of looked after children are looked after because of abuse or neglect. Therefore it is important to evaluate how theory, research, legislation and policy can contribute to social workers understanding of neglect and how social workers can support children in overcoming these effects. I appreciate that children wh o become looked after due to neglect often experience other forms of abuse and these can have further negative effects on children (Mennon et al, 2010), however because this essay aims to be prescriptive rather than exhaustive I have chosen to concentrate on middle aged children who experience neglect. Research has made a significant contribution to social work practice in relation to looked after children who experience neglect. The majority of research concentrating on children who experience neglect (Mennon et al, 2010; Trickett and McBride Chang, 1995; Hildyard and Wolfe, 2002) has tended to show that the risk factors associated with neglect can significantly hinder children’s growth and development. Children who are neglected tend to live in poverty, with a lack of parental care, parents may be misusing substances, parents may have mental health problems, one parent may be experiencing domestic violence, and poor prenatal and postnatal care can all lead to a child being neglected by their parents (Pelton, 1994). Research has shown that children who are neglected tended to have the lowest academic grades (Eckenrode, Laird and Dorris). Studies have found that children of school age who were neglected showed social and behavioural problems, they were socially withdrawn, un popular with other children and socially isolated (Erickson and Egeland, 2002 and Trickett and McBride Chang, 1995). Hildyard and Wolfe (2002) found that children who were severely neglected impacted detrimentally on children’s emotional well-being. Therefore, the factors associated with neglect can impact negatively on a child’s normal development and have adverse effects, which is why it is vital for social workers to understand the impact of neglect on children so they can target the most effective interventions to help children overcome the effects. However, it could be argued that there is a lack of research that specifically relates to children who are looked after and experience neglect. Many children who are neglected who are involved with child protection services will have interventions targeted at them in order to prevent neglect from continuing and children do not always become looked after. For example, a child who is being neglected because their parents have substance misuse problems may not end up being taken in to care because the parents seek help for their problems. Or a parent who is being abused may move away from the abusive partner which enhances their ability to parent the child. Much of the research tends to concentrate on how social workers in child protection services can help families where children are experiencing neglect. Arguably therefore there is a lack of research which specifically looks at how the two compounding issues of neglect and being looked after impacts on children. Despite this, the research exploring the effects of neglect on children help social workers understand the impact of neglect on children who are looked after and how this hinders their development which they can then consider when undertaking assessments. This can then help social workers decide what intervention is needed to promote a child’s health and well-being. Attachment theory for instance is invaluable in understanding why looked after children experience some of the adverse effects that they do (Trickett and McBride Chang, 1995). Howe argues that attachment theory is â€Å"very useful to child welfare and adoption workers† (1995: 136) because it can explain children’s behaviour which can help social workers target the most effective interventions (Howe, 2005). Attachment theory, developed by John Bowlby, argued that children need â€Å"secure attachments to their mother in order for them to be stable individuals in later life† (Dunk-west, 2013: 42 ). Attachment theory suggests that children who grow up without a secure caregiver have difficulty forming stable social relationships in later life. The lack of a warm and secure relationship with a caregiver during early childhood can lead to a child experiencing adverse effects, such as delinquent behaviour and depression (Howe, 1995). Therefore children who have been neglected are likely to have insecure attachments because of the lack of care and nurturance they received growing up (Hildyard and Wolfe, 2002). Attachment theory can therefore contribute significantly to social work practice because it helps social workers in their assessments to understand the child’s needs. It also helps social workers understand the need to place looked after children who have experienced neglect in stable placements so they can develop secure attachments to their new caregivers (Howe, 2005; Cocker and Allain, 2008). This can support the emotional and social development of children and is central in building resilience (Crawford and Walker, 2007). To ensure placements are stable and secure attachments can develop; social workers must carry out good quality assessments and develop robust care plans (Cocker and Allain, 2008). Social workers must then frequently assess children in their new placements and assess the quality o f their new attachments with their new caregivers, continually updating the care plan to ensure they are supporting the child’s social and emotional development (Cocker and Allain, 2008). However, Dunk-West (2013) argues that whilst attachment theory is important, it is vital to assess children within their social contexts. The inequalities looked after children face can be more effectively explained by using an ecological approach. Walter (2007) argued in his study that a combination of risks and multiple stressors can lead to adverse effects for looked after children and therefore a holistic approach such as the ecological model can help social workers to do that. Using Brofenbrenner’s (1979) theory for example, within the micro system a social worker could assess that a looked after child who has been neglected is highly likely to have had very little parental support and there may have been family conflict and this could have been because of characteristics within the exo system of a child’s life. Their exo system is likely to have been characterized by poverty and living in a deprived neighbourhood. For example, parents may argue because of the stre ss of living in poverty or engage in excessive drinking or drug taking to try and cope with the stress of living in poverty which then affects their ability to parent effectively and provide children with adequate support or supervision. Furthermore, within the macro system looked after children are aware that society perceives them as a group of children that are deemed as at risk (Walter, 2007). For example, in Care and Prejudice (2009) an Ofsted study that interviewed three hundred children in care found that half the children in their study felt that the public held negative stereotypes about them, such as being delinquent and troublemakers. Looked after children felt heavily discriminated against and felt that this impacted on their ability to do well academically, build friendships and gain employment (Care and Prejudice, 2009). Therefore, it could be argued using an ecological approach that looked after children who experience neglect have poorer outcomes than other children because of the multiple social and environmental factors that impact on parents capacity to parent effectively (McAuley and Davis, 2009). It could be argued that attachment theory is matriarchal in nature. For example, Bowlby’s work in particular which was developed in the 1950s is arguably sexist because the primary caregiver is assumed to be the mother (Beckett, 2006). Yet more recent work on attachment theory has reframed attachment as not meaning attachment to the mother. In modern society as more women have entered the labour market, children are increasingly taken care of by multiple figures; this can include the father, childminders or grandparents (Dunk West, 2013; Nicolsen et al, 2006). Children tend to attach and bond to multiple key figures, male and female (Beckett, 2006). Despite this, research does tend to demonstrate how fathers are marginalized by social workers in children services and are poorly engaged. This can be particularly detrimental for children who are looked after because social workers potentially lose a valuable asset for children (Brigid and Taylor, 2000). Brigid and Taylor (2000) also argued that legislation and policy does not contribute effectively enough to guide social workers in how to challenge traditional gender assumptions, nor does legislation give clear guidance for engaging fathers. For instance, it was only from 2003 that fathers who were not married to the mother of their child acquired parental responsibility automatically even if he was on the birth certificate. Prior to this change in legislation a father could only acquire parental responsibility by a written agreement with the mother or by applying to court (Cocker and Allain, 2008). Therefore, it could be argued that the earlier work of attachment theory has heavi ly influenced social workers in children’s services. The importance of the attachment to the mother has been persistent and as a result social workers have often marginalized fathers (Brigid and Taylor, 2000). Attachment theory has therefore arguably contributed negatively to looked after children because social workers are still heavily influenced by its matriarchal nature. Legislation however underpins how social workers should support looked after children and therefore makes a huge contribution to looked after children who experience neglect, in particular the Children’s Act 1989 and Children’s Act 2004. Under section 22 of the Children Act 1989 there is a duty on the local authority ‘to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare’ (Branye and Carr, 2013: 291) it looks after. The Children’s Act 2004 added an additional duty on local authorities to promote the child’s educational achievements. When a child is subject to a care order or interim care order, social workers become the looked after child’s â€Å"corporate parent† and share parental responsibility with the birth parents. Therefore the local authority becomes responsible for a child’s care and achieving positive outcomes (Cocker and Allain, 2008). For example, ‘Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states that parents hav e a duty to ensure their children are suitably educated’ (Cocker and Allain, 2008: 138), social workers as a corporate parent therefore share this duty with the birth parents (Cocker and Allain, 2008). As a result of this legislation looked after children are given a designated teacher who ensures they have a personal education plan which sets out developmental and educational needs and identifies targets (Cocker and Allain, 2008). Personal education plan meetings are then held twice a year to assess the child’s educational progress. Research has shown that looked after children tend to achieve lower grades at school than their peers and has therefore arguably heavily influenced legislation. In addition, local authorities have a duty to monitor children’s developmental progress and so children receive medicals once a year. This is all part of safeguarding and promoting the child’s welfare. CAMHS involvement may also be necessary if the child has additional therapeutic needs (Cocker and Allain, 2008). The Children’s Act 2004 made it mandatory for different agencies to work collaboratively and share responsibility for vulnerable children and this includes looked after children so social workers have a duty to work with a range of professionals in order to promote the well being of children. Legislation is therefore central to working with looked after children as it mandates how social workers should support looked after children. Despite parental responsibility being shared, the local authority can overrule birth parents but social workers must work in partnership with parents or anybody else with parental responsibility and consult them when making any decisions regarding the child’s welfare (Cocker and Allain, 2008). However, partnership working with parents in practice can be extremely difficult for social workers when parents do not agree with their decisions regarding the child. For example, a number of studies have highlighted how challenging it is for social workers to work in partnership with parents and take their wishes into account when a decision is made to permanently remove a child (Clifford and Burke, 2004; Charlton et al, 1998). Working in partnership with parents therefore becomes extremely challenging for social workers as they try to take the parent’s wishes in to account but also trying to act in the best interests of the child and gather evidence to explain why the child sho uld not return home. Furthermore, Wigley et al’s (2006) study found that social workers often faced challenges when trying to collaborate with schools, as they either did not implement personal education plans or they did not communicate effectively with social workers which made it difficult to work in partnership with educational professionals. In addition, social workers under Section 22 of the Children’s Act 1989 must also consult the child about their wishes before any decision is made and this is a key principle of the Children’s Act 1989. However, a number of studies have found that children felt they were not listened to by social workers. They often felt powerless and had very little say about their placements (Morgan, 2006; Wigley et al, 2006). It is vital for children to feel listened to so they can develop a sense of self-efficacy (Schofield and Beek, 2006) which Rutter (1985) suggests is a key factor in building resilience. It could be argued however that in many cases the child could not understand why they were being moved to a different placement and did not understand that social workers were trying to act in their best interests. Therefore, legislation although good in principle, is arguably not always effectively put in to social work practice in relation to looked after children. Care Matters: Time for change (DfES, 2007) is a major policy framework for looked after children and is similar to legislation because it stresses the importance of improving the educational, health and emotional needs of children (Cocker and Allain, 2008). In particular, Care Matters suggests that educational attainment needs to be improved, looked after children should be prioritised in school admissions, health outcomes for looked after children should be improved, and placements need to be more local and stable and this can be delivered through high quality assessment and care planning (DfES, 2007). In addition, Care Matters suggests that children should be helped to engage in leisure activities and hobbies, which can help children to build their self-esteem and build support networks and friendships. Rutter (1985) suggested that a sense of self-esteem and confidence is vitally important to help children build resilience. Jaffee et al (2007) defines resilience as â€Å"achieving normal development in the face of considerable adversity†. Therefore, policy has made a vital contribution to social work practice in relation to looked after children. However, with local authorities facing a fourth year of cuts to funding and with increasing numbers of children going in to care (McNicoll and Stothart, 2014) it could be argued that it is causing increasing pressure for social workers to implement policy effectively in to practice. In particular, some local authorities arehaving to make cuts to foster placements making it increasingly difficult for social workers to find high quality placements for children who have high level and complex needs (McNicoll and Stothart, 2014). This makes it extremely challenging for social workers to find placements that are local and stable for children. To conclude, it is evident that theory, research, legislation and policy have all made a major contribution to social work practice in relation to looked after children who experience neglect. Research has heavily influenced legislation and policy, which in turn underpins social work practice in relation to looked after children. In addition, attachment theory has helped social workers to understand why looked after children may behave in the way they do and the ecological approach helps social workers to understand why looked after children experience inequalities and tend to have poorer outcomes than children in the rest of the population. These theories help social workers when carrying out their assessments and finding the most effective interventions to support looked after children who have experienced neglect. However, it is evident that policy and legislation cannot always easily be applied effectively in to practice because of the challenges of working in partnership with bi rth families who may oppose the child’s permanency plan and children who may not understand that the social worker is acting in their best interests. In addition, attachment theory is arguably quite matriarchal in nature and this has influenced social workers and has resulted in fathers being marginalised. Furthermore, social workers may not have the time or resources to provide the most appropriate support to looked after children and this is a weakness of the ecological approach and policy. Despite this, it is evident that theory, research, legislation and policy have all made a significant contribution to social work practice in relation to looked after children who have experienced neglect.

Hysteria Essay -- essays research papers fc

â€Å"In the beginning was Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, who freed the emerging science from the chains of superstition, introduced empirical observation and the bedside manner, and both identified and named ‘hysteria’† (Gilman 1993, 3). Hippocrates, lived in ancient Greece from 460 BCE to 377 BCE, the first [known] person to study hysterical actions believed (as did the proceding Greeks and Romans) that hysteria was strictly a female problem, and in many cases almost any problem a female had was considered ‘hysteria’ (Gilman 1993, 4). This view was believed for an extensive period of time but as Appignanesi asserts many other things that were once believed to be true are proven false later, i.e., the earth is the center of the universe [Copernicus, 1473-1543], God did not create man, instead we evolved from apes [Darwin, 1809-1882] (100). This holds true for the concept of hysteria being strictly a female problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hysteria (as we know it today at least) is where specific memories, feelings, perceptions are taken from the conscious to the un/sub-conscious and are ‘unable’ to be recalled voluntarily. Furthermore they are able to affect the persons behavior in a variety of ways, from phobias to paralysis. Almost any organ or part of the body can be the scapegoat for the hysteric. Hysteria usually comes from feelings or memories which are particularly unpleasant for one reason or another. Freud would argue that more often then not (if not always) hysteria is related to sex or sexuality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If there was one person to name as the ‘father’ of the modern view of hysteria it would hands down be Sigmund Freud. His analyses of hysterical persons has defined everything from the process of diving into the un/sub-conscious mind to retrieve the root of the problem to connecting the problem to the symptoms of hysteria. One of most widely known case studies is that of a young lady whom Freud has given the alias of ‘Dora’. Dora first met Freud at the age of 16 when her father brought her to Freud because she â€Å"†¦had†¦grown unmistakably neurotic.† (Freud, 13). Two years proceeding their [Freud and Dora] first introduction her father brought her to Freud for â€Å"†¦psychotherapeutic treatment.† (Freud, 13) Freud had met most of Dora’s family prior to her ‘treatment’ and stated that â€Å"There could be no doubt†¦that it was from... ...to pin point one distinct cause of hysteria but instead many different aspects of the hysterics life plays a part in the overall hysteria. Freud revolutionized the psychological world in many ways, his work on hysteria is perhaps some of his best. He molded a strong base to which modern knowledge of hysteria is accumulated upon. From Hippocrates to Freud the knowledge of hysteria has been on quite a voyage, and like most other ideas has changed drastically over time, and will continue to change. Works cited Appignanesi, Richard. Freud For Beginners. New York: Pantheon Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1979. Freud, Sigmund. DORA: An Analysis Case Of Hysteria. New York Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1963. Gilman, Sander L. and King, Helen. and Porter, Roy. and Rousseau, G.S. and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Showalter, Elaine. Hysteria Beyond Freud. London: University of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  California Press, 1993. Jung, C.G. The Basic Writings of C.G. Jung. New York: Random House, Inc.,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1993. Wortman, Camille B. and Loftus, Elizabeth F. and Marshall, Mary E.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychology. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1985.

Attending a Reading by Leon Dash :: Rosa Lee Leon Dash

Rosa Lee and Leon Dash The Reading Brown Series hosted a reading by Leon Dash at the YMCA. Professor Dash was born in 1944 in Massachusetts, but he grew up in the Bronx of New York. He worked as a writer from 1966-1968 for the Washington Post. He was also in the Peace Corp shortly after traveling throughout Africa. He later went back to the Washington Post and has since done studies on various things. I had a hard time trying to find out exactly where the reading was going to take place as I walked around the YMCA. I finally got the guts to walk up to someone and ask for help, the male phenomenon. The event took place in a back room behind the kitchen. The room had four tables put together as to look like two. There were many chairs and few people to fill them as I walked in. There were a handful of people in the room and most seated around the tables set up in a V-shape from the podium. The room slowly started to fill as it came closer to twelve o’clock. As I looked around the room, I saw the â€Å"bleacher section†, a set of 12 chairs to the side of the room away from the speaker nearly filled. Most of those seats seemed to be occupied by students who appeared to be taking notes. The rest of the room had an odd accumulation of people. For a reading based around the commemoration of the Brown vs. Board of Education case, there was only one African American in the room besides the speaker. There were many older white people who gave the impression that they were faculty. A few of them and others brought lunch in on a tray or in a bag, presumably on their lunch break. The room looked as if it was split fifty-fifty between students and faculty. I would guess that there were around 20 to 25 people in the room. The room was large enough and had enough seating to make it seem as if the people were very spread out. There was very little interaction between the people before and during the event. It seemed as though everyone was just eager for the reading to start and finish.

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun Essay -- English Literature

Raisin in the Sun In the story â€Å"Raisin in the Sun† there is basically a group of characters all in one family living in a small apartment with everyday their love dying a little more. The family is black and through the whole play it shows how segregation was played in the 1950's. Ruth Younger is a wife of Walter Younger and a Mother of Travis Younger who is living in a small living assortment and just wants to get away and move on to something bigger and something more independent. Now with her being pregnant everything for her is just going down hill. Walter Younger is the husband of Ruth and he is just a self-centered jerk who doesn’t care about anybody’s life but his. He wants to open his own business and he doesn’t care whether the family can afford it he just wants to open a business and he wants to do it whether they approve or not. Walter gets drunk and comes home drunk and makes the Younger’s life they are living worse because everyone else has to put u p with his â€Å"drunken† behavior. Mama Younger is basically the woman who takes care of everybody and everything. She has a plant that she goes to when times are hard or when she needs strength and hope. Beneatha Younger is Mama’s daughter and Walter’s sister and she is just a brat. She doesn’t know anything she is going to do in her life and she doesn’t know what she wants to do when she grows up. Now with al of that school, she has two guys come into her life, George Murchison and Asagai and that just puts more pressure on her than before and things get a little wild there. Travis Younger is Walter and Ruth’s child and he is just there in the story and at the end Walter changes his whole decision to set a good example on Travis. So Travis saves the day there. The play is full of segregation and hate towards different races and the way that a small living can impact the love of a family and the way they treat each other. Plus the hopes an d dreams that everyone has because of something that arrives in the mail get torn apart because of a dramatic climax with a very irresponsible person. Walter and Beneatha’s Father has died and there is a big check coming of his life savings of $10,000 and that is the thing that just tears the family apart. Big family, small living, lots of money, what will happen? Now, like I told you before, there is something big that is coming in the mail and it is going to cha... ...ause of the changing of one person who made all problems worse but made the biggest problem better. I basically already said the important issues that were addressed was segregation and the pride that the black people really had in themselves. Also how sad it was that some black people were willing to give in and sell their pride to the white people because the white people had more power and the blacks just wanted to make them happy and go on with their lives. That’s how sad some of the blacks were in their pride. If we could have had all black Mother’s like how Mama was then the whole black race would have had so much more self-confidence in themselves and so much more pride in themselves that they would have never let the white people push them around and they would work their hardest to be treated equally all the time. The play really made me think how much of an impact black speakers had on black people on the fight of segregation and how much everything has ch anged from the 1950's to today and how great it is that all people of all races are coming together as one, big, happy family Like the blacks sang on their road to freedom, â€Å"We shall overcome, some day†... they sure did.

Financial Maths

FINANCIAL MATHEMATICS 1. RATE OF RETURN 2. SIMPLE INTEREST 3. COMPOUND INTEREST 4. MULTIPLE CASH FLOWS 5. ANNUITIES 6. LOAN REPAYMENT SCHEDULES Financial Math Support Materials Page 1 of 85 (1) RATE OF RETURN FINANCIAL MATHEMATICS CONCERNS THE ANALYSIS OF CASH FLOWS BETWEEN PARTIES TO A CONTRACT. IF MONEY IS BORROWED THERE IS AN INTIAL CASH INFLOW TO THE BORROWER BUT AFTERWARDS THERE WILL BE A CASH OUTFLOW IN THE FORM OF REPAYMENTS. A person borrows $100 and promises to repay the lender $60 after 1 year and $60 after 2 years. Show the resulting cash flows for the borrower and lender. Financial Math Support MaterialsPage 2 of 85 Time Now 1 End of 2 years Borrower 0 End of 1 year Lender 2 $100 is loaned out $120 is received back The extra $20 is the lenders compensation for foregoing current consumption to obtain future consumption. The lender requires compensation for: Financial Math Support Materials Page 3 of 85 THE â€Å"TIME VALUE† OF MONEY CONSIDER A CHOICE OF ? $100 NOW, OR ? $100 LATER ANY RATIONAL PERSON WOULD CHOOSE $100 NOW! BUT WHY? â€Å"MONEY HAS A TIME VALUE† Financial Math Support Materials Page 4 of 85 Time Value of Money (TVM) ? Refers to the difference between ? The concept enables ? Provides the means for valuing multiple cash lows that occur at different times The level of interest rates is the index used to determine prevailing TVM. Interest rates are determined by the level of †¦ For every type of financing transaction there is potentially a different interest rate. Interest rates are distinguished by the nature of the underlying transaction and focus on three characteristics: ? ? ? Financial Math Support Materials Page 5 of 85 An important aspect of valuation is applying the appropriate interest rate. For example, valuing a fixed-rate loan to a highly speculative company using a government bond rate is inappropriate; an adjustment must be made reflecting he relative creditworthiness of the borrower. While different TVMs may exist for every borrower and lender, it is the Most financial math formulae are a form of present value calculation; that is, these formulae identify the future cash flows of a financial instrument and then calculate the value at which these instruments could be exchanged for cash today. Financial Math Support Materials Page 6 of 85 RATE OF RETURN Suppose I purchase a watch for $200 and sell it a year later for $250. What is the dollar return and rate of return of this transaction? Financial Math Support Materials Page 7 of 85 Interest Interest a fee for borrowing money – about as old as civilisation itself Prime rate – the interest charged to the largest and most secure corporations. Interest is a cost to business, hence it is very important to understand how it is calculated and how it impacts on the business. There are two basic types of interest Simple Interest and Compound Interest Simple Interest Compound Interest Financial Math Support Materials Page 8 of 85 (2) SIMPLE INTEREST When a financial institution quotes an interest rate for a loan it can do so in different ways. For example, a quote 10% p. a. simple interest has different cash flows than a quote of 10% p. . compound interest payable quarterly. If the quote is offered as a SIMPLE INTEREST RATE, then the rate is taken as a proportion of the initial loan amount. eg 12% p. a. (SIMPLE), is equivalent to 1% per month, or 3% per quarter, or 6% semi-annually. * NOTE – The quoted rate is often referred to as the nominal rate. Financial Math Support Materials Page 9 of 85 SIMPLE INTEREST Suppose we lend $300 and quote a simple interest rate of 8% p. a. What will be the interest and repayment if the loan is made over: (a) six months, (b) one year, (c) three years. (a) 8% p. a. = Interest = Repayment = (b) Interest = Repayment = (c) 8% p. a. =Interest = Repayment = Financial Math Support Materials Page 10 of 85 Symbolically: Interest amount = I = P i t P ~ principal (or amount bor rowed = PV) i ~ rate of interest as a percentage t ~ time is the number of years, or fraction of a year, for which the loan is made The simple interest (I) charged on a loan of $800 for 2. 5 years at 8. 5% is: I = Pit = Simple interest is usually associated with short-term loans, that is, less than 12 months. In the formula time (t) is expressed in years, or fraction of a year. Example: $800 for 9 months at 8. 5% is: I= Financial Math Support Materials Page 11 of 85 Example: $800 for 88 days at 8. % is: I = Pit At the end of the period the amount repaid is: FV = PV(1 + t i) Where t represents the fraction of a year during which the money is borrowed. Financial Math Support Materials Page 12 of 85 SIMPLE INTEREST In general, the amount repayable, or Future Value (FV) of a loan quoted as simple interest is given by: ? ? ? ? f ? i? FV ? PV 1 ? 365 ? ? ? ? ? ? Where: FV – is the future value (amount repayable) PV – is the present value (Principle) f – is the numbe r of days i – is the annual simple interest rate PV = EQUIVALENTLY, Financial Math Support Materials FV ?f? 1+ ? ?i ? 365 ? Page 13 of 85 SIMPLE INTEREST Question 4(a) from 2001, 2nd semester final exam) Leanne buys a watch for $80 and sells it a month later for $85. What nominal annual interest rate of return does she earn? Rate of return in one month = Annual nominal rate = Financial Math Support Materials Page 14 of 85 Principal unknown A borrower can pay an interest amount of $120 at the end of 6 months. If the current interest rate for personal loans is 9% what is the maximum that can be borrowed, that is, what is PV? ? f ? i I ? PV ? ? ? 365 ? I PV ? ?f? ? ?i ? 365 ? Note: Financial Math Support Materials Page 15 of 85 Interest rate unknown A loan of $18,000 for 8 months had an nterest charge of $888. What was the annual rate of interest rate? ? f ? i I ? PV ? ? ? 365 ? I i? ?f? ? ? PV ? 365 ? Financial Math Support Materials Page 16 of 85 Rayleen’s birthday was on the 14th August last year. On this date she received a gift of $4,800 from her family which she placed in an interest earning account at a nominal rate of 5. 75% per annum. If she withdraws all funds in the account on the 8th April this year, how much will she receive? How much interest is earned? August September October November December January February March April 17 30 31 30 31 31 29 31 8 Total number of days = 237 ? ? f FV ?PV ? 1 ? ? ?i ? ? ? 365 ? ? FV = I= Financial Math Support Materials Page 17 of 85 Barns & Co Ltd. currently has a non tradable bank note with a face value of $500,000 that will mature in 85 days. Barns & Co has negotiated with its lender to obtain a loan using the note as security. The lender requires an establishment fee of $440 and charges simple interest of 9% pa. How much will Barns & Co receive, and what is the total cost of the funds? ? ? f FV ? PV ? 1 ? ? ?i ? ? ? 365 ? ? ent ? Establishm ? FV PV ? ? f? ? fee ? ? 1? ? ?i ? 365 ? Cost of funds Cost in simple interest terms Financial Math Support Materials $500,000 – $489,295. 68 = $10,704. 32 = Page 18 of 85 A bill with a face value of $500,000 and term to maturity of 180 days is sold at a yield of 8% p. a. What are the proceeds of the sale? Proceeds = PV ? PV ? FV ?f? 1? ? ?i ? 365 ? $500,000 ? 180 ? 1? ? ? 0. 08 ? 365 ? PV ? $481, 022. 67 Calculate the effective annualised return for a $100,000 investment which earned: ? 6. 5% p. a. for 90 days, then ? 7. 5% p. a. for 60 days, then ? 6. 2% p. a. for 45 days Value of investment after 90 days: 90 ? $100,000 ? 1+ ? 0. 065 = $101,602. 70 ? ? 365 ? Financial Math Support Materials Page 19 of 85 Value of investment after 90 + 60 days:Value of investment after 90 + 60 + 45 days: Value after 195 days = $103,641. 60 Annualised return = Financial Math Support Materials Page 20 of 85 APPLICATIONS OF SIMPLE INTEREST ? TREASURY NOTES ? BILLS OF EXCHANGE ? PROMISSORY NOTES – WHEN CREATED (ISSUED) – WHEN TRADED LA TER We cover these applications in greater detail in a later topic. Financial Math Support Materials Page 21 of 85 (3) COMPOUND INTEREST THE BASIC IDEA: ? PRINCIPAL GENERATES INTEREST ? RE-INVEST INTEREST TO GENERATE STILL MORE INTEREST ? RE-INVEST AGAIN TO GENERATE EVEN MORE INTEREST . . .etc Financial Math Support Materials Page 22 of 85 COMPOUND INTERESTSuppose we invest $100 000 at 10% p. a. with interest payable annually. What annual cash flows result from this investment? $100,000 Invested at 10% Compound Interest $800,000 Amount $700,000 $600,000 $500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 $100,000 $0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Time in years Financial Math Support Materials Page 23 of 85 A LGEBRAICALLY ? ? ? ? ? ? Balance at end of year ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Balance after ? ? ? ? ? n FV = Financial Math Support Materials Balance at start of year ? ? ? ? ? ? (1? i) years is: PV(1 + i) n Page 24 of 85 G ENERALISING Suppose we invest $100 000 at 10% p. a. with nterest payable annually. What is the future value of this investment after 4 years? FV = $ Financial Math Support Materials Page 25 of 85 T HE POWER OF COMPOUNDING WITH COMPOUND INTEREST, â€Å"SMALL† SUMS NOW BECOME â€Å"LARGE† SUMS LATER (a) $1000 AT 13% pa FOR 50 YEARS : FV = $ (b) $1000 AT 14% pa FOR 50 YEARS : FV = $ Financial Math Support Materials Page 26 of 85 PRESENT VALUE : REARRANGING THE COMPOUND INTEREST FORMULA: PV ? FV n (1 ? i) COMPOUNDING NOW SHOWS THAT â€Å"LARGE† SUMS TO BE PAID LATER ARE WORTH ONLY â€Å"SMALL† SUMS NOW What is the present value of $1 million to be paid in 100 years’ time if the interest rate is 15% pa?Financial Math Support Materials Page 27 of 85 PRESENT VALUE : (Question 5 from 2001 2nd semester final exam) Tran Van Ng is to receive from his parents $1,000, $1,500 and $2,500 in 1 year, 2 years and 3 years respectively if he passes all subjects in his university degree each year. (a) What is the present value of th ese cash flows assuming a discount rate of 9% over the three years? (b) What is the present value of this these cash flows assuming a discount rate of 9% in the first year, 8% in the second year and 6% in the third year? Financial Math Support Materials Page 28 of 85 Present Value (a) PV ? $1, 000 ?1. 09 ? 1 ? $1,500 ?1. 9 ? 2 ? $2,500 ?1. 09 ? 3 ? $4,110. 41 (b) The value today of $2,500 received in 3 years time? 0 1 2 3 $2,500 Financial Math Support Materials Page 29 of 85 Measuring Average Growth Rates COMPOUND INTEREST IS A SPECIAL CASE OF COMPOUND GROWTH WHERE THE GROWTH RATE IS THE SAME EACH PERIOD IN COMPOUND GROWTH GENERALLY, THE GROWTH RATE MAY CHANGE EACH PERIOD IN PRACTICE, GROWTH RATES CHANGE FROM YEAR TO YEAR. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO CALCULATE THE FUTURE VALUE AND PRESENT WHERE VALUE RATES THROUGHOUT OF OF THE AN INVESTMENT RETURN LIFE CHANGE OF THE INVESTMENT. Financial Math Support Materials Page 30 of 85 Measuring Average Growth RatesSUPPOSE YOU INITIALLY INVEST $1,000 IN AN ASSET WHOSE VALUE CHANGED YEAR BY YEAR, AS FOLLOWS: YEAR GROWTH RATE %pa 1 2 3 4 5 35 15 9 What is the future value of this investment? What is the average annual growth rate of this investment? After 4 years, the value of the asset is : Financial Math Support Materials Page 31 of 85 Measuring Average Growth Rates AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE (g) NOTE THAT THE ANSWER IS NOT: Financial Math Support Materials Page 32 of 85 Average Growth Rate Suppose we invest $1million in an asset whose value changes as follows, year 1 growth rate 20% 2 -8% 3 -15% 4 3% What is the future value of this nvestment? What is the average annual growth rate of this investment? Financial Math Support Materials Page 33 of 85 Average Growth Rate The average annual growth rate is : Financial Math Support Materials Page 34 of 85 Average Growth Rate (Question 6(a),(b) from 2001 2nd semester final exam) House prices in Melbourne have soared in the past four years. The median price of a house in Clayton at the end of each year is as follows: 1997 – $122,000 1998 – $135,000 1999 – $147,000 2000 – $185,000 (a) What is the annual compounding growth rate for housing prices calculated at the end of each year, that is 1998, 1999 and 2000? b) What is the average annual compound growth rate for housing prices over this period? Financial Math Support Materials Page 35 of 85 Average Growth Rate (a) 1998 – 1999 – 2000 – (b) ?1 ? r ? ? 3 Financial Math Support Materials Page 36 of 85 Calculating Average Growth rate – continued g = average growth rate The average rate of growth per period over n time periods is: n ? ? ? Value at end – Value at beginning ? 1 + g ? = ? 1 + ? ? Value at beginning ? ? ? ? Solving for g, 1 ? Value at end – Value at beginning ? n g = ? 1 + ? -1 Value at beginning ? ? 1 $185,000 – $122,000 ? 3 ? g = ? 1 + ? -1 $122,000 ? ? 1 ?3 ? g = ? 1. 16793 ? ? ? – 1 = 0. 148869 g = 14. 89% Financial Mat h Support Materials Page 37 of 85 Real (after Inflation) Interest Inflation reduces the purchasing power of money. We require a methodology to adjust rates of return for the impact of inflation. TODAY 1 box of biscuits costs $2. 00 I have $200 I can consume 100 boxes of biscuits IN ONE YEAR Inflation rate (10%) 1 box costs $2. 20 To consume the same quantity of biscuits I will require To have a real return of, say, 4% pa, I need to be able to purchase 104 boxes. Financial Math Support Materials Page 38 of 85 Real (after Inflation) Interest Real increase in consumption of 4%Financial Math Support Materials Page 39 of 85 Real (after Inflation) Interest FORMULA : (1 + q) = (1 + r)(1 + p) where : q is the quoted interest rate r is the real interest rate p is the inflation rate A lender quotes an interest rate of 18% pa for an investment. If the inflation rate is currently at 4% pa, what is the real interest rate earned by the investor ? Rearranging: Financial Math Support Materials (1 + q) = (1 + r)(1 + p) Page 40 of 85 EFFECTIVE and NOMINAL (QUOTED) Interest Rates A BANK LENDS $1,000 AND QUOTES AN INTEREST RATE OF: (a) 12% pa, payable quarterly (that is, 3% each quarter) (b) 12% pa, payable semi-annually that is, 6% each half year) (c) 12% pa, payable annually (that is, 12% at the end of the year) How much interest does the bank earn at the end of one year under each of these three scenarios? Financial Math Support Materials Page 41 of 85 EFFECTIVE and NOMINAL (QUOTED) Interest Rates ? interest rate of 12% pa, payable quarterly REPAYMENTS $30 $30 1 2 $30 3 $30 4 Quarter The value at the end of the year of the interest payment in the The bank has effectively earned : Financial Math Support Materials Page 42 of 85 EFFECTIVE and NOMINAL (QUOTED) Interest Rates ? INTEREST RATE OF 12% pa, PAYABLE SEMI ANNUALLY REPAYMENTS $60 1 $60 2 Half YearThe value at the end of the year of the interest payment in the The bank has effectively earned : Financial Math Support Materia ls Page 43 of 85 EFFECTIVE and NOMINAL (QUOTED) Interest Rates ? INTEREST RATE OF 12% pa, PAYABLE ANNUALLY REPAYMENTS $120 1 YEAR The value at the end of the year of the interest payment is $120 The bank has effectively earned : Financial Math Support Materials Page 44 of 85 EFFECTIVE and NOMINAL (QUOTED) Interest Rates So a quoted (Nominal) interest rate of, 12% pa payable = 12. 55% payable annually. quarterly 12% pa payable = 12. 36% payable annually semi annually 12% pa payable = 12. 00% payable annually nnually To compare interest rate quotations (the nominal interest rate) we refer to an effective interest rate, that is, the interest rate that we would receive if interest were paid once at the end of the year. In the above example: Nominal (Quoted Rate) 12% pa payable quarterly 12% pa payable semi annually 12% pa payable annually Financial Math Support Materials Effective Rate 12. 55% pa 12. 36% pa 12. 00% pa Page 45 of 85 Formula Development If the nominal rate is j percent pa , compounding m times pa, Then after one year the principal, P, becomes: m j? ? S = P ? 1 + ? m? ? (C1) The effective annual interest rate, i, is therefore: = S-P S = -1 P P (C2) Replacing S in (C2) with equation (C1) produces: j? ? P ? 1 + ? m? ? i= P m -1 m j? ? i = ? 1 + ? m? ? Financial Math Support Materials ?1 (C3) Page 46 of 85 Effective and Nominal Interest Rates (a) NOMINAL TO EFFECTIVE If the nominal rate is 15% p. a. payable monthly, then the effective rate is : (b) EFFECTIVE TO NOMINAL If the effective rate is 15% pa then the nominal pa, with monthly payments, is : Financial Math Support Materials Page 47 of 85 Effective and Nominal Interest Rates (Question from 2002 mid semester exam) Abdul Hafahed purchases a car for $5,000 and sells it four months later for $6,000. a) What nominal annual rate of return did Abdul receive? (b) What effective annual rate of return did Abdul receive? (c) If inflation is at 2% pa, what real annual effective rate of return did Abdul receive ? Show your calculations. Financial Math Support Materials Page 48 of 85 Effective and Nominal Interest Rates (a) Four month return Annual nominal return = (b) Effective rate (c) Real annual effective rate : (1 + q) = (1 + r)(1 + p) Financial Math Support Materials Page 49 of 85 Compound Interest Formula j? ? FV = PV ? 1 + ? m? ? n Where: FV = future value PV = principal (present value) j = interest rate per annum as a percentage = mT = total number of periods over which investment is held m = number of interest payments per annum Solving for other terms by rearranging variables: PV = FV j? ? 1+ ? ? m? ? n 1 ? ? ? FV ? n ? j = ? – 1? m PV ? ? ? Microsoft Excel functions: Future value: FV(rate, nper, pmt, pv, type) Present value: PV(rate, nper, pmt, pv, type) Financial Math Support Materials Page 50 of 85 CONTINUOUS COMPOUNDING Nominal interest rate We know j? ? FV ? PV ? 1 ? ? ? m? mT Number of years Number of compounding periods per year What if compounding takes place at every moment, that is ? m ? ? ? . It can be shown that as ? m ? ? then: m j? ? j ?1 ? ? ? e lim ? m ? m where e is the base of natural logarithms (e ? 2. 71828) The Future value formula then reduces to: FV ? PVe jT or, FV ? jT PV ? jT ? FVe e Financial Math Support Materials Page 51 of 85 COMPOUNDING FREQUENCY $1,000 invested for 1 year at 12%: Compounding frequency Payment at end of year Annual Semi-Annual Quarterly Monthly Daily Continuously ? As the compounding frequency increases for a given nominal interest rate, the higher the interest repayments. However the interest repayment reaches a maximum with continuous compounding. Financial Math Support Materials Page 52 of 85Continuously Compounded Returns Nominal interest rate Recall FV ? PVe Using the notation and r where r ? jT . pt ? 1 ? PV pt ? FV pt ? pt ? 1e then Number of years rt pt e? pt ? 1 rt and rearranging we have; ? pt ? ln? e ? ? ln? ?p ? ? ? t ? 1 ? rt and ? pt ? ? rt ? ln ? ?p ? ? ? t ? 1 ? rt is the continuously c ompounding return from time period t-1 to t. Financial Math Support Materials Page 53 of 85 Continuously Compounded Returns pt Note: the term pt ? 1 is referred as the Price Relative. It is the proportional price change from time t-1 to t. The logarithm of the price relative is the continuously compounding return.Continuously compounding returns are often easier to work with. Two important properties: (1) Continuously compounding returns over a period can be added up to give a total continuously compounding return. (2) The average continuously compounding return over a period is the arithmetic average of each individual continuously compounding return. Financial Math Support Materials Page 54 of 85 Continuously Compounded Returns A stock price has a closing price of $3. 00, $3. 25 and $2. 90 over 3 days. What is the continuously compounding return on each day? What is the total and average continuously compounding return? Time 0 1 Price 3. 00 . 25 2 Return 2. 90 Total return from ti me 0 to 2 = Financial Math Support Materials Page 55 of 85 Continuously Compounded Returns An investor is given a choice of: (a) investing at 16. 5% p. a. , (b) investing at 4% per quarter, for 1 year (c) investing at 16. 3% p. a. and compounded daily. (d) 16. 3% p. a. continuously compounding. Which investment is chosen? Financial Math Support Materials Page 56 of 85 Calculate the effective rate in each case. (a) 16. 5% pa (b) (c) (d) Financial Math Support Materials Page 57 of 85 (4) MUTIPLE CASH FLOWS Cash Flow Stream : Future Value 0 1 2 3 $200 3. 5 $450 4 5 6 $800 1 2 3 If interest rate 9%pa = $1,712. 50 1 :$ 2 :$ 3 :$ Stream Future Value Financial Math Support Materials Page 58 of 85 Cash Flow Stream : Present Value 0 1 2 3 $200 3. 5 $450 4 5 6 $800 1 2 3 If interest rate = 9%pa 1 2 3 Stream Present Value = $ Financial Math Support Materials Page 59 of 85 Net Present Value – NPV The present value of the following stream of cash flows, using a discount rate of 7. 5%, is: 0 Cash flows: 1 2 3 $880 $560 $420 4 $980 PV’s =$ Suppose it cost the investor $2,000 to purchase this stream of cash flows, the net present value of this stream is: NPV = -$2,000 + $ =$ outflow Investment projects where NPV ? 0 are viable.Financial Math Support Materials Page 60 of 85 Internal Rate of Return – IRR One period: YEAR $ 0 -1000 1 +1120 Dollar return = $ Equivalently, solve for r : What value of r will produce an NPV = 0 ? PV of $1,120 Using discount Rate of r for 1 period Financial Math Support Materials No discounting required since $1,000 occurs â€Å"now† Page 61 of 85 Internal Rate of Return – IRR Two periods YEAR $ 0 -1000 1 +1120 2 + 25 Clearly, IRR > 12% pa but IRR < 14. 5% pa Why? Because this would be the rate of return if the additional $25 was received in year 1. That is, Thus 12% < IRR < 14. 5% But where in this range is the IRR ?

Cover story Essay

To investigate what level of obedience participants would show when an authority figure told them to administer electric shocks to another person. Participants: Obtained from advertisements + direct mailing. Self selected or volunteer sample.   40 males: 20-50 yrs old from New Haven area in the United Stated of America.   Job ranges Included: postal clerks, HS teachers, salesmen, labourers, engineers, etc.   Education: one had not finished HS to some who a have degree + qualification in various subjects. Paid: $4.50 regardless of what happened after and before they arrived. This is called COERCIAN. Method and Design:   Method: Lab experiment.   Observer observed participants for signs of tension/nervousness: â€Å"sweat, tremble, biting of lips, nervous laughter† I. V. /D. V.   I. V. – There was NO I. V. D. V. – Level of obedience; how far they’d go with the voltage to shock the learner. Procedure: LEARNER TASK   The teacher (participant) was asked to read a series of word pairs to the learner (confederate), and then read the 1st word of the pair along with the 4 other terms. Learner (confederate) had to indicate which 1 of the 4 terms was originally paired with the 1st word. SHOCK GENERATOR The shock generator perceived to be real – professionally made + model printed. There were 30 switches – labelled from 15 to 450 volts. 15 volt different between each switch.   Labels to describe intensity – from â€Å"slight shock† (weakest) to â€Å"xxx† (strongest). Teachers (ppts) were given a 45 volts shock to convince them that the shocks were real. Teacher was told to give shock for every wrong answer while moving a shock level higher on shock generator. Teacher had to read out the voltage to the learner each time they were about to give a shock.   If the teacher asked for advice/wanted to stop, experimenter used 4 prods. Example: â€Å"please continue†, â€Å"this experiment requires that you continue†. Controls: Standardised deception. Cover story.   Slips of paper drawn (pre-determined teacher).   Learner strapped. Standardised prods used by experimenter. Results: (overall %) 65% of ppts continued to shock until 450 volts. Only 35% stopped before.   22. 5% stopped at 300 volts.   Many showed signed of nervousness and extreme tension.   14 displayed nervous laughter; 3 had uncontrollable seizures. Conclusion: Very high rate of obedience – 65%. Milgram explained this as being so high because it’s a strong part of human society.   Milgram said: â€Å"Many situational factors which lead to high rate of obedience.

My Philosophy of a teacher Essay

What makes a good instructor? There are lots of factors, which determine the answer to this question, and one of the most important aspects of being a good teacher is, I believe, the teaching strategy of a teacher. I think that teachers play a very important role in molding the career of a student emotionally, technically and intellectually. A good teacher is a person who works with a single powerful goal in mind: working for the best interests of all the students, which help them, succeed socially and academically. I certainly don’t agree with the statement made by Dunny that a good teacher is just about knowing the curriculum and forcing the stuff on the students without taking much interest in it. I think that if this thought of dunny materializes, I can’t imagine the level of deterioration in education and true knowledge in the students. Being a good teacher does not mean a person with all the bookish knowledge imparting it to the students without taking a personal interest in the subject. Involving your whole self into the subject and helping the students to realize the main morale of the situation follows true knowledge and not the cramming of books. Also, I think that if a teacher pays greater attention to every student’s personal interests, it will help them to succeed in their career intellectually as well as morally. Besides imparting the curriculum on the students, a teacher has the responsibility of shaping the youths of their class with the knowledge and social experiences they will need to improve their future, so it is very important for a teacher to go beyond the curriculum and impart true knowledge. How can you expect a senior year student to succeed in college if he/she hasn’t got any preparation for the transition by the high school teachers? A true teacher in that case would bring a college like atmosphere into the classroom, which would help the students prepare for the way things would be in college. This is just a small example of what teachers are for, to educate students on more than just books or academics but on life. Teachers are more than just people who relay information about a certain subject. Being a teacher means being a mentor to someone who desperately needs a  mentor: providing love and understanding to someone who may not receive it at home: taking care of someone who is hurt: teaching students to be a success in life and being responsible for their future. The personal satisfaction of giving a new hope to the future citizens of the country greatly surpasses all the negative and strenuous aspects of the job. Learning needs to be fun and hands on as much as possible in order to keep the children interested and eager to learn and this is only possible if the teacher takes personal interest in the curriculum he/she teaches. If students are taught in a way that they will remember, then in the future they will be able to put this knowledge to use practically. If a teacher follows â€Å"the Dunny rule† in class, the students will grow rebellious eventually they may turn up to cursing and screaming in class due to the lack of enjoyment in the knowledge they are being imparted. This results in deviation of the schools main goal: To make their students succeed in life. Finally, I believe that the real duty of a teacher is to foster love for learning and take true interest in the knowledge he/she is imparting to all the students. This includes allowing students to take ownership of their learning, shape their instruction and ultimately give them the choice of success or failure depending on their own sense of responsibility. Thus, I believe that to be a successful teacher, not only one has to impart the knowledge in the curriculum but also prepare the students for life and this is only possible when the teacher takes personal interest in his/her subject while teaching and helps every student to succeed in academics as well as Life, beca use what matters finally is ‘Life’.